If you’re anything like me, the pandemic really put a damper on my social life, including interacting with people in my classes. But, here’s one thing that’s remained (kind of) the same: class crushes.
Hear me out for a second.
Class crushes are the people that you thought were super attractive in your classes, whether it be their looks or the way they thoughtfully answered the discussion questions, they were just a crush. If anything, a fleeting crush that you knew would end by the time the semester wrapped up.
So class crushes were never super serious, it was more of a thing to distract yourself while your professors droned on and on about whatever unit you were on that week. They were a good way to make class time a bit more fun and gave me something to look forward to.
But as we continue into the COVID-19 pandemic, it seems as if it still might take a while before students step foot into a classroom like before.
But when push comes to shove, fear not, Zoom has some tools to keep your class crushes going strong!
As classes have been becoming more explorative when it comes to the Zoom video calls we take, there are some new features that may just help some of you guys out when it comes to your own Zoom class crushes.
For starters, you can actually switch around the gallery view so that a specific box can be put towards the front.
By clicking on a participant’s window and dragging it, you can personalize your screen.
If you lack any shame of having a class crush (or at least of letting your professor know you have one), then you can pin videos on Zoom!
By pinning participant videos, the specific window becomes the highlighted and larger video on your screen.
The downsides to this option is that the host (so most likely your professor) will get a file stating that you pinned someone’s video. Along with that, pinning videos isn’t really a great option if you wear glasses to class since the reflection of your screen may just give away your little secret.
Hopefully there will come a time when we can all start having crushes on people in our classes that we have actually seen from the waist down, but until then, these Zoom tips will suffice.
It’s that
special time of year again: plastic roses are in full bloom next to the cashier
and a whole aisle at our campus CVS is littered with teddy bears and “be mine”
candies, all in boisterous red and pink hues. Valentine’s Day lies right around
the corner and for those of us not already in a relationship, the holiday goes
by quite unnoticed – or so we’d like to think. Leading up to the date many of
us singles are subconsciously thinking of how nice a relationship would be.
Looking to shoot our shot, we download a dating app and begin the vigorous
mindless swiping marathon. (Because who has the sheer gall to talk to someone
in real life nowadays?)
I’m not saying that finding love on a dating app is impossible, it is just very difficult to do – especially when flipping through dozens of terrible profiles. Let’s face it, when making a profile none of us actually know what we’re doing, least of all straight boys. Sorry to pick on you my good heterosexual males, but I have seen some reoccurring trends that need to be stopped. (The straights are once again in dire straits) According to a report by Time Magazine, men swipe right on Tinder 46 percent of the time and women only swipe right 14 percent of the time. So according to my calculations, y’all need all the help you can get. Here is a guide to dating profiles if you’re actually looking to go on a date:
1.Bios are NOT optional
All right, so I recognize that dating apps are also used for a myriad of reasons other than seriously dating, but for those of you actually looking to find a relationship a bio is a MUST! Who are you? What do you like? Give us a conversation starter so we actually know we have something in common rather than diving in with a bland “hey.”
2.Dogs
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When I first downloaded Tinder I had no idea what to expect, but I certainty did not expect to see so many cute pets. I think I have seen more pictures of dogs than I have of actual human beings on a dating app. Of course I am not advocating that you get rid of your pet pics because let’s face it, having a cute pet really does boost interest, but don’t let your pet be the first image we see. I am sure your doggo is the goodest of all the good boi’s, but we are trying to determine if YOU are the good boi.
3.Get RID of those prom dates and ex girlfriends
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I think it’s awesome that you can prove that you have the social skills to acquire a girlfriend/date, but please don’t have your arm wrapped around some anonymous girl from your past in every single photo. If you’re looking to date someone, you want the focus to be on you in your profile instead of redirecting everyone’s attention to the questions of “who is she?” and “was it recent?” A clever way to skirt around this is to block em’ out and have that classic “this could be you” caption. Overused, but still entertaining nonetheless.
4.The Party Pics
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Having an active social life is a great quality to flex in your profile and it can also let you match with people who have a similar taste for partying. However, if you are clinging to a liquor bottle, suspicious red solo cups, and fat cigars in EVERY single one of your photos, I am going to assume that you’ve got some problems.
5.The Group Pics
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Like the classic party photo, group photos are also a great way to express that you do indeed have a social life, but make sure that your profile isn’t a game of “Where’s Waldo?” Have more photos of just yourself rather than a group.
6.Smile
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Okay, so I know a lot of you Tinder boys like to hit em’ with that Flynn Rider smolder (I’m not complaining) but if you are not smiling in at least one photo, I can’t trust that you actually have teeth.
7.BEWARE of the HAIR
We see a guy who
catches our eye. We swiftly tap for more photos. Oh yes he has a camera: he’s
artsy. *scrolls to next photo * He’s looking off into the distance: he’s
thoughtful. He’s…THE PRINGLES MAN?!
If you go through multiple phases of facial hair or dramatic hairstyles in general, let a girl know which one is the most recent, thanks.
8.Pixelated images
While life may be like a box of chocolates where you never know what you’re going to get, I bet a lot of us would really like to know what to expect when going on a date. Do the bare minimum and make sure that your face is actually visible!
9.Ditch the sunglasses
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So fun fact: sunglasses make your face more symmetrical and therefore more attractive, but that doesn’t mean that you should be wearing them in every single photo. You’re not a superhero; so don’t mask your identity.
10.Stop writing that you’re a feminist
I’m so glad that you believe women should have equal rights, but that should be the standard for all decent human beings – not your selling point.
11.The “Um…is that your baby?” photo
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Usually if I see
a guy getting along with small children my ovaries do a backflip, but in the
case of a dating profile it would be nice to know whether or not THAT
particular baby is yours.
