Over the past few decades, the way people date has drastically changed. Instead of being limited to your social circle or areas that you frequent, now it seems like the whole world is your oyster to date. You could try creating an online profile and choosing someone based off their looks and common interests. Or you could try speed dating, judging someone based on a few minutes of conversation. But would you try dating someone based on their smell?

Yes, you read that right. Judith Prays, an Atlanta-based artist, held her first “Pheromone Party” in late 2010. Forty people were invited to the party. Twelve of those people “hooked up” (no definition included). Six of those (that “hooked up”) began relationships. The odds aren’t all that bad. So, how does sniff and date work?

1. Send picture of armpit with RSVP to the party.
2. Wear the same t-shirt to bed for three nights without wearing perfume or deodorant.
3. Bring shirt to party, put into numbered bags marked pink and blue (her parties stuck to heterosexual partner matching). Walk away.
4. Go through bags and sniff. Indicate your favorites by taking a picture with their bag, breaking the ice and launching an introduction.
5. Date. Fall in Love. Break up. Really just chose your own adventure at this point.

It’s not really that difficult a concept, but the results seemed pretty high. But are you really that surprised? Many animals sniff each other and although we mask our natural scents with cologne and perfume, science says that pheromones trigger a response within a certain species.

So, let’s have it. Would you sniff and date?

I firmly believe that Candace Bushnell was thinking about little ol’ me when she created the character of Carrie Bradshaw. Loosely speaking, she has lots of what I want in life – she’s a spectacular writer, she has several books under her belt, friends, a closet to make Vogue staffers weep and a playground of men (pre-Mr. and Mrs. Big, of course). She’s fictional, but I don’t care. She’s fabulous. One of my favorite episodes of “Sex and the City” is “Ex and the City”…right before Big and Natasha’s wedding. Before gallivanting into the Central Park sunlight in her Jimmy Choos, CB dropped a quote that’s been on my mind for a while:

“Maybe some women aren’t meant to be tamed. Maybe they just need to run free ‘til they find someone just as wild to run with them.”

Pause. Does Carrie mean that it’s…okay to be single? That I’m not supposed to do the searching? That I’m just supposed to wait around until 2032 for this mystery man?

Though I should be used to it by now, I’m starting to resent the feeling of being single. Especially around Singles Awareness Day, which falls two days before my birthday. Double the fun. While everyone around me is paired off doing cutesy things on the National Mall and browsing museums and brunching on Sunday, I’m stuck at home watching SATC reruns. The amount of fun and particularly alluring things about the single life are scant, in my opinion.

And then there’s the matter of finding an equally wild component. Umm, where? Where, Carrie? I’ve searched near and far and made the profiles. Yes, I’m impatient. But where are you supposed to find a Mr. Big or an Aiden in college? I’ve heard the stories from you guys about locking eyes with fiancés in the library or bumping into them in the street. I think that I’m turning into too much of a realist to give chance a chance, though.

For once in my life, I think I disagree with Carrie. I think that running footloose and fancy-free leads to danger. It’s natural to long and to look, right? Everyone wants love. Probably 85 percent of the conversations that I have with my peers, friends and classmates revolve around the opposite sex – the smart guys in our classes, the single guys in the area, the hot guys on TV. Correct me if I’m wrong, but love is on our minds all of the time.

Or maybe I just need new things to think about.

I don’t see myself running wild like CB and her three did for years, playing the emotional slots until “the one” appeared. But I don’t have a starting point either.

CollegeCandy readers, what do you think. Should we be wild and free or actively searching for someone?

I’m starting to feel like the dating world is one long episode of “Aaahh! Real Monsters.” It’s big, bad, scary and always a little animated. If you didn’t read my last online dating horror story, let me give you the Sparknotes version.

Long story short, my first date was provided by a lesser-known dating website that directed me to a part-time grad student-slash-full-time a**hole. With my sparkling track record (or lack thereof), shouldn’t I just throw the towel in? No. Remember, I have Louise mentality. I’m not going to give up on love.

At the beginning of the semester, I developed a crush on a cute, quiet guy that worked in the same office that I did. He was the strong, silent type – he didn’t say much but I definitely noticed him. After some gentle chiding from my friends and coworkers, I flirted with him. Hard. It seemed like he liked it, though! He’d remember little things that I brought up in conversation and paid really close attention to everything I did. It was super flattering. I hadn’t had the butterflies about a guy in a really long time, and it felt good to have them back. I had an entire swarm in my stomach when he invited me and another pal to his birthday party one weekend.

“Y’all should come through,” he said. It was an exclusive invite – he only wanted us two even though there were a lot of other girls in the office.

After trying on everything in my closet, practicing my sexy dance moves on the bedroom wall and Googling “how to flirt with a man,” I was ready. I was determined. I was about to get myself a boo.

Unfortunately, I was tardy for the party. Traffic was crazy on my side of town. He told everyone to come at around 11 and I made it to his apartment at midnight. I texted him to let him know I was there and asked him where the festivities were.

“How many girls u wit?” was his concise response. Whoa. What in all nine levels of hell was that supposed to mean?! Would I only be granted access to the party if I brought someone else? Was I simply bait to reel in other impressionable girls like myself?

I could’ve easily been over-analyzing his five-word text message in that situation. But I didn’t like the way it made me feel. I still wasn’t about to waste the night or my outfit though. He eventually told me where the kickback was (after I told him I was in the company of three girls). His attitude was completely different from the one I was used to at the office.

He barely said hello, barely talked to me and the girls I was with and left before we could even converse fully. He breezed by us and left us in the company of complete strangers. I understand the fact that he was chocolate wasted, but still. Straighten up a little bit to greet your guests properly! That’s fiesta etiquette 101.

It’s been a while and I haven’t really talked to him since. We greet each other in the office and it stops there. My friend told me that he’s probably embarrassed about what happened that night. I’m embarrassed that I kind of embarrassed myself. But hey, that’s what happens in the dating world…right?

Is it too late to reactivate that dating profile?

Fresh Prince reunion!

The Dos and Don’ts of your online dating profile

The Avengers will be in 3D!

10 holiday ideas for the bedroom

What you need to know about TSS

Are Les Beckhams heading to France?

How to make an easy striped glitter tee shirt

The importance of compromising

Dear Tuffy Luv,

My roommate forced me to get an account on plentyoffish.com, where I actually met a really nice guy, Ryan.  We started talking and I found out that we went to the same high school, and graduated the same year (coincidence!).  We talked on Plenty of Fish for a few days and then I gave him my phone number (we did go to high school together, after all).

Everything was going GREAT and we really hit it off.  He’s Catholic, I’m Catholic. He’s a Republican, I’m a Republican.   He works construction, and he seems like a really nice person.  We have a lot in common and we remember each other from high school, kind of.

Here’s the PROBLEM. Every time we make plans to hangout, he ALWAYS backs out.  I mean I talk to the guy for at least an hour a day (texting, calling, Facebook, etc) and he won’t meet up.  He asked me out on a date once and I said sure and then we decided to meet at this concert we both wanted to go to. I told him to bring a friend, and I brought a friend…he never showed.

He always asks me out and asks me to hangout with him but then when we plan on meeting somewhere he stands me up or complains because he doesn’t want to meet my friends because it would be “awkward.”  YES of course it will be awkward at first, but have a few drinks, loosen up!

I think it would be awkward if we met just the two of us for the first time (since high school) without friends or at least alcohol present.  Am I wrong?  Should I meet him for lunch just the two of us, or should he just grow some BALLS and suck it up…meet my friends and ME?

I have a feeling that he might be the one…just from what we talk about and everything, but if we never meet, how can we have a relationship? Do I stop talking to him? On the other hand if I pass him up, I might regret it for the rest of my life. Opinion pleasee?!

-Stood up and Shot down.

Dear Stoop up and Shot down,

No! Bad girl!

In other words:

SIT THE FLOOP BACK DOWN.

Something is obviously SERIOUSLY wrong. He won’t meet up. He’s canceling or just not showing. In spite of you saying that you’re uncomfortable meeting solo the first time, he is insistent (and, in fact, unbudging) in his need to meet you by yourself.

SHADY SHADY SHADY.

No no no, girl. Don’t meet this guy without a friend. I am getting a BAD BAD vibe.

Okay, to be real, he is probably not a serial killer. He’s probably sinister in a much more minor way.

But why take the chance?!

Look, either way, he is purposely making you uncomfortable by insisting you do something you’ve already said you don’t want to do. If he’s already this creepy and pushy and controlling, how do you think he’s going to be in a relationship?!

And you want to MEET this guy?!?!!?!?!

No, girl. Sit. Heel. Stay.

Hearts & Skulls,

Tuffy Luv

Question?! Answer: Ask Tuffy Luv.

Online dating sites like match, eHarmony, zoosk and AdultFriendFinder only offer an abbreviated preview of the man or woman you might be dying to meet. HOW BORING! Ever feel like you’re just not getting enough? Too few details, too vague, too contrived? Looking for that extra umph in your next relationship? Looking for someone to take your relationship to the next level?

Feel like using these sites is a lot like looking for love in all the wrong places? Then look no further! YouTube’s hottest…er, lady…shines in a video series outlining her quest for love…or his quest for love? I’m not really sure. But I can tell you that if you’re looking to visit, oh, say, Westchester, then line right up because Maurica is the lady/gent for you!

A little nervous that maybe lightning won’t strike on the first date?

Trust me, one video from Maurica and you’ll be coming back for seconds and thirds.

Fictional couples that would have failed in real life

Movie titles that make awesome penis nicknames

A taste of one’s own….juices

Yes, hot celebrities use online dating

The best of subtle lipstick shades

TV picks (old and new) for this fall

The evolution of Lady Gaga’s hair

Great mind-blowing photos to start off your day

The porn stache brings all the girls to the yard….not

I, Courtney, am an online dater. Many of you probably find this weird considering I’m in college, a place filled with more available men than a single woman could ever dream of, but I’m finding it’s more common than you think. The truth is, people just don’t want to admit it.

I first joined OKCupid (yes, that is the name) when I was 16. I had no intentions of dating anyone from the site, I just loved getting messages saying how pretty I was. And throughout high school that was basically what I used it for. I never really found anyone attractive at my high school, or even remotely tolerable, so online dating seemed like a good idea. At least for the confidence boost.

I didn’t rejoin the circuit until sophomore year of college when my friend found a site called Plenty of Fish (we obviously joined it just for the name). My headline for my profile was “I’ma hook, line and sink ya!” Again, I really didn’t have any interest in dating someone online; it was more of a procrastination tool than anything else. (There are a lot of hilarious weirdos out there!)Besides, I was more interested in a boy from one of my classes.

When 2010 hit, though, I started to actually take online dating seriously. I set up a real profile, responded to guys’ flirtatious emails and started going on dates. I became an online dater and while it hasn’t panned out into anything serious yet, I am glad i did.

I’ve always been really busy and haven’t had time to casually wait for some guy to sweep me off my feet. Online dating sites make the sorting process one has to do at a bar easier. And who wants to date someone they met at a bar anyway? With online dating you get to view your potential suitor’s height (always least an inch less than what they say), decent pictures, and (my biggest thing) you can see how they write. Do they know how to use “there, their, and they’re” correctly? Do they use “Z’s” instead of “S’s” or, my least favorite, are they too lazy to spell things out fully (“I lyke 2 go 2 the bar, u do 2?”)

Plus, I was tired of being set up by friends; how many more blind “dates” can someone handle? (And by “dates” I mean meeting up at a party and having him grab a beer from the keg for me.) It’s not like I have a problem meeting people – I’m surprisingly nice and friendly – I just have a problem meeting the right people. You know, the single good looking guys that find my dry humor charming. I also tend to take on the role of the girl friend (not girlfriend) with most of the guys I meet, meaning no chance for romance.

And that is where the Internet came to my aid. I’ve gone on 15 dates with 15 different guys since September. I’ve met a lot of great guys, had a lot of great (free!) meals and even broadened my music collection, thanks to suggestions made by different people from the site. And along with finding potential romantic matches, I’ve also made some decent friends.

So why are people being so secretive about this? It’s a lot of fun to meet people I never would have, but online dating isn’t for everyone. Just like not everyone is lucky to bump into a random person and form a romantic connection with them. But you shouldn’t judge before you join; it is not as weird as movies like Because I Said So make it out to be. Many people are on these sites because they miss being in a relationship but don’t have time or don’t know how to meet people randomly. Or they’re new to town. Or they too are over trying to find love over SoCo lime shots at the campus bar.

AND…isn’t online dating what any girl would want? It’s like online shopping, except there are really cute guys involved and you don’t have to pay for anything. You’ve literally got nothing to lose (either people will message you or they won’t) but a whole lot to gain; online dating has made me more assertive, given me better self-confidence and allowed me to truly flush out what it is I’m looking for.

So my advice? Don’t judge before you join. You never know who else could be out there, and online dating is a great way of testing the waters.

What do you think? Will you join?

[This story was originally posted by Courtney - Bridgewater State University]

Greatest spoof ever: Funny or Die’s ‘Mob Wives’

Ron Swanson’s mustache is getting it’s own story line

Red flags to look for in online dating

5 ways to make a graceful exit on a bad date

Swimsuits for every body type

15 celeb couples with some height issues

How to wear white without breaking the bank

Fantastic old school Harry Potter products

The pitfalls of the summer cold

Selena doesn’t think Justin Bieber is the one

Two lovely ladies at Columbia University developed the idea to start a dating site, DateMySchool.com, strictly for us collegiate lovers. That’s right, with this site you can breathe easy: there won’t be any creepy 50 year old friend requests or pokes from your younger brother’s annoying friends. To become a member of the site you must have a working .edu email address. Now you can automatically check “gives a damn about his education” off of your dating checklist!

So what do we think of this DateMySchool.com? Personally, I think it’s a pretty clever idea. On Facebook, anyone can say that they attend I’mTotallyNotInSchool University, and we’d never know if they were telling the truth or not. The collegiate exclusivity is what attracts me to the site, but in the long run, it’s this exclusivity that may also be its downfall. For one, the site was designed for and originally available only on a select few Ivy League campuses, in a very Facebook-esque manner. Now the site has launched at plenty more schools, but will require some money (from college students who are probably the largest financially challenged group of citizens in the country, or from investors who may potentially be too old to have an active university email address) for growth and expansion.

On top of the money issue, are formal dating and college necessarily compatible? It seems to me that the more informal path, the Hang N Bang scenario, is more common among college students who seem to have less time for traditional dating yet just enough downtime for a casual hook-up. So there’s always the chance that the site will lose momentum simply because people either won’t be interested in it’s stress on “dating,” or because they’re using it simply as a channel for high-speed hookups.

It’ll surely be interesting to see where the site goes. Facebook gained its popularity when it became public, so the creators of DateMySchool.com may need to come up with some innovative way to make the site more inclusive if they’d like for the site to take off in numbers. What are your thoughts on online dating for college students only?