Boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, boy gets girl; this is the greatest story ever told.

Virtually every facet of courting and relationships has undergone innumerable changes. At one point, it was completely unacceptable for a woman to make the first move, other than the sporadic occasion of a Sadie Hawkins dance.

Distance relationships used to involve hours of letter writing and thousands of dollars in long distance calls. Now, with the advent of the Internet, distances never seemed quite so small.

Even online dating itself seems to have undergone its own degree of change.

“I used to think it was weird, something I’d never have to do,” said OSU student Charis Boamah. “But I know a lot of people who have gotten married using those sites. In this day and age, it has become a lot more acceptable.”

Internet dating used to be primarily, but not exclusively, marketed toward those beyond the college years. Websites originally used to target older men and women, some of whom were recently divorced or otherwise, who weren’t entirely ready to go back to the conventional dating scene yet.

However, with the Internet’s primary users being younger than ever, and every website being a business, dating sites are now targeting individuals aged 18-25.

But are college students really using these services? And if not, why not?

“Internet dating is just for losers and nerds,” said Josh Bordin, a theater major from London.

Is there a certain, albeit cynical, validity here? After all, college-aged people have a multitude of opportunities in which to get together with each other or meet up for dates. Why then would someone resort to the Internet?

With Ohio State being one of the largest campuses in the Midwest, surely there are other opportunities for college-aged individuals to meet for extra-curricular activities.

Brett Lysnkey, a junior from Cleveland, suggested, “All of the free sites are just there for booty calls.”

He wasn’t alone in his opinion; of the 30 students interviewed by UWeekly, about half had similar viewpoints, including Joe Merkens, an art major from Montrose.

“Plenty of Fish and other free sites are just for sex,” he said. “One of my friends had sex with 90 percent of the guys she met from there.”

Apparently, there is, at least anecdotally, legitimacy to online dating being a place to find someone to ease the pain of loneliness for just one night.

Everyone has his or her own reason for utilizing online dating, though. Some do use the Internet for merely meeting up for one night – or more depending on how much both parties enjoy it – of adult encounters.

However, some just want someone to spend time with.

Bobbi Holcomb, currently taking classes for medical coding and billing, said sometimes it was just a good adrenaline rush to meet someone new.

“And it was nice to be with someone when I wanted to go on a date without going to a bar or a club,” Holcomb said.

Casey Stokley, an art major from Canton, said she’s so busy between work and classes that it’s almost impossible to meet someone conventionally.

“OkCupid gives me a chance to meet guys when I can,” she said.

Online dating has one major appeal to today’s college aged person; it allows you to approach members of the opposite or same sex on your own terms.

Going to the typical places of the dating scene, concerts, games, bars, clubs, etc., isn’t a desirable venue for everyone. Utilizing the Internet allows one to set their own dates, time frames and spots.

“One guy wanted to meet me at a McDonalds,” said Marissa Townsend, a pre-medical student from Grove City. “I admire the attempt at a chill first date, but seriously?”

What are the differences between online dating and in real life, or IRL for those in the know, besides the methods of initial contact?

According to some who are experienced with using Internet dating, there aren’t any differences between the two.

Shawndra Jones, from Wright State University, said both have their ups and downs.

“My biggest horror stories come from guys I haven’t met online, and some really heartbreaking ones have come from online too,” she said.

Much like every other aspect of life, online dating will give back what you put into it, students said.

However, even with the late night callers, the failed dates and everything else, there are a few that actually get something deeper than that out of their online dating experiences.

There are some that actually get what the websites claim as their intention; long-term, mutually respectful relationships. They are much fewer and definitively far between, but they do happen. Each of the websites out there offer different kinds of results, more often than not proving the old adage true; you get what you pay for.

According to www.datingsitesreviews.com, a higher percentage of dating sites that require a monthly fee, such as eHarmony, Match.com and Chemistry.com are more likely to produce long-term relationships.

This is likely due to the fact that someone trolling for a late night cowboy or cowgirl is less willing to pay for such an encounter when getting things for free elsewhere.

However, just because the pay sites are more likely to garner legitimate attention for long-term relationships doesn’t mean that you have a higher chance of meeting someone.

Laura D’Aveta, of Columbus said she “hasn’t gotten anywhere with eHarmony.”

As technology continues to evolve, everyone, particularly those in a large social environment like a college, produce a widespread electronic social network. Therefore, using the Internet for dating is just the next logical step.

It’s available to anyone who wants it, and is as successful as the amount of effort that you put into it. The key is to realize that just because it’s the Internet doesn’t mean the people you are dealing with are any less real.

UWeekly writer Ashley Fournier contributed to this report.