Opinion: Juniors Shouldn’t Be Able To Go To Prom

As a senior whose high school experience has been filled with ups and downs, it is all finally coming to an end, and with that end comes the ever so iconic, and just a little stressful, prom. Cue the fireworks, sparkles, streamers and sequin dresses, it is time. Prom is a time to celebrate the end of high school and to be with your whole grade one final time before graduation, which doesn’t make it a great place for juniors.

Now I’m not saying juniors and all other underclassmen should be banned from prom altogether, but prom should primarily be for seniors. Obviously, there should be exceptions. If a senior is dating a junior, they should be able to go to prom. If a junior is graduating early, they should also be able to go, but prom is not a celebration of juniors, it is a celebration for seniors and the end of high school.

I can only speak from experience or lack thereof, but I am so glad I did not go to prom during my junior year. I think it would’ve taken away from the experience I am going to have this year as a senior. Prom is the culmination of the American high school experience, and it just wouldn’t be as fun as a junior. Being around a bunch of seniors who were all done with high school while I had a year left didn’t seem like much of a celebration to me. As a junior, I wouldn’t have known many people at prom, but as a senior, I will. Having people there who I like and actually know seems like way more fun than being around a bunch of strangers.

As someone who only had two homecoming experiences because of COVID, one freshman year and one senior year, homecoming was considerably more fun as a freshman. The more you do something, the more boring it gets, and if I had gone to homecoming every year, it would’ve been very boring as a senior. With that same logic, does it not make sense to only go to prom once during senior year and have one incredible experience to remember high school by?

Some seniors spend months preparing for prom. People hire professional photographers, hire people to do their makeup and pay tons of money to get their clothes tailored for a once-in-a-lifetime event. How is it a once-in-a-lifetime event if I can go junior and senior year?

Prom is a hugely important event, and it should be for seniors only.