For first-time blind daters Katrina Burkgren and Taylor Anderson, their evening turned out surprisingly well. Over dinner at Taj of India in Georgetown, the pair realized that they had a strong platonic, if not romantic, bond.

Katrina Burkgren

Year: Senior

Age: 21

Hometown: Groton, New York

Major: International affairs

Taylor Anderson

Year: Senior

Age: 22

Hometown: Concord, Massachusetts

Major: Economics; double minor in business and French

What is your ideal first date?

Katrina: My ideal first date is something very active and adventurous, like a walk around the city. I want to be able to get to know the person and what they’re really like.

Taylor: Definitely dinner and a walk, with lots of conversation. It’s important to have compatibility in terms of personality.

What do you look for in a person?

Katrina: Someone who’s both genuine and nice, enjoys sports and outdoor activities, and has a good head on his shoulders.

Taylor: I have to enjoy spending time with the person. Similar interests are a plus, but not a necessity – sometimes too many similarities can be a bad thing.

What are your interests?

Katrina: Volunteering and sports – my favorites are basketball, baseball and soccer. As a matter of fact, I used to play Division 1 soccer!

Taylor: I play golf and enjoy walking. I love to read, travel and cook (especially Indian food, so Taj of India was a great restaurant choice!)

Katrina says:

I had never been on a blind date before, so it was pretty interesting. When I walked into Taj of India in Georgetown, I felt kind of awkward giving my name for the reservation and not knowing whom I was meeting. Once I was seated, we began conversing and got along really well! Plus, the food was delicious!

I had seen him around campus before but we’ve never actually met, so it was nice to have that opportunity. He was very easy to talk to and we had some similar interests. Also, he was such a gentleman – he opened all the doors for me and even paid for my ice cream at Cone E. Island after dinner. It was not something one would expect from the average college guy!

I would have to give our date an A. He is a very ambitious guy with a lot of great qualities, was awesome company, but there was no romantic chemistry. Although he has a great head on his shoulders and was extremely chivalrous, I couldn’t see us being more than just friends.

Taylor says:

This was my first blind date, so I was worried about how things would turn out. Surprisingly, it was really nice, and Katrina had a great personality. She was very easy to talk to and was really fun. Our evening wasn’t awkward at all, which was great since we had never met before.

We talked a lot about our interest in traveling, and our experiences at GW, of course. We had some similarities in that we both like trying new things, exercising and being adventurous in general. I was skeptical about the type of girl I would be set up with, so it was nice that I was able to meet someone with whom I got along well.

Our date was definitely an A. I had a great time and would love to hang out with her again on a friendly basis. She is certainly not the typical GW girl. I enjoyed being in her company, so spending time with her again would be a lot of fun.