Dating nightmares at Old Nassau

"I didn't know him that well, but he seemed nice, pretty cute and not too sketchy," a freshman, "Alice," who was granted anonymity to avoid embarrassment, described her first on-campus date. Though she went into it with no inhibitions, she soon realized that her introduction to the Princeton dating scene would be slightly different from what she expected.

The first thing that struck her as strange arose as soon as she met up with her date: He wasn't alone. His parents, who live in a neighboring town, had decided to join them. "It was a shocker at first, but I knew he wasn't far from home, and that he was pretty close with his family, so I rolled with it," she said.

After the freshman, her date and his parents saw a movie at Market Fair together, the group had dinner. During their meal, she was introduced to yet another member of the family. "His mom called his grandmother from her cell phone while we were at the table," Alice said. "His mom said to her, ‘Guess who has a date?' Then, I had to introduce myself to his grandmother over the phone."

After dinner, Alice's date's parents dropped her off at her eight-person suite in Wilson College. "He did the whole ‘lean-in thing' when we got to my entryway, but then I looked over, saw his parents sitting in their car and walked away," she said. When asked if anything further developed, she responded, "Once he asked if I wanted to come home with him and watch a movie with him and his family. I said no."

In some cases, a bad date is over before it even begins. When Jordan Bubin '09 finally worked up the courage to ask a girl he liked out on a date, he wanted to make sure it was perfect. "I spent an entire afternoon preparing," Bubin said.

With plans to take her out to a nice restaurant for dinner and a popular ice cream shop for dessert, Bubin was sure he would impress his date. Bubin would soon learn, however, that his expectations were not quite inline with hers. "When I showed up at her door, she was wearing sweat pants," Bubin said. His shock at the sight must have shown on his face because his date examined him and promptly said, "It's not like this is a date or anything." Though Bubin's hopes were shattered at his date's door, he spent the evening with her anyway.

Other romantic encounters are ruined by extreme bluntness. Amara Nwannunu '11 and a date during freshman week were getting along well when they arrived at an eating club. The pair sat down in a quiet corner to talk and get to know each other better. Nwannunu explained, "He seemed nice, but I wanted to know what his motives were so I asked, ‘What are you looking for in a girl?' " Her date pondered the question for a moment. "Then," Nwannunu said, "he kind of sighed and said, ‘Look, I like steak. I like steak a lot. If I could have the choice between you and a steak, and getting you was going to be easy - easier than getting the steak - I would choose you. But, if you put up a protest, and getting you would be hard, I would go for the steak.' " After hearing her date's explanation, Nwannunu excused herself and did not return.

Another girl, "Marie," who was also granted anonymity to avoid embarrassment, relayed a similar experience, in which a single straightforward comment killed the mood of a good date. At the end of her dinner date, Marie and her friend arrived at an eating club and sat down to talk more. Their conversation was quickly cut short, however. "We were having a great conversation, and right in the middle of it, he turned to me and said, ‘Oh and by the way, I have a meeting tomorrow and have to get up really early, so don't get your hopes up.' " The girl spent the rest of the evening with her companion despite the blunt comment, but that night was the last date she went on with him.

Though the initial shock of these bad dates might have been distressing, all of these students described moving past them as an easy task. "I just think it's funny, looking back on it now," Nwannunu said. Alice, who spent an evening with her date's family, even added, "Is it awkward when I see him on campus? No." In some situations, a bad date may actually end positively. As Bubin put it, "I did try for another three weeks to get her to date me but was utterly unsuccessful - but now I am good friends with her anyway."