Prom is one of the highlights of many high school students' high school experiences. What's not to love about being able to dress up in beautiful dresses and looking all snazzy taking cute and classy pics, and then dancing the night away with your friends?
There are a lot of differences between high school prom and Greek Formals. Greek formal is in college which is already a huge difference, but there are even more that make formals, well, much better than prom.
1. There's no pressure to have a date.
You want a date? Go ahead! You don't want one and would rather go with your friends? No problem! There's so much pressure to have a prom date and its almost seen as sad if you don't have one for prom, which is ridiculous because since when has anyone needed someone else to have a great time? For formal going with a date can be just as much fun as going with your best friends, and in my experience going with my best friend to my formal was better than a date any day!
2. You know the majority of who goes.
Formals are held by a fraternity or sorority and there's a good chance if you're going to a formal you'll know most if not all of everyone there. Maybe not the alumni that attend, but at least most of the actives. At prom literally anyone can be someone's date, people that don't even go to your school to that one kid that has apparently been in your grade for years but you have never seen them before in your life. This means...
3. There's no shortage of dance partners.
Formals are great because since you know everyone or the majority you'll always have someone to have a great time with and dance to Darude: Sandstorm and Party in the USA with. At prom most people stick to their groups of friends, but with formals you can go to anyone and have an amazing time.
4. There's alumni galore to meet.
You get to meet all of the sisters and brothers in your fam that have graduated and the opportunities for huge family pictures are numerous. It's always exciting to have older people there at formal to see what things were like years before you joined.
5. You can go year after year.
With prom you either need to be a junior or senior or someone's date. For formal you can just go with your friends in the organization or you can go even if you're not in Greek life and still have an amazing time, plus since formals are annual things you get to go to more than one during your college career and as an alum if you want to!
6. Formals go longer too.
Proms are typically from 7 to 11pm without any after-parties in the mix, while formals can go longer such as from 7pm to 12am. This is because there are some rituals that go along with formals that take some time and that needs to be accounted for.
7. There's no shortage of things to do after formal.
Want to go to a frat boy's after party? No sweat. Want to go to sleep 'cause you're exhausted and have work tomorrow? That's perfectly acceptable. Want to go to Taco Bell or Wendy's with your friends in your fancy clothes to keep the fun going? Hey, no judgement here. With formals there's a sense of freedom whereas with prom there's more of a need to have a set plan for after. Formals are much, much more flexible.
8. You can re-wear a dress or get a new one.
For prom, you need to make sure you don't have the same dress as someone else and there's a big fuss over making sure you look flawless for this one night. For formal, it's much more relaxed. You can re-wear the same dress you wore last year or pick something up at Charlotte Russe or use the amazing Macy's coupons to get a great deal on a pretty dress. Either way, whatever you choose is perfectly fine. You can even re-wear an old prom dress to formal!
9. There's typically a bar at the venue for all the 21+ attendees.
Obviously much better than prom.
10. You're spending your night with your brothers, sisters, friends, and the people who have quickly become your family.
Honestly I can't think of anyone better to spend a Saturday night with than some of the greatest people I've ever met.
