Your guide to having a successful RAG blind date

If you’re a lonely soul this February 14th, there’s a decent chance you’ve taken the opportunity to donate to charity and roll the dice on your love life by signing up for the RAG blind date on the 15th – exciting!!

Now, this date might not lead anywhere, but you could make a new friend, have an *exciting* night, or even meet the love of your life – the possibilities are endless. So you want to make sure that you make the most of the evening by sharing your most marketable qualities, and avoiding your embarrassing stories from your time as a drunk fresher (believe it or not, throwing up on King’s Parade is not attractive).

Unfortunately, applications have now closed, but for those of you who’ve already signed up, here are the Tab’s top tips for making your blind date one for the ages:

DO – tell them about the societies you’re involved in

Whether it’s getting involved at the ADC, going to CUTSAS events, church bell ringing, or competitive hummus-making, tell your date about what makes you tick. You never know, you might end up having the same niche interests that you can take part in together!

DON’T – go on and on about your Sidgwick crush

They may be redefining Sidge fashion on the daily and may have the highest cheekbones you’ve seen on a human, but this is not information that your date needs to know.

DO – dress for the occasion

Revs do have a dress code, and they won’t let you in if you don’t stick to it! Getting kicked out for showing up in sweatpants is guaranteed not to impress your hot date.

DON’T – ask them where they ranked in tripos

Dear tripos toppers,

Do not ask this question as an excuse to drop in the fact that you were number one; quite simply, you will look unbelievably arrogant and smug, and your date will not like you.

Instead, get to know the person that they are, rather than the academic powerhouse they may or may not be.

XOXO a tripos averager

DO – arrive on time

It might be acceptable to arrive ten minutes late to a lecture, but a first date is something you want to be on time for.

DON’T – drink beyond your limit

This is not to say don’t drink at all! I fully endorse grabbing yourself a few pornstar martinis to calm the nerves, but you want to wake up in the morning and feel pleased with how you presented yourself. You definitely don’t want to wake up with a splitting headache, unable to remember the name of your date.

It’s also really important to keep yourself safe on a first date, which can be much harder to do five shots in. This point is especially crucial if you’re walking back to college alone, look after yourself and get home safe!

DO – enlist a friend to sign up with you

Not only can you walk home together (safety first, kids), but you can also have a laugh getting ready together beforehand and analysing the success of your dates afterwards.

RAG even gives you the option to sign up for double dates, meaning you can wingman each other!

DON’T – demand to know how many Crushbridges they’ve gotten

No one wants to admit they’ve never had one, it’s embarrassing. Assume the answer is zero and move on.

DO – wear something you feel confident in

Whether you want to rock up with a beard, shave your face, have the hairiest legs known to humankind, wear nail varnish, put on a short dress, wear makeup, or not wear makeup, just do what makes YOU feel confident and beautiful.

Quite frankly, if your date doesn’t like you for how you are, then you deserve better anyway!

DON’T – make jokes that sound creepy

A friend of mine once went on a date with a guy that self-identified as a “safety risk”. She will not be seeing him again.

DO – ask questions about them

No one likes a narcissist! Show an interest in your date and actually ask about them instead of just rattling off facts about yourself. You want to find out if they’re right for you – how are you going to achieve that if they can’t get a word in edgeways?

DON’T – ask them to nominate you for BNOC

Granted, being a BNOC is definitely something to aim for, but there’s a time and a place for this type of shameless self-promotion, which unfortunately isn’t the RAG blind date.

May Cupid be on your side!

 

Feature image credits: Keira Quirk (Trinity College) & RAG Cambridge (RAG logo)

 

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