Little bit of background. I am 37 and recently moved to a secluded town in the lower midwest in order to go back to school get two degrees and not have to be a truck driver anymore.

I have been out of the dating game for quite sometime. I have always been about serious relationships (but always get burned in the longrun). Getting to the point where I am shedding off some of the old me (notions about romance, courtship, etc) and more and more getting into the notion of just being casual, having fun, and meeting new people.

There is a woman I go to class with (this is not a specific thing as much as it is background) that I just cannot stop looking at. I'd guess 22-23. Over the semester being classmates turned into acquaintances, and then studygroup (with one other girl). I have not been eager to relay my interest in her due to a couple things....

First, am I making to much of the age gap? Yes, she is in college, able to make her own decisions, etc. But I have never been the kind of guy that looked for girls way younger than himself

Second, as out of the dating scene as I have been (and what I do know is based on women my own age (or a tad older) it seems that there are a multitude of signs, indication, and body language that is much different than it was 15-20 years ago. I am not at all afraid of rejection, but in a town this small, it would be VERY EASY to ask out 3-4 girls at this university and automatically get a reputation for being "the old guy asking out college girls"....

So what are some of your thoughts?