By Emma Grossman

Prom: the bane of every high schooler’s existence. While some may dream about their prom night all their lives, others simply cringe at the thought: elaborate dresses, fancy tuxedos, and don’t forget the added stress of finding a date…it’s quite easy to see why teenagers would be extremely nervous about the most monumental night of their high school careers.

Normally, prom tends to be in the middle or end of May. However, this year it on April 29, creating even more angst for the junior class. Even though it is only the middle of January now, many junior girls have already begun looking for and even purchasing dresses for the big night. Prom, although it is considered to be worthwhile, takes a huge toll on one’s wallet; dresses alone can range from $150 to over $700, plus the cost of the rented tuxedo for the boys. Then there is the hair, makeup and nail appointments for the girls, as well. And don’t forget the tickets, which in years past have ranged from around $50 to $80 a piece. When you add it all up, prom is  a pretty costly event, but in the end it is supposed to be one of the best times you’ll have in high school.

Although it is said to be one of the most fun nights while you’re actually at the prom, the months of anxiousness and worry beforehand make it seem otherwise. The main cause of all this angst: finding a date. Now let’s say you have a boyfriend or girlfriend, your life was just made 100 times easier, considering they will be attending prom with you. For those who do not have a significant other, prom becomes much more stressful. Even now, people are running around trying to find out who is going to ask who and if they’ll say yes or not. My personal opinion? Slow down. Yes, we do have an early prom this year and yes, I know everyone wants to make sure they get the perfect “promposal”, but that doesn’t mean everyone needs to start freaking out about it now. We still have a few months to go, so just simply remain calm and maybe think more about it when the time is right in a month or so.

All in all, prom is supposedly a great time, but all the worrying and nervousness leading up to it just isn’t worth it to me. When it comes down to it, all the time we spent stressing over it won’t even matter in a year or two. So just relax for now, we have plenty of better things to worry about than prom at this moment.