Instead of relying on dating apps to find a valentine, Seton Hall students can once again utilize the “Love Boat @ SHU” dating survey this year through their new website.
The Love Boat @ SHU dating survey was created last year by two Seton Hall students who asked to be referred to as Love Captain and Love Mermaid; Love Mermaid runs the social media and Love Captain created the website.
Love Captain and Love Mermaid started Love Boat with a dating survey they released, using an original algorithm that paired students with their best potential matches. The creators said that last year they received 669 student responses before the survey closed on Feb. 13.
Despite a large number of responses, Love Mermaid said they received some negative feedback about last year’s survey concerning mutual matches, fake responses, and generic questions, but that did not deter them from setting sail again this year.
“While last year we got some negative feedback, we decided that the interest among students and purpose gave us enough reason to improve the experience for our users,” Love Mermaid said. “In addition, with COVID-19 restricting events again, we feel that our platform can help students connect more in a meaningful way. This year’s survey is going to be more tailored to each person’s intentions and include the feedback we received from the first survey.”
Consequently, Love Captain said they have been coding a website to improve the survey and make the service last past Valentine’s Day.
“We will have email verification to ensure each email is real and it will also be restricted to Seton Hall students only,” Love Captain said. “This will cut down the number of fake survey responses. In addition to the survey matching, the website will also have messaging built in, anonymous/public profiles and other features that will allow this website to exist beyond just Valentine’s Day.”
In a recent Instagram post, the Love Boat @ SHU creators showed that user profiles will feature profile pictures, Greek life affiliation, pronouns, sexual orientation, and more. The post showed that the website will also allow users to select if they are looking to find a relationship, something casual, or a friendship.
Love Mermaid said they hope LoveBoat @ SHU becomes a staple on campus.
“We hope to get more meaningful user stories about how people met and develop LoveBoat into a campus wide brand that is not just once a year,” Love Mermaid said. “We hope to leave our legacy as the first Seton Hall matchmaking service.”
Gianaly Santiago, a junior public relations major, said she thinks the LoveBoat @ SHU dating survey is a great idea as all those who enter automatically have something in common: they are both Seton Hall students.
“I believe having a platform for students to get to know one another without the pressures of in-person or online dating apps is amazing,” Santiago said. “Dating could be hard during this very hectic and confusing time in our lives, so offering a place for love and connection can be very valuable to a student’s well-being and mentality.”
Love Mermaid said the team hopes to open the survey by the first week of February and that results are guaranteed to be released by Valentine’s Day. They added that, in the meantime, students can sign up before then through a waitlist program that can be accessed by visiting shuloveboat.com.
To stay updated and learn more about this year’s survey, follow LoveBoat @SHU on Instagram.
Brooke McCormick can be reached at brooke.mccormick@student.shu.edu.
