How to Date In the Real World
How do we survive in the world outside this ‘Cuse bubble? Even more importantly, how do we hook up with people we don’t see daily in our classes, dorms, or the alley behind Chuck’s? With summer approaching, the world beyond Syracuse may seem like a scary place.
Where to look? Hometown.
Who says you can’t find the love of your life (or the next five minutes) at home? Revisiting the past can be fun if you’re into making out with the old varsity baseball star that you had a crush on when you were 12. When you really think about it, it probably won’t be that disappointing and sad, right?
How to approach? If you’re looking to take the trip down memory lane it is important to reconnect with some old mutual friends. Have a gathering with your hometown friends and invite over those mutual friends that you haven’t spoken to since the tenth grade. When the time is right…you attack! I mean… talk to them. Ask them how college is, if they have an internship, if their dog has died yet, you know—the basics.
Where to look? Coffee shop.
How adult of you! You see a cutie in a coffee shop and you go for it! You know they like coffee, so you already have that as a conversation starter. They’re reading a collection of poems? You’ve stumbled on yet another! All sensitive and sensual lovers read poetry, right?
How to approach? This is the tough part, but hey, someone has got to do it. You have to muster up whatever strength and desperation you have left in you to sit next to them. Comment on whatever book they’re reading or the drink that they have ordered, and pray they’re in the mood to talk to a complete stranger. Coffee snobs can be quite temperamental, so you never know.
Where to look? A new city.
You’ve got yourself an internship or you’re just trying to find purpose in a change of scenery. You’re on your own in a foreign land. How do you even find the nearest coffee shop, let alone a find a consistent hook up? You want to find someone who will help you have a sense of belonging and a new hook up is the perfect way to do that.
How to approach? You’re probably in this new city for a reason, right? New job, parents moved, needed to escape your old life? Whichever it is you need to get involved in something in this city. Go out for drinks with co-workers, join a softball team, start volunteering. This way you can scope out cuties who do things that you know you’re actually interested in. If you’re not into softball, you can always try Tinder.
Where to Look? Vacation.
It is the summer, it's warm, everyone is going on vacation. That's the perfect place to find a cutie where you can hit it and quit it, no questions asked. Everyone is tan and looking for the same thing—aloe vera.
How to approach? Similar to the coffee shop deal, you have to embrace life for what it is and not be afraid to go for it. If you’re in a beach destination, you can count on ocean flirting. You may be asking yourself, “what the fuck is ocean flirting?” Ocean flirting is when you’re in the water and you see a cutie with their pals and you keep looking over. You’re already mostly naked, so you know what people are workin’ with.