Meeting someone new, deciding where to go on a first date, figuring out what you want in a relationship: dating is a challenge — especially for college students with busy schedules.

Luckily, we live in the age of technology. With dating apps such as Tinder, dating is now as easy as a few taps on a phone.

I never considered going on Tinder until about a year ago when a couple of my friends convinced me to give it a try. Most people I knew had a Tinder account, but used it only every once in awhile. After some convincing, I finally gave in and created a profile. But I still had my doubts.

During the first few weeks, I got on the app to look at some of the profiles out of curiosity and boredom. Some of the profiles were serious, while others were clearly made for fun. It was amusing to see people from high school and fellow college classmates while scrolling through the app. As months went on, I messaged a few people on Tinder, but never went on a date with any of them.

While it was fun to talk to some new people, many of the matches did not want to make the commitment to meet in person. Nevertheless, I ended up making two new friends via Tinder.

While I did not meet my “perfect match”, it seems that one of my friends did: she met her current boyfriend of a year on Tinder. Her relationship is an example of the best case scenario of what can happen on dating apps, and has altered my own personal view of Tinder.

I always thought dating apps were just for desperate people; however, because of the fast paced lifestyle of college students, dating apps make meeting people easier, serving as an alternative way of finding out what the dating world has to offer.