Surf and turf? One of our writers tests the waters of online dating.

University should be the perfect environment for dating. I came to the city excited, not only about the academic and social opportunities that awaited me, but about a student population stretching into the tens of thousands. It should be easy to find attractive, funny, like-minded people in such a huge dating pool, right?

It’s safe to say that the student dating scene was not at all what I expected. In fact, it seemed to be non-existent to me. I was befuddled as to how anyone found someone they liked and who wanted to be in a relationship, and after a year and a half of fruitless flirting in sticky-floored clubs, I decided to take the plunge and be proactive in my search for actual dates.

The world of online dating terrified me. I either thought of middle-aged men looking for young women like myself to take advantage of or desperate people with no chance of finding a date in real life. But the truth was that I had nothing to lose by making an online profile and maybe going for a drink with someone.

What shocked me more than anything when I signed up to Plenty of Fish (POF), a free service which allows you to view other members profiles and contact those you are interested in, was how normal the vast majority of the users seemed to be. Men, who were my age, who had university degrees, good jobs and social lives seemed to be having exactly the same problem I was having – they couldn’t find anyone who they liked and who wanted to do more than just sleep with them.

Could this be the modern solution to the dating quandary? There’s no denying that the student experi ence has changed beyond all recognition in the last few decades. When my parents were young, alcohol was extortionately expensive compared with the student deals on offer today and club culture was yet to become as popular as it is now. While I love going out, it’s not exactly the best environment to meet someone whose company you might really enjoy, and other social outlets seem thinner on the ground.

Moreover, online dating was just fun. It’s like being in a big supermarket, and getting to pick out whatever you like and give it a go, with no pressure and no judgement. That’s not even mentioning some of the hilarious chat up lines that I had thrown at me – my personal favourite being ‘Is your last name Gilette? Because you’re the best a man can get.’ My ego boosted, I put myself out there and arranged two dates. One with a postgraduate who seemed a little formal but nice nonetheless and another with a guy closer to my age who made me laugh out loud.

As a relative newbie to this way of dating, I hadn’t realised quite how surprising the actual dates can be. The second date, who I thought I would get on really well with, was completely awkward and I could see him wince whenever my laugh made me snort. The postgraduate, however, turned out to be laidback, and to have a great sense of humour. I certainly hadn’t expected to want to go on a second date with anyone I met online, but I suppose if this experience has been anything, it has been full of surprises.

And so to anyone who’s looking for something more than a cheeky pull on a club dance floor, I’d advise them to not overlook less conventional ways of meeting people. There is a huge student population in Edinburgh and that’s what sometimes makes it so hard to find what you’re looking for, so why not narrow down you options? Get online and get dating!