This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Point Park chapter.
As far as nerve-wracking situations go, first dates are right up there with job interviews and public speaking! You may struggle with wanting to be yourself, but you also want to make a good first impression so there’s a possibility of having a second date. Take a look at these 5 crucial things to avoid saying or doing when going on a first date!
“My last relationship…”
- It’s pretty easy to fall into ranting about an ex- everyone is guilty of that. However, it can come off to your date that you aren’t quite over your past guy due to the fact that they’re even a topic of discussion. No man wants to take out a girl whose mind is on someone else!
Being glued to your phone
- Trying to have a nice conversation with someone who keeps checking their phone is like talking to a brick wall. Don’t be the date that needs to refresh their Twitter feed every five minutes, or else your date will feel like they aren’t as important as what you’re doing on your cell. Put the phone on silent no matter how much it pains you, and only bring it out if you need to send an S.O.S. to your friends!
“Do you plan to get married? How many children do you want to have?”
- Nothing will make your date ready to hit the exit quite like bringing up marriage and children. Even if you’ve known your date for a long time, you’ll scare him away by coming off too strong. Stick to discussing less future-oriented topics on the first go-round unless it has to do with school or work opportunities and goals.
Cancelling last minute
- Everyone’s time is valuable, so you need to be respectful of that. Once your date is set, you have until 24 hours before the time of your plans to call anything off. Being nervous and not being able to find something cute to wear aren’t good enough excuses to cancel, by the way!
“I hate my job so much!”
- Leave all of your negativity at the door because pessimism is a huge turn-off for everyone. Remember the part about wanting to make a good first impression? Being negative won’t allow your best personality traits to shine through. Having a zest for life and learning to laugh your way through it will show your date that you’re fun to be around (and the type of girl to take on a 2nd date!)