I agree with what Virginia and LMA said - there's no one set of dating "rules". People have different expectations of how dates should progress and what to expect physically. I think it's based on local culture, family culture, religion, views on morality, and what people are looking for out of a date. Some people go on dates just to have a fun evening. Some people just want a one-night stand. Some people are specifically looking for a potential spouse. Some people are looking for a long-term relationship but don't want to get married.
My church offers guidelines on dating that I and many of my friends followed. That was the biggest influence on how I dated. I went to a church-owned college, too, so my friends and acquaintances there were more-or-less following the same guidelines. First off, a physical relationship is supposed to be pretty much restricted to kissing - everything more intimate is unacceptable until we're married. I know a lot of Americans don't share this belief these days, though. My church also suggests that we don't date until we are at least 16, and then pairing off as boyfriend/girlfriend is somewhat discouraged at that age. Once we are adults, we are encouraged to date with the goal of getting married. This was a bit stressful for many of my college friends because on the first date you knew that the guy was not just deciding whether he had a fun evening with you, he was already evaluating you as a potential wife (and vice versa). A lot of guys would ask the girl out for the following weekend at the end of the date, and if she turned him down, that was tantamount to saying that she had a lousy evening, even if she didn't.
I had a hard time going on dates with guys I didn't really know. I didn't get asked out much, but I find it difficult to get to know someone on a date. It was a lot easier for me to get to know someone in a more casual setting, then go out on a date when I already knew him. When my husband and I started dating, I had already known him for 12 years, and we had been good friends for about 5 years. We dated for about a year, and then he left the country for two years. I went on a few dates when he was gone, but no one really caught my interest. When he got back, we almost immediately got engaged, then married a few months later.
I think the bottom line is that everyone is different, and relationships progress generally at the rate that the people involved are comfortable with.
