One of the reasons I suggest meeting your JDate matches right away is because you need to maintain some semblance of normalcy when it comes to conversation. Since you’ve divulged more information than you would typically about each other in your profiles, too much emailing and phone calling will only make your actual first date feel much more serious than it actually is. Stay within the parameters of the questions asked in the JDate profile so that your first date doesn’t feel (or proceed) more like a 3rd date — since it isn’t.

Instead, ask for details about the fill-in the blank questions and multiple choice questions — Why did you choose the university and the major you did? Why did you pick the career path you did and is it what you wanted to be when you were growing up? Where did you grow up and how did you pick where to settle down? Stick to the basics and censor yourself before divulging information that is, to put it bluntly, none of your date’s business — at least not yet. On the first few dates, regale your date with the funny, positive and interesting stories about yourself and leave the deeper, sad and bewildering stories for later on in the relationship. Hopefully you will be able to charm enough with the former to leave plenty of time for the latter.