Online dating sites offer appeal to college students

With one in three relationships beginning online, college students have started to wonder if online dating is the answer to their relationship blues.

As a busy college student, I, too, have considered the benefits of services offered by online dating sites. For most students, days and nights are overloaded with work, essays and studying. With little time left over for more traditional means of getting a date, some students have turned toward dating sites.

"Not everyone will meet someone," Brittney Gobel, a freshmen fashion design major, said. "But it gives you a chance to get to know someone better before you actually meet. It makes it less awkward." Gobel met her current boyfriend on the social networking site, My Yearbook. They have been together for one month.

Sites now offer comprehensive personality tests. These take about an hour or two each (depending on the website) and measure everything from your patience level to the length of your fingers in comparison to one another.

According to Networkworld.com, more than 800 dating sites currently exist. When presented with such facts, students might find themselves overwhelmed with options.

Each dating site uses a unique combination of tests and questionnaires to determine a user's possible matches. eHarmony, for example, offers an extensive personality quiz. Once they have determined your personality type, a user is presented with in-depth details about their personality traits and who they are most likely to be compatible with.

I have chosen three online dating sites, two of which offer free registration. These allow you to view matches within your area and create a profile detailing what you are hoping to find in a partner.

1. Okcupid was the most impressive website and is directed more toward a college audience. The personality questionnaire was slightly unusual, asking questions such as, "Is your ring finger longer/shorter/the same length as your pointer finger?" This website also featured cognitive testing, and matched users based on their answers.

Okcupid is 100 percent free, giving users unlimited access and communication with their matches. A unique feature of this website is the "percent of compatibility," which appears beside the picture of a potential match. It also has a percent of how likely you are to be friends or enemies, which makes searching for a match significantly easier.

This website also offers "daily matches" and a list of users who you are most likely to be compatible with — referred to as "Cupid's quiver." Okcupid is very simple and easy to navigate. Overall, this website was my first choice, and seems to be the most college-friendly.

2. eHarmony is another popular dating website. This website is usually not free to join, costing $23.95 per month for 12 months. They offer short-term subscriptions as well, though the monthly fees are significantly more expensive.

eHarmony offers the most extensive personality analysis of the three websites I visited. The personality test consisted of questions such as a user's values, pet peeves and personality traits. Additionally, the site covers what they call the "science of love." It matches a user to a partner based on 29 different sections. You are paired with singles in your area who share common beliefs. This site excelled in terms of creating a profile, though it was directed towards an older audience.

After I had completed my test, I was directed to a page outlining the unique attributes of my personality. This page described key things to look for in a partner and traits I might want to avoid.

As wonderful as this sounds, after two long hours of filling out questionnaires, I was presented with my possible matches within a 100-mile radius: three.

If you are looking for love, and are willing to spend $25 dollars a month for three matches, eHarmony is the site for you.

3. Match.com was slightly less impressive than its rival, eHarmony. This website allows a user to sign up and create a profile free of charge. To review any matches, however, a user must register and pay a monthly fee. Users only have limited communicate possibilities with matches with the free version.

The subscription fee is $18.99 per month for six months. This allows a user to see who has viewed their page and participate in IM chats. Although more options for communication are available, Match.com is still not worth the effort unless you are willing to subscribe.

The personality analysis was far less involved than eHarmony. The questions focused on activities and interests over personality traits. Still, it did provide me with a much higher number of available matches.

Over all, this website is not for the college student. It offered little for the amount you would be paying, and many of its users are not within our age bracket.

Whether you are looking for love, or just someone to hang out with, online dating is a probable solution. Online dating is beginning to target younger generations and is becoming a viable alternative for meeting singles in your area. My only recommendation is to be safe. If you plan on meeting someone, take a friend, meet in a public place during the day and let others know where you will be. Most importantly, have fun.