Everything about John and Shilpa’s date was new: It was the first blind date each of the college students had ever gone on, and they dined at the recently opened French-Vietnamese restaurant d.o.b. 111 on the first day of spring. Plus, John, 21, was rockin’ a new mohawk. But was Shilpa, 20, overwhelmed by so many novel experiences — or did she happily embrace the possibility of a budding romance?

He said:

I toyed with the idea of showing up in a banana suit, just for laughs and to have a story for my friends. And honestly, I was frustrated when I couldn’t find a costume.

I quickly thanked the universe for protecting me from my ridiculous impulses when I saw Shilpa. She’s a very attractive girl. She pointed out that I had cut my hair since the photo she had seen of me. (I shaved a mohawk as a reaction to my anxiety over grad school decisions.) We joked about how I should shave it, and from that point I forgot all my anxieties and the conversation flowed.

Shilpa really impressed me when she started talking about her goals. Beauty is common enough, but I value someone who is diligent about personal interests. At the end of the night, my only regret is I wish I asked for her number.

She said:

I was really nervous going into this date. When John walked in, I immediately noticed his haircut. I really liked it because it showed me he’s spontaneous and doesn’t take things too seriously, which is the kind of laid-back attitude I look for in a guy.

John is very outgoing, so when we sat down we started chatting right away. I thought he had a great smile and he was dressed really well. We talked about our childhood and the fact that we both have very close ties to our roots. John has family in Japan and mine is from India, and we’re very connected to those cultures.

There wasn’t anything I didn’t like about John. I can’t say if there’s a romantic interest yet, but if anything, I would definitely like to remain friends and I’d like to see him again.