New classes, new prospects

Ahh, the new semester. It means the opportunity to reclaim your GPA, the promise of interesting new academic endeavors and, most importantly, a chance to meet new singles.

Come on now, you all thought it. All you singles out there aren’t looking forward to new classes or interesting academic endeavors. You’re looking forward to the new crop of dating prospects that changing classes provides. And here at IU Bloomington, with a comfy student body of 31,626 undergraduates, the odds of running into that ex whom you may or may not have ended it on such good terms with are pretty low.

In fact, with approximately 5,000 classes offered on the Bloomington campus each year – so around 2,000 in spring semester alone – if you take five classes, the chance of getting stuck in a class with he-or-she-who-must-not-be-named are about one in 100. How’s that for a fresh start?

So with the odds on your side, what’s stopping you from scoping out the cutie two seats down? It’s become slightly taboo to date a co-worker or classmate, but I say we scrap all of this trying-to-meet-people-at-parties-or-bars business and bring back some good old-fashioned classroom romance.

I mean, academically it’s sound. Getting up for that 8 a.m. N&M isn’t as much of a hassle if there is romance in the mix. And studying for exams might become more of a priority if study dates with your classroom companion are an option.

Also, this dating-people-in-your-classes thing could even help to tear down traditional gender barriers. Gender studies professors, are you having a hard time getting men to take your history of feminism class? Why not bill it as an A&H with pretty good odds, and bam!, suddenly you’ve got some dudes on the roster.

Or if sports marketing is itching for some girls, start pitching it as speed dating with a term paper on the side. We get people out of their comfort zones, facilitate inter-gender dialogue and spark young love. Everybody’s happy.

In addition, professors would be silly to object. If students start using class to meet people, they won’t need to spend all those hours on the weekend searching for that special someone. Think of all that extra time they will be able to pour into their studies instead.

And parents would be happy about it, too. Soon Slacker Steve who never goes to class will find himself dateless, because all the ladies he wanted to ask out are too busy swooning over the BFs they met in class. He will have no choice but to put down the Xbox and pick up the books. What parents wouldn’t be overjoyed with Steve’s new work ethic?

In short, a new semester means the opportunity to start over both academically and personally. So what’s stopping you? Ask out that hottie you met in lab. But those of you in small classes beware: If things don’t work out, it’s a long time until May.