ONLINE DATING

James Gross, sophomore kinesiology major, said he began the lifestyle of online dating after he got out of a long relationship.

Online dating was a system he used to lift his spirits by finding a date.

“I heard about this website from a friend and found it to be a legitimate site with no fees involved,” Gross said. “I’ve met about 10 girls there and took them on dates but I stick to one girl at a time.”

He said the girls he has found through the Internet behave differently than girls he has date through one-on-one.

“I took this girl I met online to dinner for the first time and during dinner, she comes and gives me a hug,” Gross said.

He said he felt very uncomfortable at the moment because he was not use to people coming on to him in that way.

“None of these girls are normal,” Gross said. “Many are a bit socially retarded.”

He said he no longer uses the Internet to find a girlfriend because the girls he has met have not met his expectations.

“Don’t get your hopes up with online dating, but it was a route for me I decided to take that helped me get my confidence level back up,” Gross said.

DOUBLE-DATING

Amy Carlson, sophomore government major, said when she is asked to join her friends on a double-date, she is very open to saying yes as long as they do not give her the “creeps.”

Recently, Carlson’s friend and her boyfriend went out for the night and invited a guy to meet her.

“I was not looking for a relationship but I was looking for a good time,” she said. “I never say no because I am open to all options and all types of people as long as there is some connection.”

Carlson said many people are not open to double-dating but it is a great opportunity.

“I know many people going into dating with closed minds and feel it is important stay to their values,” she said. “Taking risk sometimes is not always comfortable but it can result in making new friends, meeting new people and discovering new activity.”

Lauren Bartley, senior health science major, said her friend often bombards her with invitations to proceed in double-dating.

“People should be open to the idea because it can be a positive experience with the right people,” Bartley said.

ONE-ON-ONE DATING

Grace Nicolas, senior public relations major, said if a guy wanted to date her, he needs to approach her through one-on-one dating because she does not like other types of dating.

Nicolas said she understands there are many different types of dating but she has been “embedded” by her parents to value one-on-one dating.

“If a guy is really interested in a girl, they will approach you,” she said.

Bobby Tran, junior management information system major, said one-on-one dating is the only medium he knows.

Although Tran is aware of different types of dating, he does not agree with them.

“I haven’t looked into other forms of dating but they seem too impersonal,” he said. “I think one-on-one dating it more personal because there’s a lot of body language.”

Nicolas said if a guy wants to date her, they have to meet her high expectations.

“I can be pretty picky when it comes to the right guy but I will leave it to fate,” she said.

Nicolas said it is not up to the girl to go out of their way and find the guy. She said one-on-one dating has a lot to do with first impressions.

“I go with vibes,” she said.

LONG-DISTANCE DATING

Christopher McConneaughey, freshman criminal justice major, said if people can last in a long-distance relationship, they can make it through anything.

He said he met his girlfriend in high school in Salinas, Calif., but his relationship became long distance after graduating high school then moving to Sacramento for school.

“Even though there is a big distance between us, we still trust each other to stay faithful,” McConneaughey said. “Communication is a real big thing.”

He takes matters in his own hand to better the situation by carrying out the same honor.

“Anything (I do) that can be considered as misconstrued, (I) will tell my girlfriend about it so she is aware of my actions,” McConneaughey said.

The most difficult part for him is the fact they do not get to physically see each other.

One of the fun things he enjoys about his long distance relationship is the “phone dates.”

“Whenever there is a show on that we both enjoy watching, we both call each other and watch it together,” he said.

From being in a long-distance relationship, he said he has grown as an individual.

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