As the air slowly turns from crisp to bitterly cold, the urge to pair up grows strong amongst college students. Yes, it’s true — cuddling season has officially begun.

But if you’re like me and find yourself wrapped in blankets and holding only a half-eaten (and soon to be completely eaten) tub of ice cream late at night, your hopes for companionship seem to be firmly in the hands of the crapshoot commonly known as online dating.

My first piece of advice is to not couple up. But if you do feel the urge to do so, fear not, lonely college student, because as with most things, Pinterest is here to help. Or make things worse. Either one. Let’s take a journey through both the good and bad tips for dating, flirting and meeting that special someone.

Good: Take advantage of school events

Online dating isn’t for everyone. Sometimes you just want to meet people the old-fashioned way. But what does that look like for college students? Most of us aren’t strolling through the grocery store with full-blown makeup waiting to bump into “the one” and have them sweep us off our feet. That may have worked for our grandparents, but it has a much lower success rate in 2018, trust me.

Luckily for us, North Dakota State has free events happening every week. Like spooky things? Go to the Haunted House with some friends, and maybe you’ll find someone that makes your heart stop, but like in a good way.

Bad: Go to all the parties

While parties are a potentially good place to meet people, they aren’t foolproof. They are often loud, crowded and possibly filled with intoxicated creeps, not exactly an ideal place for romance.

Going to a party every now and again to meet someone isn’t a bad idea if you’re the party going type. However, you’ll just burn yourself out (and maybe destroy your liver) if you go to every single party trying to find Mr. or Mrs. Right.

Good: Be open to a potential match

First, no one is going to meet every single one of your “must haves” in a partner. Setting too high of standards is just a good way to stay perpetually single. That’s not to say don’t have standards, but just be open and realistic.

Does that cute match have a good sense of humor, but a terrible taste in music? Give them a shot. This shouldn’t be a dealbreaker unless music is 100 percent your life.

Just know yourself and your dealbreakers, and you should be fine.

Good: Don’t be afraid to make the first move

This one should be a given, but far too many people are apprehensive about the idea of reaching out first. Some even go as far as including “will not message first” in their dating profiles. This message screams, “I’m on a dating app, but don’t want to put in the effort to actually connect with anyone.” If you like someone and match, then go ahead and send that first message.

This tip also applies to real life dating. Don’t wait for them to make the first move because that move may never come. Remember what Michael Scott said, “You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take – Wayne Gretzky.”

Bad: Check out a new movie

Just a shot in the dark here, but once you meet someone you’re probably going to go on a first date. A common first date is going to the movies. Don’t do this. Movies are great, but a terrible first date. Remember, even if you’ve been chatting online or in person, you still don’t know much about the person.

Sure, the movie makes for good conversation afterward, but then you’re still not really getting to know your date. Try something simple and low stakes like grabbing some coffee or attending one of those aforementioned school events. These date options are cheap, allow you to actually talk to each other and are fairly public.

Good: Take your time

Dating is tough, and not everything has a fairy tale ending. Don’t let this discourage you though.

If you’re open and honest with both yourself and others, then maybe it just might work out. It might not, but that’s ok too. As college students, we have the privilege of being young and having plenty of years ahead of us.

Just try not to force things or obsess over being single. You’ll have plenty of time for that later.