If Valentine’s Day came and went and you’re still single, or if you’re looking for friends, and Facebook’s friend suggestions aren’t cutting it for you, then you should try www.meetmycampus.com.
Jonathan Rosen, first-year doctoral student of international affairs at the University of Miami, created this free Web site exclusively for college students, at first conceiving it as a dating Web site. However, he transformed it into a social networking site for dating, friendship and professional connections.
“The whole point is to match you with someone you would never meet,” Rosen said. “This way, the site has more potential.”
Sagir Patel, junior biology major, said that although he tends to go the traditional face-to-face route when meeting others, he thinks the site is a good idea and would recommend it to friends.
“If you don’t even date the individual, it’s another contact ―another person you know.That person can help you find another person. You can be friends with that person. It’s good for dating and for social networking,” said Patel.
Rosen said the site is useful for students who cannot easily meet students outside their majors.
“In my case, I never get in contact with kids at the law school or the medical school unless I already know them,” he said. “Girls and guys can get kind of tired of the bar scene and want to meet someone who are like-minded and have similar interests.”
Rosen’s site uses a questionnaire to match the user with others.
“You have to have an .edu e-mail address to use the site,” he said. “So the goal is to limit the age range and keep it to people who are in college and around your age.”
Rosen has been working on the site since September 2010. He started with major schools. Users whose .edu e-mail address is not accepted can send Rosen a message and have their school added to the site.
“The goal is to become nationwide and to link students together and eventually go international,” he said.
Sabrina Caamano, second-year school psychology doctorate student, said the fact that the site is for college students makes it a good environment to meet others.
“It’s a good resource for meeting new people with the same interests,” she said. “They are reaching the same goals you are because they are in college.”
