When you are a freshman in high school, it seems as if you have a lifetime to wait for senior year prom. You go to the high school before prom to take pictures with all of your friends, but unfortunately, you are not allowed to actually go.

As an underclassman, you and your friends talk about prom as if it is this “magical night”. Some girls even plan on losing their virginity on their senior prom night.

Most girls plan on spending $500 - $600 on their dress, $200 to get their hair and make-up done, $100 on their after-party plans. Some girls will spend more on their prom dress than my mom did on her wedding dress.

When they first announced the sale of tickets, I was eager to go to my senior prom. I had already been to three proms. Two at my high school and another at a high school nearby. The plan was that the boy I asked to formal was going to ask me to prom.

When I found out that that boy was going with another girl, I debated on finding a new date, but soon after I realized and decided that it really wasn’t worth it. I wasn’t that excited to go dance with kids I have danced with the last 13 years. I decided to save my money, buy myself a new purse, and spend the night in with my friends.

Now looking back, as a freshman in college, I have been to way better events than senior prom. Sorority and fraternity formals, concerts, charity benefits, even just nights out with my friends have all been better than any prom I went to. Events with alcohol, smart boys, and girls who aren’t crying in the bathroom over John from math class.

I watch my younger sister, who is a freshman in high school, prepare for her homecoming and winter formal, and I just laugh. Simply because that used to be me. I needed the perfect dress and spent so much time in advance preparing for these school dances.

So, to high school seniors, I can promise you that prom is not the most magical night of your life. Whether you decide to go or not, the decision will not affect you the rest of your life.