By Tara Martinelli

Hi, I’m Tara and these are my tidbits. Check in every other week to hear my words of wisdom regarding the struggles we all face as college students in 2017. I have no qualifications, but am never at a loss for words. Ask away, or not. Either way you are going hear what I have to say.

Never give unsolicited advice. By its very nature, this statement is contradictory, so I have chosen to ignore it altogether. There’s nothing easy about being a college student in 2017. We have been tasked with keeping up with everything from the giant problems facing mankind to the inner workings of the Kardashian household. Life is complicated. That’s not to say it’s not a hell of a good time.

One thing that is inevitably on the mind of every college student at some point or another is love. Do we have it? Do we even want it? How do we get it? I’d be a lying fool if I told you I could truly help with any of your love and relationship struggles, but that’s not to say that I don’t have anything to say about them. Maybe the way you met your significant other was completely organic; he saw you studying poetry from across the library week after week and one day gained enough courage to buy you a coffee and come sit with you. Or maybe you swiped right when his faced popped up on your screen—now we’re talking.

Dating apps are God’s gift and a curse to lonely souls. In my most adventurous of moments, I created accounts on both Bumble and Tinder. Confession: I have downloaded and deleted these apps from my phone over a dozen times and have never met up with anyone I’ve talked to on them. Should I be giving advice on how to use them? Definitely not, but here it goes.

We’ve all been encouraged since childhood not to judge a book by its cover, to realize that looks aren’t everything. It’s all about the personality, right? Tinder and Bumble are capitalizing on the shallow nature in every single one of us. And it works. In case you’ve never been on one, let me explain the nature of dating apps.

First, you make a profile consisting of the best pictures of yourself. Please don’t make people have to ask themselves “Who am I swiping on here?” Posting a picture of yourself in a big group might seem like a good idea, but just makes things a little more confusing than they need to be. Bumble requires that you verify the pictures you chose with your Facebook profile in order make sure you’re not a creeper trying to catfish people. Thanks for looking out, Bumble. After pictures are chosen, you can add whatever information you want to your profile, including a bio or your most played artists on Spotify (observation: way more boys proudly listen to the Moana soundtrack than you would ever expect.) The best bio I’ve heard on Tinder was from my good friend Taylor whose bio says “Woo me with a haiku.” This is legendary for so many reasons. Boys have been sending her incredible haikus and limericks as conversations-starters. This makes it easier for them to start a conversation in a light-hearted way and gives her a chance to laugh hysterically at the amazing efforts made. Having a catchy bio is great for everyone. Get creative, get funky and get a little weird.

Now, when you’re using these apps at school, you’re inevitably going to come across some people you know. The question “to swipe right or not to swipe” will go racing through your mind. Here’s the deal. If you have a secret crush on a friend, this is a great opportunity to break-through the always dreaded friend zone. However, I do not recommend swiping right on the person that sits next to you in Philosophy unless you intend on starting a conversation. All this will make for is avoiding eye contact when you eventually get paired on some in-class assignment.

Another important thing to keep in mind is that people are on these apps for a variety of reasons. Some people are looking for an ego boost on their own appearance. Who are we kidding? We all like that little ego boost. Others are looking for a potential relationship: someone to have and to hold and to yell at for not being caught up on “Game of Thrones.” And then there are those who are looking for someone they can text at the end of a Friday night. Harsh? Maybe. But if both people are on the same page, all the power to them. When going into it, make sure you know what you want and what you’re comfortable with. There are a lot of people out there—the chances you’ll find someone looking for the same thing as you are pretty high.

The fact of the matter is that there is no “weird” way to meet someone nowadays. I admire those who have the courage to put themselves out there and send a message over an app. The key to all this kind of stuff is to be yourself and to not take anything too seriously. Also keep in mind that at first, the only thing you have in common with someone you match with is that you both looked at each other’s picture and said, “Sure! Why not?” After that, it’s up to you! In the world of dating apps, the possibilities are endless. My mom is actually attending a wedding of two people that matched on Tinder! You never know where things will go. So get your best pick-up lines ready everyone and happy swiping!