Never call first. Never go Dutch on a date. Never tell him what to do and, by all means, never ask him to dance.Those are four of the 35 rules women must follow ‘ if they take to heart the advice of the authors of The New York Times bestseller, ‘The Rules,’ a book of 35 guidelines designed to help women get husbands in the 1990s.For a woman who wants to snag that special fellow with hopes of someday sporting a sparkling diamond, there is specific protocol she must follow, and, according to ‘The Rules’ authors Ellen Fein and Sherrie Schneider, her first step should be buying their book.Once she has ‘The Rules’ in her possession, her next move should be drawing a warm bubble bath, giving herself a manicure and committing all of the rules to memory as quickly as possible, Fein and Schneider write.OK, the book is selling like hotcakes, the authors have shown up on every talk show except Charlie Rose, but is anyone actually buying their message?Though there has been no scientific poll to discover the answer to that question, several Ohio State students say they find the book a bit silly.Kristi Willis, a junior majoring in political science, is definitely not a ‘Rules girl.”I called my boyfriend first,’ she bragged, rather than waiting for him to call her about their first date.She wonders whether or not they would have started dating if she hadn’t taken the initiative.Matt Geib, a freshman from Baltimore, Ohio, does follow one rule. ‘I do most of the calling,’ he said. ‘But it might be nice for her to call me first.’What about the rule that advises a woman to maintain an air of mystery ‘ never tell a man if she plans to spend a Friday evening alone with a good book, for example, and let the answering machine pick up any phone calls.’I think it’s silly,’ Willis said. ‘If you pretend to be someone you’re not, you won’t know if he loves the real you.”I don’t see the advantage to keeping your true self hidden,’ Geib said. If a woman acts too mysterious, she may send the message that she’s simply not interested, he said.Rule #12: ‘Stop Dating Him if He Doesn’t Buy You a Romantic Gift for Your Birthday or Valentine’s Day.’ is based on the authors’ ‘time-tested’ theory that if a man gives a woman something like blue jeans or a computer, ‘he is not in love with you.’ In that case, they say, the chances of getting ‘the most important gift of all’ are slim to none.What, pray tell, is the ultimate gift? Why an engagement ring, naturally, the authors say. Based on the premise that women should avoid taking the lead, trusting instead, ‘in the natural order of things,’ namely, ‘that man pursues woman,’ ‘The Rules’ promises that, with practice, a woman will find ‘happily ever after.”My problem is not with the rules themselves, although they are silly and old-fashioned, but rather with the idea that dating is like a science, and that men and women are predictable and reducible to formulas,’ said Jenrose Fitzgerald, a graduate student majoring in women’s studies. ‘There is no accounting for individuality or diversity. It’s fluff.’Perhaps the most important rule is #20: Hide this book when a man visits.