Sophie and Sasha on Jamie and Jem
What were your pre-date expectations?
Sophie: I’d never been on a blind date or a double date before, so I was excited. I think I was looking forward to it because I was going to be with one of my really good friends. I was a little bit nervous, but no matter how it went, it was going to be a good time anyway.
Sasha: I agree with Sophie. Although, it did feel a bit less “datey” because there were four of us. It meant that sometimes it was just a group conversation, which felt a bit less intimate.
So, you guys went to the Pickerel. What were the vibes like in there?
Sasha: I do see people that I know in there quite frequently. Maybe I wouldn’t have chosen to take a date there myself, just because of how popular it is with people I know. I might have taken them somewhere a bit further out.
Sophie: They had their Christmas decorations up, which was nice. It was nice and busy, too, so we were quite lucky to get a table.
What were your first impressions?
Sophie: They both seemed like really lovely people. Very chatty. It started off as a friendly group conversation and then we broke up into our separate conversations as the night went on. Jamie seemed very funny and chatty, and we share a similar sense of humour. It was a good first impression. I was trying to tune into Jem and Sasha’s conversation a little bit. They are both quite outgoing and chatty; they seemed to get on well with each other.
“Sophie and Jamie clearly had a lot more chemistry than we did”
Sasha: My initial impression of Jem is that she was quite personable and easy-going. Sophie and Jamie seemed to get on really well. They stayed until closing! They clearly had a lot more chemistry than we did. I don’t think I ever escaped that friendly feeling.
Did you find you had much in common with your dates? What did you guys talk about?
Sasha: We spoke about quite an array of things. We spoke about what we’re studying and about what I plan to do next year. She’s also Gender Equalities Officer at her college, so we talked about that a bit.
I don’t think we have that much in common. I really enjoy comedy, and I was talking about this set from a show that Sophie and I went to see together, but I don’t think it really landed with them. I’m also really into politics, and I didn’t think that she was as much, or she wasn’t as comfortable with talking about it on a first date, at least.
Sophie: I think Jamie and I share a similar sense of humour. We were laughing quite a lot. He’s going on a year abroad next year, so we talked a bit about that. We discovered that we both really like Sorrento, so that’s something we have in common, I guess! We both have younger siblings, too. It was only the first date, so we didn’t get into much more than that. We worked out that Sasha and Jamie are both Entz officers, so we talked about different events that they’d both organised.
How would you describe Jamie in three words?
Both: Talkative, funny, easy-going.
And Jem?
Both: Personable, engaging, honest.
Sasha: And funny! If we’re putting funny for Jamie, too. I don’t want her to think that she’s not the funny friend.
“I don’t want her to think that she’s not the funny friend!”
What do you think they thought of you guys?
Sophie: I would hope Jamie thinks we got on well. We’re both very friendly, and hopefully he thinks that I was asking him questions, too, and that we had a similar sense of humour.
Sasha: I don’t know. We exchanged Instagrams, but I never got around to messaging her. But, then again, neither did she! So I don’t feel too guilty.
Would you see your dates again?
Sasha: No. Not in a romantic way. I think I was always bound to have a good time, and it’s hard for me not to get along with somebody. I could probably talk to Jem for a really long time but I think that’s more telling of our communicativeness and friendliness than our chemistry.
Sophie: Jamie and I actually did see each other again. We went for dinner and drinks. We had a really nice time, but I think it’s more of a friendly vibe.
What would you rate the date out of 10?
Sophie: 7 or 8.
Sasha: As an event, 7. As a date, 5.
Jamie and Jem on Sophie and Sasha
What were your pre-date expectations?
Jamie: I was going in with an open mind. I obviously didn’t have much information to go off, so I didn’t really know what to expect. I was hoping to have a chill, nice evening. Because it was a double date, I felt like I had reinforcements at the start, and that if something went wrong then we could coordinate and make it into a group conversation. It was a nice safety net, but after a while I was ready for it not to be a four-person conversation anymore, and it was hard to transition out of that.
Jem: I had no expectations whatsoever. I love meeting new people, so that was great. Best case scenario, it was a great date. Worst case scenario, it was a great story. And like Jamie said, it was nice to have each other. We were both really stressed for no reason, but it all worked itself out in the end.
What were your first impressions?
Jem: Sasha seemed very sweet. She was friendly, which was good. I knew she wasn’t going to be awkward or sit there in silence, which I was relieved about. I thought Sophie was really sweet, too. I actually think I had more in common with her than I did with Sasha!
Jamie: I thought Sophie was lovely. She had a really nice smile. And I thought Jem’s date had good energy.
What did you guys talk about? Did you have much in common?
Jamie: Yeah, we liked quite a lot of the same music. She’s very involved in theatre, which is cool. I think we have quite a lot of similarities personality-wise, as well. We’re both quite big on family.
“She told me I looked like Steve Jobs”
Jem: We both love a night out and we spent some time comparing our favourite DJs in Cambridge. We talked a bit about academics, but our conversation was mostly quite funny and unconventional for a first date, so we didn’t get onto talking about things like music taste. She did tell me at one point that I looked like Steve Jobs, but I think that’s just because I was wearing a polo neck...
Were there any awkward moments?
Jem: I think there were bound to be some awkward moments between the four of us when we first got there, but they were mostly just funny.
Jamie: I’m not saying my jokes are any good, but sometimes they just didn’t seem to land with Sasha. Thankfully, Sophie was much more similar to me in terms of humour. There were also quite a few people we knew in the pub, which was a bit awkward.
“I’m not saying my jokes are any good, but sometimes they just didn’t seem to land”
Did you stay at the Pickerel the whole time?
Jem: Sasha had to leave early, so we didn’t stay for too long.
Jamie: Sophie and I stayed until closing. There was a point where I wanted us to move to Jack’s, but it was closed.
How would you describe Sophie in three words?
Both: Smiley, warm, bubbly.
And Sasha?
Both: Fun, forthcoming, chatty.
Would you see your dates again?
Jamie: Well, we did actually see each other again. We went out for dinner and drinks. I had a great time hanging out with her, and we were there for quite a while again. I think she’s great, but we’ve messaged since and we’re going to part ways as friends.
Jem: I don’t think so. As much as it was fun meeting her, I’m not sure we’re that compatible.
What would you rate the date out of ten?
Jamie: 7.
Jem: 5.
Want to go on a Varsity blind date? Sign up here!
Some names have been changed for privacy reasons.
