EDMONTON - Between studying for midterms and finals, writing papers, and handing in assignments, post secondary students who are single are often not left with much time to mingle. But now a new website is hoping to offer U of A students some help in that department.
"Connections on Campus" is a site designed specifically to make it easier for U of A students to meet that someone special. Second year engineering physics student Tyler Lazar got the idea after seeing postings about missed connections in the "Three lines free" section of the University's Gateway newspaper.
"A lot of the blurbs have things like "I saw you today but I wish I had the courage to talk to you," just a bunch of stuff like that really. And it just got me to thinking that there's a lot of shy people around who aren't willing to approach or anything like that."
So Lazar spent his Reading Week break in February teaching himself how to build a website, which three weeks later, now has about 500 students signed up.
For some, there's one feature in particular that makes them feel more comfortable than they would on other dating sites.
"You have to have a 'ualberta.ca' email to sign up so that weeds out pretty much all the creepers and what not and it makes it a local thing," Lezar explains.
You can also hide your profile from certain majors - an idea Lezar borrowed from similar sites in the States.
Jamie McPherson, who says he wouldn't use the site himself, sees why others would.
"Some people are just so focused on their studies, I think it'd be an easier way to put in less effort and get the same results," he says.
Other more romantic types like Hilary Short still prefer to do things the old-fashioned way, though.
"I personally think that you should put the effort in to find someone," she says. "I'm kind of an old-fashioned person and I think you need to not go online to find that person."
For the hundreds who have signed up for the site, however, its creator plans on adding to the site by adding a few new features - like a live chat option and the ability to add more profile pictures. But like those he designed the site for, the new entrepreneur has put that on the back-burner until he has a little more time.
"I'm probably going to add those once finals are over. I don't even want to think about it until then," he says with a chuckle.
Lazar's creation is similar to what Facebook originally started as. The founders of the social networking giant initially limited membership to Harvard students, but soon opened it up to other colleges in the Boston area, and then to students at various other universities. It was then expanded to high school students, and eventually, to anyone aged 13 and over.
To check out Connections on Campus, click here.
With files from Quinn Ohler, Global News
© Global News. A division of Shaw Media Inc., 2012.