MIT Senior Ball 2007 - Survival Guide

Dates

How to Find a Date

Think about what qualities you are looking for in a date
Attend more parties and events. Participate in extracurricular activities to meet people.
Go through your list of available friends and acquaintances (Instant Messenger buddy lists, online communities) and make a list of people you would be interested in going with given the set of qualities you defined.
Cross off ones that are unavailable. Prioritize the list of your friends by who you'd like to go with the most. Enlist your friends' opinions if needed.
Then ask (see "how to ask someone to senior ball") at least three weeks in advance, so they can find a dress or tuxedo to wear.
If you still have trouble thinking of someone, ask your friends to set you up

How to ask Someone to Senior Ball

Make sure that, to the best of your knowledge, your intended does not already have a date.
Choose a quiet location and an appropriate time to pop the question. Asking your future date in front of a large group of people will only serve to make him or her uncomfortable. You should ask in person or at least by phone. Electronic forms of communication such as email and instant messages are inappropriate.
Prepare yourself before you ask. If you are nervous, take slow, deep breaths. Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Avoid caffeine, which will increase anxiety.
Avoid overselling your proposal. Simply remind your intended that the formal is approaching and express your desire to attend the dance with him or her.
Tell your date that you will be in contact to discuss logistics, assuming you've received a positive reply.
As with all date solicitations, be prepared for the possibility that the answer will be "no." Should this occur, handle it gracefully with a smile and a quick "thank you."

Things you should discuss with your date

Tickets - who will pay for them?
Seating - where will the two of you sit, with her friends or his friends?
Transportation - how will you get there? When and where will you meet up?
Dress - what will each of you be wearing (to avoid clashing and to help in purchasing corsages/bouttonieres)

How to Set Up a Friend as a Favor

If your friend asked for your help, ask him or her to list and prioritize the criteria for their date. Possible criteria include, but are not limited to the following:
- Dancing capabilities
- Height/Weight/Looks
- Conversational Skills
- Manners/Etiquette
- Financial Resources
- Alcohol Tolerance
- Criminal Background
Try to find an acquaintance who would most likely agree and who also satisfies the major criteria. If you cannot think of anyone, with your friend's permission, enlist the help of other friends and acquaintances. Utilize your network.
Casually ask the acquaintance if he or she is free on Saturday April 30th. Keep it simple.
- if he/she is free, ask whether he/she would be interested in attending Senior Ball with one of your friends.
- if he/she is not, start over.
If prompted for more information, just tell them the logistics - the time, place, logistics of getting to Senior Ball.
If prompted for more information about your friend, describe him her in one or two short sentences. Keep it simple. End with, "I think you both will have fun together."
If your proposal was rejected, say "thanks anyway" and continue onto another conversational topic
If he or she agrees to go on the set up, ask him or her what is the best way for your friend to contact him/her.
Give his or her contact information to your friend.
Have your friend personally ask him or her to Senior Ball and discuss more details about the logistics.

How to Set Up Two of Your Friends

First discuss this idea with other mutual friends, to make sure it is a reasonable set up.
Enlist their help.
First approach the more willing, or easily convinced, friend. Remind your friend that the formal is approaching and ask whether your friend has decide who he or she will take. Then casually mention your idea to the friend.
Then approach the second friend. Repeat step 3. Also casually mention that the other person is interested in this match.
When they both agree to be set up, inform your friends and exchange their contact information.
Then ask them to contact each other to work things out.

How to Avoid Being Set Up

Pick Up Lines for Nerds (from http://askthebeaver.blogspot.com/)

Hey, baby; wanna test the 'k' of my bedsprings?
Are you the square root of 2? Because I feel irrational when I am around you.
How can I know so many hundreds of digits of pi and not the digits of your phone #?
You are one well-defined function.
Hey, baby - wanna be sinusoidal functions? We could oscillate horizontally¡K
Want a hot Euler body massage?
Oman, I want Djibouti!
Hey baby, how about I tinker with your software while you turn on my hardware?"
Hey, you're O positive too? Guess you're my type!
Remember my species - you'll be classifying it later.
Why don't you come over later so you can balance my equation?
Asexual reproduction is for pansies.
Let's get together later to converge.
Hey, I'd like to sample your population.
I think I need to work on the structural formula of your fatty acid.
I'm just a cute piece of DNA who is still looking for that special transcription factor to help me unwind.
Hey baby, can I be your DNA helicase? 'Cause I can unzip your genes

~ Provided by the Class of 2005 Senior Ball Committee ~