I'm not even sure why college students would need dating apps. You are in a relatively dense environment surrounded by people your own age, in a similar phase of life. You have to actively work not to meet people you want to date.
there are some really out of touch takes here. dating apps haven't been about necessity for 10 years, that's exactly why the stigma of using an online matchmaker disintegrated.
people are moving away from them because they don't work well enough to justify the time and cost, and the negative effects on confidence are now known enough that thinly veiled digs at the user complaining about them don't work either. so because bad experiences aren't invalidated anymore, and the bad experience can be quantified, people are opting out entirely.
more literature on this topic - ‘It’s quite soul-destroying’: how we fell out of love with dating apps https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/oct/28/its-qui...
Meeting people you want to date is one thing. Meeting people who ALSO want to date you back is the elusive part.
However, talking doesn’t have to lead to dating. It can just lead to hanging out platonically in large groups, then hooking up casually.
Usually the music is so loud that you have to scream into someone's ear to be heard. Also a girl with her friends who is approached by a random guy will usually say no simply because she doesn't want to be perceived as easy.
I have heard that this is why the Milwaukee School of Engineering opened a nursing school; to bring women to a very men-heavy university.
Societal norms have changed. Why risk rejection in person?
There are a ton more unwritten/unspoken rules about this now, it seems, than even a decade or two ago. Rules about when/where it's okay to hit on someone, what is permissible to say, etc. And these rules seem to change from person to person: so one never knows what they actually are.
That can still happen using an app. You just won't be standing there to see it. Speaking of which, why would one even ask a girl in front of their friends if one can't handle the inevitable giggling? If you see them often enough to spark your interest, then you'll find a better opportunity to ask then to make a show of it.
I've never solicited a complete stranger except at a bar. Basically every time I've gone on a date with someone I've met out-in-the-world, I had the chance to talk to them about something then ask if they want coffee, or whatever. On campus you eventually get this opportunity through colleagues. You make a few friends and then have friends, and if you show up to stuff the chances are always there.
I think a lot of anxiety comes from the idea that one is meant to confront people on-sight at inappropriate moments. One shouldn't do that, nor is it even necessary to be successful.
Best thing to do in college is keep your hands or other body parts to yourself. You don't need to be worried about getting laid while you have studies to focus on.
The ones afraid of rejection are still afraid of rejection.
The opposite is true on campuses. There are now far more women than men at college. Outside of IT/engineering, the ratio is around 3:2 and very favourable to men.
Yes they get more messages, they also filter and ignore many. That doesn't mean you can't land a date. There's a difference between guys who chase after absolutely everyone and guys who show more genuine interest in a person, and that comes through in the communication.
You're also preaching to the choir on college, I think the opportunity should be exploited to meet people in person, that doesn't mean online dating is rendered redundant.
I always pushed to meet in person early instead of weeks of chatting. Far easier to fight out if there is chemistry and you can continue chatting after (if it goes well ofc)
The computer systems technology program had around 300 people when I started it, and 3 of them were women. By the time we all graduated there were zero.
A few of us tried to game the system by choosing electives like "The Mating Game" but to no avail.