Valentine’s Day is approaching, and with so many young lovebirds eager to go out with that special someone they’ve been talking to, Georgia Southern University students decided to share their views about what is and what isn’t appropriate for that anticipated first date.
For simplicity’s sake, students were only asked about restaurant dinner dates, rather than movie dates, coffee dates and other types of dates.
Finally, be sure to tweet us @ReflectorGSU and share with us your own first date do’s and don’ts!
Morgan Miller, freshman public health major
“Do take a shower.”
“If I smell anything, the date is canceled. That is my pet peeve.”
“Don’t act like you don’t know me when you see me on campus.”
“Because you were talking to me on the date, you liked me and all this stuff, and then you go on campus and you see me and you don’t want to say hey? That’s going to make me feel some type of way. I don’t like that.”
“Do bring flowers.”
“Because every girl loves flowers. If a boy brought me flowers when we’re about to go on a date, I’m going to be so happy because boys in this day and age don’t do that, so I’m going to be like, ‘Oh my gosh, he’s different. He brought me flowers.’ That’s going to make me feel like, ‘Okay, this might be going somewhere.’ Because that’s already something that’s a big deal.”
Ariel Daniels, sophomore criminal justice and criminology major
“Do be a gentleman.”
“If we’re going to go on another date, I need to know that you’re a gentleman and not some scumbag. I can’t talk to anyone that’s not a gentleman, because I was raised around men that were gentlemen, so that’s what I expect.”
“Don’t come on too strong.”
“I feel like coming on too strong isn’t a good first impression for me, personally, because I feel like you’re just trying too hard instead of just being yourself. I feel like when people on come on too strong, that’s them not being themselves.”
“Do pay for the meal.”
“I shouldn’t pay if you’re asking me to go, and it just shows that you want to see me again. You know, maybe when we get deeper into the relationship, I’ll start paying, but if you ask me on the date, I feel you should pay since you came up with the idea.”
Judge Lanneau, freshman marketing major
“Do be able to keep conversation.”
“If you look at why you’re going on a date with someone, it’s potentially to, in the long-run, spend the rest of your life with someone. If you want to date this person in the future, and you can’t hold a conversation with them, then what are you going to talk about? You can’t communicate. There’s no point in pursuing a second date or even continuing the first date.”
“Do dress appropriately.”
“If you’re taking her out to a nice restaurant, you want her to show that she has sense about her and that she was raised right, because if you’re dressed in a certain way, you can be perceived a certain way.”
“Don’t argue about paying for the check.”
“That’s just the way I was raised. I just feel like, if you’re the guy taking the girl out on a date, you just cover the bill, especially on a first date. That’s just what you do. And just sitting there arguing about it with me would be pointless because I’m gonna pay for it in the end. It would just aggravate me.”
Matthew Goodman, junior music education major
“Do order an appetizer.”
“I like food, okay? You learn a lot about a person based on what appetizer they get.”
“Don’t talk about exes.”
No one wants to hear about that on the first date. That’s like after the first date, once you bond and get breakfast or something. You want to build on your own relationship.”
“Don’t text.”
“Because, usually, if you’re texting on the first date, you’re probably texting about the date. And I don’t need that energy.”