Falling in love is obviously uncontrollable. As a Muslim, one should not expose himself to situations that may make himself fall in love with someone he does not expect to build a legal relation with.

Dating is not an Islamic term. Islam taught that building a family is a virtuous thing and suggested every Muslim to get married. Also, he suggested every Muslim to investigate the background of his/her wife/husband candidate.
Dating, in its modern sense, almost always involves the channeling of sexual lust for the opposite sex which is strictly forbidden in Islam before marriage. This is based on the fact that fornication as well as adultery are forbidden in Islam. Being alone with a member of the opposite sex exposes a person to commit forbidden acts. The Prophet mentioned in the Hadith that whenever a person being intimately in two with his/her unmarried couple, Satan will be the 3rd person accompanying and luring them into sex.

So, in Islam getting to know your opposite sex must be clean from any sexual plays and must be done with the clean purpose of finding a fitting wife/husband candidate.

Meetings must be for the sole purpose of showing interest in getting married and must be witnessed by a father, a brother or a close relative of the girl.
Allah knows best.