The nail-biting, inbox-checking, group-chat messaging few hours between learning the initials of your match and getting their full name are the ultimate test of patience for many Marriage Pact participants.
While most William and Mary students furiously scrambled to piece the puzzle together or sat idly awaiting their fates, sophomores Kyle and Conner wasted no time before connecting.
Conner:
I knew who it was right away. We were mutual followers, but we didn’t know each other. I had been on Instagram and seen all the people from my class, and I was like, “I recognize those initials.”
Kyle:
We started talking right after the initials came out. I had to go on a little search because I knew a few people had the same initials, but I eventually narrowed it down. Campus is pretty small, and we followed each other already, so it just took a bit of talking on Instagram to figure it out. And then we confirmed it when we got the actual match.
I remember thinking, “Well, how compatible can we be?” And I looked and saw that we had one of the highest matches in the whole school.
Conner:
If I recall correctly, I think Kyle emailed me after we matched. And then I texted him.
Kyle:
Yeah, I emailed him first. I was like, “Here’s my number if you want to meet up on campus for real.”
While Kyle and Conner didn’t meet in person immediately, their head start on Instagram and over text set them up for an effortless friendship.
Kyle:
We spent a lot of time just getting to know each other for a while. And when we did meet up, most of the times we hung out we just spent talking to each other.
Conner:
We’re big walkers, and we both really like the outdoors. We love to walk around the woods near campus and just talk.
Kyle:
We recently were gonna go kayaking together, but they had shut down the lake on campus for the season. So Conner was just like, “Well, let’s just talk around the lake instead.” So we just ended up sitting at one of the docks and talking for a while.
That’s something I like about Conner. Whenever I’m like, “Let’s go do this,” or propose some small act of spontaneity, I feel like Conner is always down. He’ll help convince me to do it.
Given their 99.7% match, it’s likely the algorithm picked up on Kyle and Conner’s laid-back nature, preference for intimate social settings, and thrill-seeking tendencies (including a love for roller coasters).
Kyle:
Even though a lot of people on campus know me, I usually like to keep to myself. Conner and I are similar because we just like to do things away from other people. We’re not really big on a large social gathering.
Something else that I found really cool is that Conner is obsessed with roller coasters. I used to be so scared of roller coasters, but now I love theme parks. It was just a quirky similarly we had.
I asked the pair about their responses to a classic survey question: “I would go on a spontaneous trip, even if that meant putting off my responsibilities.”
Conner:
I think I leaned towards yes. Unless it was a real responsibility. Like an interview or something.
Kyle:
But like, if I know I have to study for something on the horizon, but it’s not tomorrow? Yeah, put the book down. Let’s go.
Ultimately, it’s Kyle and Conner’s relaxed, easygoing energies that allowed them to click so easily.
Conner:
If I was a high school superlative, it’d probably be “most down to earth.” That’s something I think we have in common. Kyle is just really easy to talk to.
Kyle:
I’d say the same. Another thing I love about Conner is the way he texts. He uses all these emojis and I just totally get what he’s saying. It’s like I’m in the same room with him. And as I’ve gotten to know, I realize he’s like that in person too. The way he talks and expresses himself just makes sense to me.
Conner:
When we’re with each other, it’s just so easy to go with the flow.
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