Let’s be honest, we’ve almost all been there. More often than a lot of us would like to admit, our curiosity has led us to check out the new pool of potential partners through dating apps such as Tinder. Whether we’re looking for a genuine relationship or purely just for a little bit of fun, it can be a little nerve-wracking going to actually meet your potential boo. With all the talk about how dangerous meeting an online date could be, many of us are afraid of ending up on the end of some horror story. However, sometimes it’s worth it to take a little risk every once in a while. In any case, it’s important to be extremely cautious before agreeing to meet up, especially if it’s just to hook up. If you’re not sure if your Tinder hookup will end up as a beautiful fairy tale or a tragic horror story, here are some signs to keep in mind:

1. You’ve talked for a decent amount of time

We know, time says nothing when it comes to love. However, when it’s just a hook up with someone you don’t know a lot about, it’s important that you allow a sufficient amount of time to get to know a person before meeting up with them. You never want to agree to meet up after a three quick messages unless you personally know them or someone who knows them.

Whitney Le, a graduate from the University of Texas at Dallas, couldn’t agree more. “It’s easy to seem normal within the first few messages,” she says, “but after talking to them for a while you can pretty much tell if he’s creepy or cool.” Even if you don’t want anything serious and maybe you don’t even care where they’re working or where they go to school, it’s always important to make sure that this will be a safe encounter. Even a minimal amount of small talk can tell you a lot about the intentions of the person. After a few messages you can usually tell the creeps from the kings and queen.

2. They don’t seem reluctant on sharing personal information about themselves

One huge indicator that they’re not someone you should meet up with is if they’re reluctant on sharing personal information. Now we aren’t saying that you should be worried if he won’t tell you his deepest fears and desires, but if he won’t even share with you his first and last name, that may be a huge red flag. Although he or she may just want to hide using a dating app from his or her friends, he or she could also be hiding the presence of a significant other… or even a criminal record. Even though it’s usually not that serious, the person you’re agreeing to meet up with should at least respect you enough to tell you something about themselves.

Kaitlyn Tran, a freshman at Collin College, says that this is a bad sign. “Most of the time it’s easy to tell if they’re just embarrassed or just plain sketchy,” she says. “If he won’t even tell you his real name and has only one photo, don’t give him the time of day.” We couldn’t agree more. Nothing ever comes from secrets!

3. Your conversations flow naturally

Although it’s hard to see how well you may click with someone over text, it’s never a good sign when the conversation already seems forced. If some of the texts he sends seem to make you uncomfortable or uneasy, it’s never a good sign. A conversation over text isn’t everything, but you can tell a lot about how a person thinks by the way they text. If your conversations are always leading to a dead end or constant misunderstandings, there may be an issue.

Joel Hurtado, a senior at the University of Texas at Dallas says couldn’t agree more. “Even though I’m pretty bad at texting, it’s still pretty easy to tell if I will click with a person or not,” he says. “If I have to constantly stop to think what I should say to a person, it’s probably not gonna work.” Of course, people are different behind the phone screen than they are off it, but it’s important to remember that most of the time, they are less afraid to show who they are behind the screen. If it’s awkward when you text, it’s probably going to be even more awkward in person.

4. You have mutual friends

One of the sure-fire ways to tell if a person is safe is if they know people that you know. Even though this isn’t a requirement, it definitely helps. One of the best things about Tinder (unless you’re trying to hide from your friends is that since it is connected to Facebook, it allows you to see if this person knows some of the same people you do. Even if there are no direct connections, even a secondary connection could mean something. If your match is showing to have no connections whatsoever, it could be a little bit worrisome. Especially since it is mostly location-based, it’s usually pretty likely that they know someone you do. However, if they’re off the radar, that just means you should be extra cautious!

Sarah Lee*, a junior at University of Missouri, says having mutual friends helped calm her nerves. “After finding out that I had a couple friends who knew him, I was definitely a lot less reluctant on meeting him,” she says. “Even if I couldn’t tell if he was cool from talking to him, since I knew people who knew him, I knew the worst thing that could happen was an awkward encounter.” Let’s be real, awkward encounters are pretty bad, but it’s a lot better than a dangerous one!

5. They don’t seem too pushy about meeting you

This is one sign that a lot of people look over. Although it’s okay for someone to be eager to meet you, he or she should never be pushy about meeting you. It’s always a bad sign when they’re almost getting angry at your reluctance and constantly giving you excuses for it being okay. In the digital dating world, many people understand that most people are often unsure about meeting someone for the first time. This is something that your match should respect and understand.

Kelby Cole, a senior at the University of North Texas, says this is a huge red flag. “Your match should never guilt you into coming,” he says. “Although it’s nice for them to simply want you to come, it should never be an obligation.” If your match seems to constantly beg you to come over, it’s probably not a good idea.

6. You think it’s time for you to get out there

One of the best things about online dating is that it gives you a chance to get out there when you may otherwise not be able to. If you want to experience something new but don’t know where to find it, this is a great reason to go for that first date. A lot of times with balancing work and school, it’s hard to find a good pool of candidates. If you are open to trying new things, what better way to do so than through a dating app?

Neal Brooks* a junior at the University of Texas at San Antonio says this is huge time saver. “It’s hard to find new people to meet in college,” he says. “It’s hard not to come off as weird when you’re approaching someone in real life, but with a dating app you know that you’re both at least somewhat romantically interested.” This could is one huge reason why you should go on that tinder date. If your mindset is open to new people and new experiences, go for it!

7. You truly want to go

At the end of the day, it’s ultimately your choice. Sure, there are a lot of ways to make sure that your potential hookup isn’t a serial killer of some sort, but it’s also important to think about yourself. Deciding whether or not you should go is not solely based on the trustworthiness of the person you’re meeting but your personal desire to go. There’s never anything wrong with getting yourself to get out there and have a little fun if it’s something that you truly feel that you want to do.

Thalia Carrillo, a junior at the University of Texas at Austin, agrees that this is a huge factor. “I think so many people are so worried about the safety of the whole situation that they forget to think about what they want,” she says. “Although you should never let your desires cloud your judgment, if it’s something that you have a good feeling about and you want to do, why not?” We couldn’t agree more. With all the safety reasons aside, the truth is that most of the time people on these dating sites are just as normal as you are.

7 Signs You Should Go For That Tinder Hookup