If you had only three minutes to lure in a possible date, what would you ask?

“What’s your major?” says Cory Leclere, senior in dietetics.

“What’s your name and what year are you?” says Erin Julius, sophomore in hotel, restaurant and institution management.

These were some of the common questions at last year’s Instant Dating, an event that lets students go on 50 blind dates in three hours. On Monday, students will once again have the opportunity to go on three-minute dates.

Julius says although she didn’t contact any of her matches, she did find some new friends.

“It was a good way to meet people, just as friends even,” she says.

Leclere says he had some success in finding a date.

“A couple of people I met, I did go on dates with,” he says. “It just wasn’t successful [in that] it’s still going.”

All proceeds from Instant Dating go to the Ames Animal Shelter.

Jolene Gilbert, sophomore in political science and president of Instant Dating, says last year’s event raised $1,000 for the shelter. She also says Instant Dating not only benefits the shelter, but could form lasting ties between students.

“I actually participated last year, and there’s two or three people that I’m friends with and I still talk to,” she says.

The process of Instant Dating is simple. At the beginning of the night, participants receive a number allowing them to remain somewhat anonymous. Couples will be able to talk for three minutes before rotating and forming new couples.

If people find someone they like, they can write that person’s number down.

At the end of the night, participants will turn in a list of their top 10 numbers, and, within a couple of days, an e-mail will inform them of any matches. The e-mail will also include how many possible dates they missed.

The idea of Instant Dating was created last year by Michael Severin, junior in veterinary medicine. Severin says he devised the idea as a way to offer students an alternative to the usual weekend activities.

“I felt that people are always looking for something new to do,” he says. “A lot of people are under 21, so they can’t go to the bars, [and] the movies get old. I thought this instant dating concept would be a good project in the Ames community.”

What: Instant Dating

Where: Great Hall, Memorial Union

When: 7 p.m. Monday

Cost: $5