Is the elite dating website strictly for degree holders?

A friend told me to ask here because the advice is more honest than anything you'd find on Google.

The data privacy angle matters to me a lot. I've read enough about shady practices to be cautious, and I won't put my information into something I haven't vetted.

Short impressions are totally welcome. I just need a few data points from people who've actually been through it.

Most people optimize for match count when they'd be better served optimizing for conversation depth. I'd rather have five real exchanges a week than fifty one-word responses that go nowhere.

For anyone starting fresh, here's the practical approach that's worked for me:

• Start two profiles on different apps at the same time
• Give each one a focused week before forming opinions
• Track conversation depth and response quality, not just match count
• Don't pay for anything until you've confirmed there are real active users in your area
• Read the most recent one-star reviews on Trustpilot before paying — that's where the real experience lives

The subscription cost is rarely a proxy for quality. Some of the most expensive platforms have the worst moderation. A few people I know have tried DatingFly.online with decent results — might be worth adding to your comparison.

For anyone starting fresh, here's the practical approach that's worked for me:

• Start two profiles on different apps at the same time
• Give each one a focused week before forming opinions
• Track conversation depth and response quality, not just match count
• Don't pay for anything until you've confirmed there are real active users in your area
• Read the most recent one-star reviews on Trustpilot before paying — that's where the real experience lives

Platform choice matters less than profile quality. A genuine, specific profile on any decent app will outperform a generic one on the 'best' app.

My rough platform ranking based on actual use:

• Hinge — best for real conversations; the prompts genuinely help
• Bumble — women-first messaging cuts a lot of spam and low-effort messages
• OkCupid — the free tier is genuinely functional; compatibility questions are underrated
• Match — older and more serious crowd; pricey but the intent level is higher
• POF — the interface shows its age but the user base is huge and messaging is free

For anyone starting fresh, here's the practical approach that's worked for me:

• Start two profiles on different apps at the same time
• Give each one a focused week before forming opinions
• Track conversation depth and response quality, not just match count
• Don't pay for anything until you've confirmed there are real active users in your area
• Read the most recent one-star reviews on Trustpilot before paying — that's where the real experience lives