These days at Stanford, a small kind of festival happens on campus every Tuesday at 9 p.m.

Everyone grabs their phones and takes a deep breath. "Who am I matched with this week...?"

That is when the results of the student matching service "Date Drop" are released.

Stanford 'Date Drop' webpage.

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Who made it?

Developer: Stanford computer science graduate student Henry WongDevelopment time: completed the initial code in just three weeks

Launch: Fall 2024It started with school email verification and quickly spread through word of mouth.

So far, more than 5,000 students have used it, and about two-thirds of undergraduates have taken part.

Wong Henry, a Stanford graduate student in computer science who developed the student matching platform Date Drop. LinkedIn

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What makes it different?

Date Drop is not just a "looks-based swipe game."

Students answer 66 questions in total, covering values, lifestyle, political views, and more, and the algorithm matches them with people who are likely to be compatible.

Here are the key features

Matching happens once a week

Results are released on Tuesdays at 9 p.m.

Students gather in dorms or the library to check together

Some students even post on community boards saying, "My Date Drop this week was a disaster..."

And when they get a match they like, they sometimes have their first meeting over free drinks at a campus cafe.

Stanford 'Date Drop' webpage.

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Why is it so popular?

It gives people a "reason" to date"What if I reach out and it just seems weird?"

It eases that worry, because the algorithm has already said, "This person seems like a good fit for you."

Less dating-app fatigue

Endless swiping, conversations dying out, getting ghosted... Many say it reduces the fatigue they felt with conventional dating apps.

A perfect fit for the Stanford vibe

Stanford has a strongly achievement- and performance-oriented culture.

Many students feel burdened about walking up to someone and starting a conversation about dating.

Jeminai-generated video

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A sophomore student put it this way:

"Here, we spend more energy on achievement than on relationships. It is not easy to start a conversation."

Date Drop effectively fastens that very first button for them.

The 'next Facebook'?

Zuckerberg Mark, CEO of Facebook. Reuters Yonhap News

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Developed by a student at an elite university

Built around school email verification

Starts on campus, then spreads through word of mouth

But there are differences too.

Facebook: users send friend requests themselves

Date Drop: the algorithm proposes matches first

The way relationships begin is different.

Connections that people used to choose on their own are now being gently nudged by an algorithm.

Is it only for romance?

Not necessarily.

One student said,

"There might be not only a soulmate here, but also a co-founder or business partner."

Even when it does not lead to a romantic relationship,

there have been cases where people ended up adding each other on LinkedIn.

It has become a tool not just for exploring a dating pool, but for exploring a "life network pool."

Stanford University, USA. Pixabay

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What comes next?

Date Drop has spread to 10 universities across the United States, including MIT, Princeton, and Columbia, and it recently raised 2.1 million dollars (about 3 billion won) in funding.

It remains to be seen whether this small campus experiment will become the next-generation social platform or fade as a passing fad.

Right now at Stanford, Tuesday at 9 p.m. is the most exciting time of the week.