Zara on Jake

What were your pre-date expectations?

I didn’t really have any expectations going into it. Every year I try to do something that’s sort of outside my comfort zone, so I thought this would be a fun thing to do. I also thought that, in the worst case scenario, I would have a funny story to tell. But my friends thought I was insane! I had so many messages being like ‘Abort! Abort! Why are you doing this?’

So, you met at the Eagle. What were the vibes like?

I was a bit cautious when I found out it was at the Eagle because I’ve never actually had a good experience in there before… I’m always running into people I’d rather not see, so this was a nice way to move past that, I guess.

I think we stayed there for around two and a half hours. We got a drink and were just talking the whole time.

What was your first impression of Jake?

Really tall! I think that’s also because I’m quite short. He seemed really nice. I was surprised that we’ve never met before, because our colleges are so close. We do have a lot of mutuals.

Any awkward moments? Or did the conversation flow well?

It flowed well! I thought it would maybe be more awkward than it was because he does engineering and I do HSPS, which are complete opposite ends of the spectrum. Even though we’re both third years, Jake had never actually been to my college before, so we just kind of talked about the differences between the colleges and things like that. It was a very Cambridge conversation.

“Imagine if I get slated in Varsity for being a terrible date…”

We were also talking about stealing from formals. I’ve taken some things from formals before, but I’ve always been way too scared to steal a plate, because I’m like ‘I can’t do this! What if they catch me? ’ But he gave me a really good strategy. I’ll have to test it out.

So he turned you into a thief!?

I think a lot of people would call me a kleptomaniac already. Well, I actually call myself a ‘collector of things’.

Describe Jake in three words.

Witty, tall, kind.

What do you think he thought of you?

I actually have no idea. I’m kind of scared! Imagine if I get slated in Varsity for being a terrible date… that will really scare people away.

We did say to let each other know if either of us wanted to come to a formal at the other’s college, so I don’t think he thinks I’m weird or anything like that.

Would you see him again?

We’ll have to see. I don’t know. I assume we’ll run into each other at some point.

What would you rate the date out of 10?

7. But that has nothing to do with the company. A date in the Eagle could never get higher than a 7 from me.

Jake on Zara

What were your pre-date expectations?

I’ve never been on a blind date, so I really didn’t know what to expect. I set my expectations very low. It almost felt like I wasn’t really going on a date because I didn’t organise it myself. It just felt like an event I was showing up to. I was slightly worried we wouldn’t be able to find each other, but luckily she found me quite easily. I’m quite tall, so I’m not easy to miss.

So, you met at the Eagle. What were the vibes like?

I’ve been to the Eagle multiple times before - it’s one of my favourite pubs in Cambridge. We stayed until closing and then I walked her back to her college and said ‘goodbye’ for the night. We got on quite well.

“She wasn’t horrible to me, so I guess it was positive”

It’s interesting because you still get to ask all of the questions you would normally ask when you’re getting to know someone, but without the pressure of asking them out yourself. It made it all very easy.

What were your first impressions of Zara?

I was trying to read into what kind of person she was from the information you sent me. I’m a massive overthinker when it comes to this kind of stuff. I guess my main first impression came from her outfit, because that was all I really had to go on.

What did you guys talk about?

We started off by talking about what we’re studying, where we’re from, that kind of stuff. She’s an international student, so we talked about where she was from and where she’s travelled. We also talked about our colleges. The questions were quite simple because, obviously, we knew nothing about each other. Time really flew by.

Describe Zara in three words.

Lovely, friendly, chatty. There’s not too much more you can pick up from a three hour date.

What do you think she thought of you?

I have no idea. She wasn’t horrible to me, so I guess it was positive.

What would you rate the date out of 10?

7.5.

Would you see her again?

As friends, but not as a romantic partner.

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Names have been changed for privacy reasons.