School dances are a hit-or-miss topic for many. But every year they are straight-up dismissed too often. For some people, attending one is “lame” or a “waste of time.” Other people simply don’t know enough about these events or are intimidated by the many unspoken rules about them. So why should you go to a school dance?

The obvious answer is for the memories, but school dances are also about the experience. There can be joy found in the process of organizing a date or group to attend a dance with, arranging dinner and transportation, and making a whole slew of plans with your closest friends. Taking time to make plans results in a more rewarding and memorable experience. The dance itself is a unique event with similar effects to a pep rally or football game. At these events, a diverse group of students from different walks of life unite for a common purpose. At pep rallies, you (metaphorically) raise school spirit through the roof; at football games, whether you’re a player or some sort of observer, you channel all your energy into a win for the team; at a school dance, everyone is there to have a good time. To let go of judgment and have fun. These common purposes unite people who otherwise wouldn’t come together, which is where the true Trojan CommUNITY shines. The shared experience of a school dance connects individuals as a whole and creates memories that can’t be replicated.

Unnecessary stress may stop people from going to school dances, but what you do for a dance doesn’t have to look like what everyone else does. There’s no official dress code requirement for most school dances, so the only pressure to buy fancy and expensive clothes comes from social and peer pressure. There’s definitely no requirement to have an elaborate pre-dance dinner or post-dance party either, which means you don’t have to spend more money or energy than you need to. So what if you don’t have a date? You can go with a friend or group of friends, like I did for three homecomings straight, or you can rock it solo. Plus, not many people realize this, but you don’t actually have to dance; it’s perfectly normal at AHS to set up a wager-free poker or UNO table and play all night. In the end, if you try to replicate the “ideal” school dance experience, then you’re living somebody else’s experience instead of one that will mean something to you. Skip the unnecessary stress and experience the dance the way you want to.

Ultimately, you should do what makes you feel happy and comfortable. But your mindset plays a big part in how you enjoy things, so if you come into the dance with the notion that it’s a lame waste of time, you set yourself up for disappointment. Whether you dance or play poker the entire time, go with a date or a group of friends, or leave halfway through the dance to hang out with your dog for the rest of the night, the point is that you went. You created a shared memory with your peers and experienced the dance your way, and there are very few other events that could replace that.