As winter break drew to a close, I was sitting with a group of sophomores in Baccio’s and raising hell after the stressful, productive couple of days that were Sophomore Career Connections. Amidst the chaos, I heard a gasp from the seat next to me. My friend’s attention was suddenly fixed on her phone screen. When I asked what she was looking at, she told me she had received her VMatch.
The anonymous creator explained the form in an email correspondence. “VMatch is a personalized matchmaking project based on a detailed Google Form survey. It’s designed to pair respondents with others who may be compatible with them, whether for a romantic relationship or simply to connect with someone new.” The inspiration came from a Fizz post complaining about how this kind of arrangement existed at other schools but not Vassar. The form consisted of questions about basic demographics, such as class year and gender, personal beliefs, whether or not “I love you” is a promise and political beliefs, such as whether or not abortion should be legal. There were also questions about extracurricular involvement, hobbies and future aspirations.
“The goal was to facilitate meaningful connections by considering key factors,” the creator said. With this goal in mind, they constructed the form over the course of a few hours and sent it out to the student body in the fall. “For VMatch to work well, I thought it needed a substantial amount of responses,” they rationalized. “I was aiming for at least 150.” They were very pleased when their goal was exceeded—there were 220 responses in total.
The creator strategically timed these processes so that the matchmaking would take place over winter break. Through the months of December and early January, they spent 60 hours pairing the responders. Working alone, the author said it was a grueling, complicated process. The participants were separated into categories by class year, gender identity and preferred gender of their matches. Then, starting with the candidates with the most specific preferences for identity and basic preferences (i.e., seniors who only wanted to be matched with seniors), the matchmaker paired the responders off using a list of 12-15 fundamental questions out of the 45 that remained. These questions consisted of things such as drug habits, basic personal principles and the remaining questions were used to double-check or narrow down further matches.
In reviewing the data, the author of VMatch saw some interesting patterns. Some were characteristic of Vassar—for example, the fact that the ratio of responders was 60 percent female and 40 percent male was almost too perfect considering that these statistics roughly reflect our college’s actual gender demographics—and, as expected at a liberal arts institution, next to nobody agreed that abortion should be illegal. The creator was slightly surprised that a significant majority agreed with the statements that authority figures are “not usually” or “never right,” having predicted that the distribution would fall around “sometimes.” There were a surprising number of people who chose country music as their favorite genre.
The process ultimately resulted in 91 pairings. “Of the original 220 people, minus those who later asked to be removed, only 20 people weren’t matched; many of those people were abroad for the semester, which was hard to work with.” Once this was completed, Vassar students then began receiving their matches upon return from winter break.
As my friends impatiently awaited their matches, I got to thinking about the appeal of VMatch in the context of our generation’s dating culture. There has been a lot of conversation about the widespread use of apps like Tinder and Hinge. Some users end up feeling as though their self-esteem has been dented. Some feel the opposite, becoming addicted to validation through matches and likes. Some treat these apps like mini-games, while others are frustrated with how few people want what they want, such as a long-term relationship. While I do not dispute that good things have come from their use, they lack sincerity in comparison to talking with someone face to face; the creator of VMatch would seem to agree, stating that “life would be more fun” if people approached each other and were more open about their feelings.
With these thoughts in mind, VMatch allowed some common obstacles to be overcome. The matches were made without placing stress on appearances. Those who filled out the form were alleviated from the anxieties of breaking out of familiar circles in a small college campus setting, comforted by the knowledge that their pairing was similarly looking for a new connection and there was sure to be plentiful common ground. Even outside of romantic relationships, it was an opportunity for people at Vassar to branch out socially and find others with similar interests– and all of it was facilitated by a fellow student.
It is no wonder that students have voiced their desire for a second round. Though they have not heard any success stories yet, the creator of VMatch wrote, “I would be more likely to run VMatch again if I heard that people were talking to their matches.” The matchmaker stated that they really enjoyed the process and would love to try another round—not soon, but likely sometime in the future. “I spent a lot of time on this and I really enjoyed it, but I also really hope that the people I matched take advantage of the fact that a potential friend or partner was sent into their inbox and talk to them,” the creator wrote. “Don’t let my work go to waste!”