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Talking to women can feel intimidating. Fortunately, RIT students are known for their confidence, charisma and deep understanding of social nuance. In order to help out those who do not have these skills, we asked around campus for the best advice on how to talk to women. From there, we narrowed it down to the top 8 best tips.

1. Keep it casual! – “You don’t want to look like you tried,” said one student outside of Golisano. “If you shower right before, it seems planned and creepy.” Another added, “Mystery is vital, you should smell like you’ve been working on something important. It builds an aura.”
2. Open strong! – “It’s a matter of systems thinking. I usually start with ‘What’s your major?’” said a second-year who described himself as “emotionally available during co-op season.” “If she says something I don’t understand, that’s kind of on her.” 
3. Choose the right platform! – While some universities rely on outdated systems like phone numbers or Instagram, many students here prefer something much less antiquated. “I just ask for her Discord,” one third-year student explained. “Either that or if I really like her, I’ll ask her to connect on LinkedIn. It’s more professional.”
4. Talk about your work! “I love to subtly mention my co-op experience or side projects. Not to brag, but it really shows that… Oh shit, I gotta go,” said one third-year student before sprinting to their bus leaving 5 minutes before the scheduled departure. While they didn’t finish their sentence, we advise that you do not mention your work if you work for a defense contractor or the government. Just saying.
5. Keep the conversation going! – “If there’s a lull, I start talking about Claude Opus and how AI is redefining computer science as we know it,” said one CSH member who has insisted this has “almost worked.”
6. Maintain eye contact! – “Eye contact is intense, but it asserts yourself and shows that you’re paying attention and an active listener,” said a second-year student who described himself as a “people watcher”. “Even when walking away, I keep looking, it’s about presence, endurance and creating a lasting impression.”
7. Keep your opinions firm and quantifiable! – Everybody knows that when working on your resume, you want to make things as quantifiable as possible. This tip also applies to women! According to a third-year cybersecurity major, “If she likes an album, I’ll pull up an Anthony Fantano review of it and explain to her why it’s good or not. For good measure, I show album of the year ratings as well.” When asked why he would invalidate their opinions, he simply explained, “It’s not criticism, it’s a learning opportunity.”
8. Give them your resume! – On the note of making things quantifiable, always hand a woman your resume! “It’s more efficient than talking about yourself over and over again,” said one student interviewed on the way back from the Career Fair. They noted that they had little success with recruiters, but it “totally worked, I swear” for women.

Despite the overwhelming confidence behind these strategies, a small but growing group of students report success using an alternative method: asking questions, actively listening, and not putting women on a pedestal. However, this approach remains controversial.