Dating in college is virtually always a misery, no matter what year you graduated. Aside from the 15% of persons who may thank their alma mater for putting them on the same campus as their future spouse, the majority of degree-holders are launched into the real world alone.

When you’re free of the chains of exams and extracurriculars, dating doesn’t get any better: Finding someone you like romantically, who understands your 9-to-5 schedule and that no, you can’t go out on a Sunday night, doesn’t happen automatically as you get older.

EliteSingles is a dating site that aims to establish a mature dating pool for educated professionals — without sacrificing romanticism and sending you on the most boring date you’ve ever had. EliteSingles strives to provide more specificity where eharmony and Match left off for individuals reluctant to budge when it comes to their partner’s educational values and job objectives.

Money, work ethic, and professional schedules, as innocuous as they may appear on the surface, can make or shatter a meaningful relationship. Finding a cute individual who shares your interests is one thing; finding someone with whom you’d feel comfortable opening a joint bank account is another.

We spoke with Maria Ivanik, a marketing manager at Elite Singles, to find out what the user base statistics are for 2019, and you’re in luck: EliteSingles offers 170,000 active users looking for exactly what you’re looking for. EliteSingles’ age demographics may be more appealing to older consumers who are considering a second marriage: The App Store touts itself as a location for consumers over 30 because 90% of its users are over 30.

The site, on the other hand, has gotten a lot of flak for focusing more on the percentage of college degrees than on the actual relationships formed on the site. Is the expensive price tag worth it in order to find a love companion who knows when it’s time to become serious, or is EliteSingles merely snobbish with no data to back it up?

Making a profile requires a lot of patience, but it’s gotten better

The whole thing isn’t as dismal as it formerly was. EliteSingles has ditched the awkward interrogation that asks you how “powerful” or “industrious” you are, or how “sexy” a partner you want. Not only is such ambiguous phrasing prone to misinterpretation, but no one wants to give themselves a low score on communication skills or appear problematic when they’re trying to attract someone — even if they know they should have given themselves a low score on some questions.

In 2018, the site was redesigned to make the questions more relevant to daters in 2020 rather than the early 2010s: they were made shorter, sweeter, and more personable. EliteSingles approaches dating through the lenses of education and financial success, but the ultimate aim remains the same: to find a loving connection with a partner who is willing to work things out in the long run. The new questionnaire takes into account emotions, communication, and interests in a way that allows users to envision a future relationship. Rather than skimming through and selecting “mainly applicable,” hypothetical situations allow you to test how you’d act in real-life scenarios. Would you express your displeasure if your date arrived late for a date, or would you let it slide because you’re also late on occasion? Do you need to talk it out before bed or do you need a day to let off steam if you get into an argument?

The questionnaire contains some self-ratings, which makes it feel a little dated. The cluster of endless descriptors is a chance for honest people who trust the process to provide possible matches a well-rounded understanding of their nature, rather than a chance for cocky people to pump themselves up.

If you’re concerned that you’re talking too much about yourself, another of these bubble-style questions allows you to clarify what you’re searching for in a relationship. Communication skills, sexual compatibility, comparable family planning, and kindness are all options. There’s another one regarding hobbies, with a wide range of options: Choose from a variety of activities such as running, charity work, live music, photography, and much more.

Fun questions like “Do you like sleeping with the window open?” break up the monotony. “Which of these foods do you think you’d enjoy the most?” and “Which of these foods do you think you’d enjoy the most?” These offer the test a welcoming atmosphere and serve as excellent discussion starters.