As the beginning of February ushers in new strains of airborne diseases, it can be hard to remember that love, too, is in the air this winter. Last week, the Collegian asked 50 Kenyon students what their ideal first date would look like. On such a small campus, Kenyon’s dating scene can be peculiar to navigate, but the students’ responses were anything but boring.
Across interviewees, coffee dates reigned supreme. However, students’ imaginations went beyond the familiar ambiance of Wiggins. When asked to imagine a perfect first date outside of the Hill, many students stated that having multiple activities was important to them. “I would say coffee first, and then you head to a curiosity shop, or a thrift shop,” Rhiannon Campbell ’27 said. “That way, if it’s awkward, you can just say, ‘look how stupid this is,’ but if it’s fun you can get personal with it.” Chiara Rothenberg ’25 said that their ideal date involved getting coffee and then having a picnic: “I feel like the item that they would bring would say a lot about them, and then you can decide if the day will continue from there or not.”
A location change was also a tactical choice, allowing students to remedy awkwardness or create a getaway plan if the date went sour, but also helping them know their potential match better. “You go to a place for lunch. If you enjoy lunch, it can be the first step of a wonderful day together: you can go to the park, you can toss a frisbee, you can toss two frisbees and later you can see a movie,” Conor Kennealy ’27 described. Having a date that takes place over multiple locations also allows more potential for romance. According to Kaitlyn Ingersoll ’27, “With the scenery change, you have to walk, so there’s potential to hold hands.”
Overall, food was another major component of a successful date, creating an ideal space for conversation over a shared meal. “I think ice cream is a very important component,” Abby Warshauer ’27 said. Her affinity for frozen treats was shared by Kate Haydel-Brown ’25, who told the Collegian, “My ideal first date would be a drive-in movie, followed by a late-night milkshake.” Food also allowed students to communicate their interests. “I want to cook with somebody,” Ryan Sellers ’26 said. “I love to cook and it’s one of my passions, and I find it very intimate.”
Students hoped that the date would allow them to gauge their potential match’s interests and personality. “I love a bookstore date,” Celia Goldstein ’26 said. “It can last a long time, you have an easy escape plan, but you can also get to know their interests… and see if that gives you any red flags.”
Some students had more ambitious plans for their first date location. Their responses ranged from attending a New York music festival, going for a romantic walk on the beach or opening a bottle of champagne on the gates to Buckingham Palace. Will Bryant ’25 has a taste for the finer things in life: “My ideal first date is Dave & Busters,” he said. “It’s fun, you get first date memorabilia, food, and drink — all under one roof. Also, its funny to say, ‘our first date was Dave & Busters.’”
Maddie Barbar ’27 gave a more satirical answer: “It’s 6 p.m. Peirce. Rush hour. You sit at the round table on Old Side. It gets worse: It’s gyro day.” Kenyon students like to make light of the (sometimes awkward) circumstances that the size of the student body brings to the dating pool. “I think [campus] is very small, so you’re going to run into people you know and that’s going to be awkward,” Campbell said. The experience of a first date sets a tone for the rest of the relationship, but it is true that a good first date can be difficult on such a small campus.
While a first date on campus invites its fair share of playful jokes, Kenyon students remind us that there are still plenty of opportunities to have a good time.