by Connie Morrow

Created on: February 05, 2009

When researching where individuals are most likely to meet friends /mates, etc., it was found that people meet in grocery stores, on the job, in restaurants, shopping, etc.; but where would be the best place to meet people? Although there are many, many places in St. Louis to meet people, the best place to meet others is in a learning environment.

Many take advantage of websites geared toward matching individuals, for example, My Space, You Tube, eHarmony, Lavalife and many, many others. This may be convenient and even fun; but meeting individuals in this way can also be very dangerous. When chatting with individuals on the internet, you have no idea with whom you are chatting. Time after time, individuals have believed that he or she was chatting with someone of the opposite sex and within his or her age group; but later found that the individual was not who he or she claimed to be. A person can type anything on a website. This is a very dangerous route to meet anyone and has been proven again and again.

Today, more and more individuals are leaving high school and going on to college. As a consequence of technology, many who never had the opportunity to attend college for whatever reason (small children, full-time job, disabled) are now able to fulfill his or her dream of obtaining a degree. With this, there are now students of all ages in college, so whatever your age, it would be possible to meet other students in your age group. According to one university, the majority of the students were nontraditional.

Learning environments also include libraries, vocational schools, trade schools, seminars, St. Louis Art Museum and Science Center; anywhere one might spend time seeking knowledge. When meeting people in a learning environment, you see where an individual's interests lie. A person's study habits, attendance, and participation makes it obvious whether or not he or she is truly interested in learning or is present for other reasons. When meeting someone in the same class, you already have something in common. It is easier to meet and communicate with individuals who have similar interests.

According to a radio interview of three bachelors, it was disclosed that each of these men were highly educated; two of them seeking females with a similar degree. These two gentlemen explained that a woman must have a prestigious career with an income to match. The third gentleman, although he holds a Ph.D., denied this was his feeling. He stated he was not seeking women with prestigious careers, making a six-figure income. When asked if he would date a woman with only a high school diploma and working as a waitress, he stated that he would. This gentleman may be the exception to the rule, as most individuals, whether male or female, wants to meet those with a similar stature in life.

Meeting in a bar is not a good idea either. When people drink they tend to do things out of the norm. Although some nice people attend bars, others may be up to no good. On occasion, women have been drugged and raped.

When attending a university, college, vocational school and so on, it is likely one will meet and become friends with several classmates. Some students study together (study-buddy) and quickly get to know much about one another. This close association makes it possible to learn things such as whether or not the individual is highly motivated, skillful, honest, interesting, communicates well, etc. These are things a person would like to know about his or her companion that cannot be learned over the internet.

One needs to be careful regardless of where he or she meets people. So, while getting to know someone, use caution until you really get to know the person.

Learn more about this author, Connie Morrow.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.