Marriage Pact 2024: NYU’s Looking for Love

When will I find love?

With over a thousand submissions, Marriage Pact is working to find answers for university students. The website has once again settled into campuses, arriving just in time before the semester ends. 

The student-run NYU Marriage Pact is dedicated to helping young people find their ideal partners. It does so specifically by matching them through questionnaire, which consists of questions based on one’s core values, politics, and preferences—things foundational for marriage. And rest assured, all responses are confidential and protected. Questions like “It’s ok that my partner does harder drugs,” “it’s important my kids be raised religious,” and “flirting is a form of cheating” appear on the form, with a scale for one to place their level of agreement. I like these questions, as they target important ideals and values that define the basis of a long-lasting relationship. I was initially worried superficial questions would be in the form, but these, I do not mind. 

Marriage Pact then uses an algorithm to find your most compatible match. Their goal is to utilize technology and science in our favor by using it to find authentic relationships. This tradition has landed at 88 schools, including ours. Its team of NYU students claim that around 3-4% of the matches are successful, resulting in relationships that last for a year or longer. 

Promoting the program has proven to be difficult as the website displays 1000 or so submissions, a low amount compared to the 20,000+ student population at NYU. To help, Marriage Pact has recently sent out an email reminding students they can anonymously send their crush an invite to join the pact. Simply put in their NYU emails, and Marriage Pact will pop the invitation into their inboxes. Flyers advertising the program have also been spotted around campus. 

But as the semester nears the end, Marriage Pact is rushing to get results out. Students have been informed that the form will close on April 21, 2024. To read more, click here. 

Marriage Pact seems to have been a success so far because it’s fun, and it clashes with my generation’s inclination towards non-committal relationships. I’ve noticed “hookup culture”— which normalizes and encourages casual sexual encounters devoid of emotional intimacy and connection— towers over Generation Z’s dating scene. An anonymous freshman at NYU who recently completed the form commented, “I have tried online dating such as Hinge, but most of the people are on there to hook up and aren’t really looking for more serious relationships.” In this context, initiatives like the NYU Marriage Pact are helpful for those seeking lasting romance. 

Many in Gen Z, including myself, find it difficult to date, particularly with issues like emotional inavailability and a lack of communication swirling in the air. With heightened addiction to immediate gratification from social media, many of my generation also flock to opportunities that rapidly, albeit temporarily, offer them releases of dopamine. Hookups are similar to the short thirty-second videos we watch on our phones. They distract us from reality and provide dopamine, leaving us craving more. The normalization of this culture is a deeply rooted issue in my generation that desperately needs unearthing, which is why NYU’s Marriage Pact brings some hope.

Striving to create genuine, long-term relationships, Marriage Pact is the take on love we need. And it may just be the solution for those tired of one-night stands and a lifetime of being ghosted. For that reason, I applaud Marriage Pact for their drive for real connections over temporary physical ones. It’s the right step.  

Nonetheless, it is also important to participate wisely, or at least with realistic expectations. When asked about their hopes for the pact, one student suggested light-heartedly that" “whatever happens happens.” Meanwhile, someone else mentioned that they “wanted to give the Marriage Pact a shot in order to help [them] branch out.” Marriage Pact is a heartwarming idea, but I caution against getting too attached to the idealizations that may come with it. 

As word about the Marriage Pact continues to spread, let it be known that the form closed on Sunday, April 21. So, if you didn’t fill out the form this year, keep an eye out for next time. Happy Marriage Pacting, everyone.