Has anyone checked out the dating scene in State College recently? It is non-existent, and whatever guys do exist out there do not know how to treat a lady. I just wonder , "Where in the world did guys around here ever learn how to pick up a girl?

This past year I turned 21 and have started to hit the bar scene. I am not out there looking for a date, but I am appalled at how guys go and approach girls. One of my personal favorites is, "It's my birthday. Can I have a hug?" Is that the only way guys can think of to try and get a cheap feel out of a girl?

Maybe it has been years since a girl touched you and so you have to resort to extremes. Whatever the reason, it's just pathetic.

Another great way to meet women is by using the patented catcall method of yelling at a girl from across a room. Wow, that really turns me on: I can't resist a male that yells at me from across a room and expects me to fall into his arms.

Hey guys, listen up! Didn't your mother ever teach you any manners? Perhaps these cheap lines and innuendoes will work on your everyday sorority girl, but there are a few real women out there who want to be treated with respect.

And just because a woman wants respect does not make her a feminazi. If your goal for the night is to meet a nice girl and potentially build a relationship from that meeting, then you may need to work on your approach.

First, come up to the female and asks her how her night is going. Then you try to make small talk about the bar or the music playing.

By this point you should be able to see whether or not the girl is receptive to the conversation.

If she is not just bow out and keep moving. Why prolong each other's agony?

If it seems that she is accepting of your conversation and is actually enjoying your small talk, then perhaps try to pay her a compliment, but not some cheesy line.

Such as, "Your legs must be tired because you've been running through my mind all night long." That is a huge mood killer.

Try something a little more smooth and simple: Tell her that you like her dress or maybe how nice her shoes look. Don't try to compare things to the colors of her eyes. It just comes off as phony, and you might be too drunk to actually get the color of her eyes right.

The next step to a well-moving conversation is to offer to buy the girl a drink. Ask her what she is drinking and offer to get her another. Do not, I repeat, do not just go up to the bar and buy her a shot of some concoction. The only impression that you will give her is that you are trying to get her drunk.

If she accepts your drink and the conversation is going well, perhaps you can try the dance floor. Only attempt this if you can dance and if you are sober enough to control your extremities. Bad dancing can be an immediate turn-off no matter how great the chitchat can be.

When the night is beginning to wind down and if the girl is actually still talking to you, then is when to make your move. If, and only if, major sexual vibes like rubbing and groping have taken place during your night together, only then do you ask to go home with her.

If you would like to keep the conversation going, then you can offer to walk her home or you could stroll down to the Diner for a late night snack and coffee to revive each other. If things have gone this well, then it is time to exchange the digits or plan to go out another time.

The major faux pas of the dating scene is to expect too much too soon. Do not think that because you bought a girl a drink that you deserve to have sex with her. A $3 beer does not entitle you to anything, so get that out of your head right now.

The other night I met a very nice guy who I will call "Mo." He knows how to treat a girl with respect.

He will attempt to bridge a conversation with a girl and then perhaps buy her a drink. If nothing comes of his efforts, it is no big deal and he goes on having a great time.

Not once in this whole time does the possibility of sex ever enter his mind. More guys need to take his lead. If you are destined to meet your soulmate out at a bar, the key is being respectful. There is no way that a girl is going to respond to a complete stranger with the stunning line, "Those pants would look great on my bedroom floor."