Top Tips For Online Dating As A Student

Online dating is hugely popular within this day and age, whether it’s swiping left or right on people’s tinder profiles, reading their Hinge prompts or even sliding into someone’s Instagram DM’s, there are so many different ways to meet people romantically online. 

Regardless if it’s via dating apps or social media, meeting new people and getting yourself into the dating pool is not without its challenges. 

Here at Urban Student Life, we’re experts on online dating so we’ve put together this post on top tips for students so you’ll be a dating pro in no time at all! 

Top Tips For Online Dating 

Online dating has become the norm to meet new people, and the vast majority of singletons will have at least a few dating apps downloaded if they’re looking for a relationship or want to casually date.

That’s not to say everyone on these platforms is looking for the same thing though! 

Navigating through the online dating world can be difficult and intimidating, especially if you’re not used to it or you’re newly single. 

Thankfully, we’ve done our research and put together these top tips for students looking to up their dating game. 

1. Be Honest 

When it comes to online dating, the most important thing to remember is to be honest about what you want. 

Are you looking for a relationship? Are you looking to meet new people? Or are you unsure about what you want? Any of these answers are okay! 

Whilst you don’t need to immediately tell people on dating apps or dating sites what you’re after, you should be honest when the time is right, or when you go on a date.

It’s also important to be honest with yourself about what you’re wanting and your intentions. 

If you’re not ready to start dating, don’t rush into the process and go on dates for the sake of it or because your friends are telling you to get out there. 

Have a think about what you really want and focus on your dating goals!

2. Choose The Right Platform

There are an abundance of dating apps and websites out there, so it’s a good idea to find the right one for you. 

Tinder, Hinge and Bumble tend to be the top 3 online dating apps that people use, but there are plenty of others out there, along with platforms exclusively for members of the LGBT+ community and university students as well as others. 

Whilst you can make a profile on however many platforms you like, it gets a bit challenging trying to keep up with them, and each has different features. 

Ensuring you find the right platform which best suits you and your preferences will save you time! 

3. Patience Is Key 

Our next tip for online dating is to be patient, like they say, Rome wasn’t built in a day and this same thing applies here. 

It could take a few months for you to find success on a dating app or site, so don’t feel disheartened if it’s not going as you had initially thought straight away – all good things take time. 

Instead of wondering why you’re struggling to get any matches or wondering why none of the dates you’ve been on went anywhere, focus on yourself and enjoy your own company.

Use your time to work on bettering yourself and find out about who you are! 

Whilst being patient is important, it’s also good to keep an open mind when online dating as you need to spend some time getting to know someone for there to be a spark. 

Be flexible when looking for people to date, and try not to be judgemental when viewing people’s dating profiles, they may be different in real life – people aren’t profiles! 

4. Meet Up When You’re Ready 

When talking to potential dates online, you may feel like you need to meet up as soon as possible to see if you both get on as well as you appear to, or if you’re as attracted to them IRL. 

Whilst the conversation can get dry if you spend a long period chatting to each other online before meeting in person, you should only meet up with people when you’re ready. 

There are no rules about when is the right time, so if you feel like going on a date with someone you matched with a few days ago, then go for it. 

On the other hand, if you’ve been conversing with someone for weeks but you don’t feel ready to meet online for whatever reason, that’s also fine. 

Don’t feel pressured into going on dates with someone if you’d rather wait it out and get to know them a bit better, after all, your time is precious as a student and you shouldn’t rush into things. 

5. Don’t Ignore Red Flags 

Not everyone within the dating game will have your best interest at heart, so if there’s any red or amber flags early on don’t ignore them, whether it’s talking to people online or offline. 

Some red flags to look out for when online dating is someone becoming very affectionate early on even before meeting up (love bombing) or messaging constantly and not respecting your boundaries. 

Other red flags could be not listening or remembering things you tell them or always cancelling dates and making excuses. 

If they’re displaying negative behaviours this early on they’re not someone you should want to be in your life long term so, if something feels off then it probably is! 

6. Date For Fun 

Not everyone you go on dates with has to be someone you see forever with, you can also go on dates with different people for fun. 

By going on dates with people you can hang out with someone new, enjoy some new activities, have new experiences and also discover your type. 

If you find yourself not having fun when going on dates it could be a sign that you’re a) not compatible with them 2) not ready or 3) you need to take a break. 

There’s nothing wrong with taking a step back if nothing positive is coming from speaking to people, or going on dates. 

Casual dating can be great, just make sure that you let other people know about what you’re after, communication is key!

7. Be Yourself 

When dating online you should always be authentic to who you are, your personality, your interests and so on, as the right person will come along and like you for you. 

There may be pressure to create an online ‘persona’ when dating in the digital landscape but the truth is, you wouldn’t want someone who you’re romantically interested in to change anything about themselves or lie about their interests, so just be you! 

For example, if you’re not really into going on nights out, don’t put on your profile that you love going clubbing just because it appears like everyone else has included it on their profile. 

This is just one example but you get the gist, be yourself and let who you are shine through your dating profile, and your conversations with others. 

8. Stay Safe 

We cannot stress enough how important it is to stay safe when meeting up with people you’ve met online.

When planning a date it’s a good idea to pick somewhere public where there will be other people around such as a bar, cafe or restaurant, rather than meeting up somewhere secluded as after all, this person is a stranger. 

You should also let someone know where you’re going whether it’s letting your flatmate, friend or even a family member know you’re heading out. 

If things aren’t going well on a date for any reason, you don’t have to stay somewhere you’re uncomfortable.

If you don’t feel confident enough to tell someone you want the date to end, make up an excuse why you have to leave. 

Like we said earlier, dating whether offline or online should be fun and exciting, not anything else!

 

Online dating is a great way to make new connections with others and potentially find new love interests.

The dating landscape is no walk in the park though, so hopefully these online dating tips have helped you out! 

Wondering who your perfect match is according to your zodiac sign? You should check out our blog post.