It’s a new school year full of fresh faces. You know what that means: new relationships will be popping up like wildflowers. All of the single kids are on the prowl, looking to get some “ring by spring” action.

For those of us that didn’t find our soul mates during Welcome Week (I’m talking to you, attached-at-the-hip, head-over-heels-in-love freshman couples), the angst that always seems to accompany the ever-important search for the love of your life is almost certain to bring disaster.

Here are some to-dos (and not-to-dos) to try and avoid total dating destruction. Boys, listen up. This is your all-access pass to getting the girl.

First off, confidence is key. We love a guy who has enough confidence in himself to approach us. If you believe in you, chances are, we’ll believe in you. So buck up, watch a few Vince Lombardi videos, play your favorite pump-up song and get out there. Throw a prayer up to the big guy and get to chatting with that special someone.

The first step is always the hardest, so don’t walk timidly. Leap, stomp, skip – do whatever you have to do, but do it with pizzazz.

I know that the university is very adamant in promoting the idea that our “middle name” is Christian. Gentlemen, this is not an invitation for you to use the classic youth camp pick up lines. Please do not ask me to give your rib back, don’t use the Old Testament as an excuse to get my digits and definitely don’t try and march around me with sounding trumpets to get me to fall for you. It may have worked on Brenda at the Bible Bowl, but we’re adults now. Class it up.

For that matter, most, if not all, pick up lines have lost their merits at this point in our lives. Rarely will you impress a girl with references to falling out of heaven, being an astronaut from “out of this world,” or the classic “on a scale of one to America, how free are you tonight?” Sure, these lines may make the ladies crack a smile and maybe even a slight chuckle, but it won’t win you the bacon. We’re looking for originality and charm. We want a man, not a class clown. So lose the red nose and the big bowling shoes.

That being said, everyone loves a funny guy. If you can make us laugh, you automatically gain points. A good sense of humor can easily turn a five into a seven. But there is a fine line between entertainingly witty and embarrassingly silly. Don’t be the guy who crosses that line. Ever.

Stick to the basics. Be charming and polite. Open doors for her. Take her out. If you can’t afford a dinner-and-a-movie-every-weekend lifestyle, get creative with your date ideas. Some of the best dates are often free. Engage her in meaningful conversation. This means talk about something other than video games and the Top 10 Plays on ESPN. Make her laugh. Give her compliments.

Above all, be real with her.

Go get ’em, Tiger.