LSA senior Jarrett Smith has not yet found the woman of his dreams. But he knows she will be beautiful, intelligent and confident. And she will be black.

For Smith and other students who identify with minority groups, Sir Mix-A-Lot's summation of love and attraction was right on. When it comes to matters of the heart, Cosmo Magazine - and the romantic ideals it sells - "ain't got nothin' to do" with dating and marriage preferences.

Listen to University students sound off about dating in or outside of their faith, race or ethnicity, and one thing becomes clear: For people with deeply rooted religious or ethnic heritage, the rules of attraction - boy meets girl and falls in love - are not always so simple.

Students who are Jewish, Muslim and Christian, who are black, white and Indian suddenly bear a remarkable resemblance to one another when they speak about the pressure to date and marry within their ethnic or religious group.

Often, students who admit to having set expectations for a spouse are sheepish about talking about their beliefs. A moment pregnant with hesitation punctuates their uncertainty about divulging their most intimate hopes for the future, as well as their fear of seeming closed-minded or racist for profiling romantic prospects.

Once students start talking about dating and marriage, though, there is no stopping them. From those in interracial relationships to others who would never consider dating someone outside their identity group, young people of every walk seem to be well aware of expectations that exist for dating and marriage.

Time and time again, students who only date within their religion or ethnicity said they do so because they are looking for someone with similar values and beliefs. Several students said it was difficult or even impossible to truly connect with someone outside their identity group.

To LSA senior Aaron Potek, Judaism is uniquely beautiful. Potek's decision to date exclusively within his faith stems from a deep love and appreciation for Judaism and its culture.

"Jews have been such a huge part of my life that I just couldn't imagine being with someone not Jewish," he said.

For Potek, being able to connect spiritually is so important that physical attraction is as much about values and beliefs as it is about looks.

"I never had an experience where (a non-Jewish girl and I) really clicked and religion was the only obstacle in the way," he said. "I think that's because I click with people not just based on looks but on spirituality as well. I'm a Hillel guy."

LSA sophomore Lizzy Lovinger, the only Jewish person living in a house of eight women, has dated non-Jewish men before. Lovinger said religion has never been a deciding factor in the friendships she makes. But when it came to her romantic relationships with non-Jewish men, something was missing.

"I dated a Christian guy, I dated a Deist, but the connection wasn't really there because Judaism is a way of life, and culture, and seeing," Lovinger said.

Now Lovinger is in a relationship with a Jewish man whose family moved from Russia to the United States in 1992 to escape the anti-Semitism of the Russian government. Though he was raised a continent away, Lovinger said their shared faith helps bring them together.

"I can get close to him because there are so many things he understands about me just because we are both Jewish," she said.

Jewish students are not the only ones who search for that spiritual connection in their mate. Being cute will help your case with LSA sophomore Zoha Mohammed, but it's faith that really gets him going.

"If you just have a strong faith about you - it's hot," he said.

Mohammed, who is Muslim, said he would have no problem dating a non-Muslim woman as long as she was in some way religious and shared similar values.

For many black students, the desire to seek companionship with someone who shares experience is crucial. Some said that the marginalization they face daily at the University makes the thought of dating someone outside their race unthinkable.

"Any classroom, any office you walk into, they expect you to be an athlete," Smith said. "I think that's something a black woman can relate to. She can support a black man better than anyone else."

As a child, Lovinger asked her mother if she could bring home a black man when she was old enough to date. The response, Lovinger said, came quickly and clear: "You can bring home a purple, polka-dot guy as long as he's Jewish."

For many Jewish students, the fear that their faith and their people could be wiped off the face of the planet is very real.

"We are .02 percent of the population of the world, so as a Jew, intermarriage is a very scary thing," LSA freshman Yael Mendelson said.