Aachen.RWTH.Three countries.International.

Those who study in Aachen study at one of Europe's best technical universities. RWTH Aachen ranks internationally among the top engineering institutions — accordingly, the student body is international: Erasmus students from Southern Europe, exchange students from Asia, doctoral researchers from around the world. At the Aachen Christmas market you hear at least five languages simultaneously. That's unique — and in dating, a challenge.

Aachen's dating problem is the engineering problem: people who are excellent at solving problems analytically often struggle with the unstructured, emotional, irrational nature of getting to know someone. Weeks of chat on dating apps is the exact opposite of what an engineering student needs: clear signal, no noise. Add the language barrier — those who come from Spain, Korea, or Brazil chat in English, meet perhaps once, and fly home at semester end.

talkbeforedate gives everyone — regardless of background or field of study — the same tool: a conversation. Anonymous, no number, through the app. Ten minutes of talking reveals more than a hundred swipes. And whether someone is still in Aachen after the semester emerges in conversation faster than in three weeks of chat.