When Marriage Pact results were released, students’ inboxes across Grinnell College were filled with initials, majors and finally, names. Within minutes, students were screenshotting percentages and dissecting compatibility scores.
Now in its second year on campus, the algorithm, originally created at Stanford University, continues to grow. According to Jadyn Al-Fatah `27, one of the members of the team who brought the algorithm to Grinnell, participation has increased by roughly 150 students compared to last year.
“My role is mainly just to make sure that people are signing up,” Al-Fatah said. “Making sure that they’re finding their best matches online and making sure that there’s love going around campus.”
He said organizing began with outreach. “The hardest part is just beginning,” Al-Fatah said. “You’re naming all of the social circles you’re involved in — at least 20 — and then you’re sending them all a text asking them to send it out to their group chats.”
Due to fewer third-years on campus, the team adjusted its strategy this year. “We didn’t get too many signups from the junior class because a lot of juniors were studying abroad,” Al-Fatah said. “We tried to branch out to the other classes that weren’t as low in numbers.”
While the Grinnell team manages promotion, the matching algorithm runs externally. Still, students direct their reactions to the organizers. “People are definitely excited,” Al-Fatah said. “They’re always waiting for match day. The funny thing is there’s more women on campus than men, but more men filled it out. That’s kind of a hard thing for us to manage.”
For first-year students, Marriage Pact has quickly become part of campus culture. Debasmita Goswami `29 described the initial compatibility comparisons with friends as the highlight.
“That was so fun,” she said. “Most of my matches were 45 percent or 30 percent. My Marriage Pact match was 66 percent, which is not super high, but it still matched with someone.”
Her main purpose for participating was to make new friends, so she doesn’t plan to “personally go up to them and start a relationship out of nowhere.”
For Abdul Rafay `29, the fun was in the guessing game. “We all tried to figure out who each other’s match was without knowing,” he said. “It was really fun.”
When the final name appeared though, he said he hesitated. “It was somebody I had no connections with or knew of,” Rafay said. “It felt kind of weird to even start a conversation.”
Etzel Miller `29 also participated in the pact but felt the results didn’t deliver the social spark he had imagined. After seeing it circulate on YikYak, he jumped in. “My reaction was, ‘Oh, fire, send me that,’” he said.
After doing the pact though, he felt that students walked away from the results too quickly. “I was hoping for a cool little date, like speed dating or a mixer vibe,” he said. “Marriage Pact felt like people look at their match, think ‘this is cool’ or ‘this is bad,’ and then walk away from it.”
Upperclass students expressed a more seasoned perspective. Brigid Leahy `27, who has taken the quiz twice, said she values the ritual and mystique. “I would never not do it,” she said.
“It’s like taking a BuzzFeed quiz. Marriage Pact isn’t supposed to be a dating app. If I wanted that, I’d go on Tinder. The mystery is intriguing, and the fact that it’s so unserious makes it fun.”
She also admitted that part of the appeal is joking about it: “I like pointing at people on campus and joking like, ‘That’s my husband.’”
Jane Mozunder `28 echoed that mix of irony and enjoyment. “Last year was kind of underwhelming for me,” she said, explaining that she only retook the survey because of the friend compatibility feature.
“It was really fun,” she added. “My friends and I posted on our Instagram stories ranking each friend by percentage.”
Mozunder sees the Marriage Pact as part of campus culture. “Everybody’s doing it,” Mozunder said. “It’s a fun and relaxing game, and it’s an opportunity to connect. And Grinnellians are always connecting.”
