The homecoming dance is a few days away, but students have prepared for Saturday, Oct. 14 for months. Planning hair appointments, ordering dresses and organizing a mini army of friends is a stressful and anxiety-ridden process for students rushing to make the perfect homecoming plans.

Why does homecoming need to be this stressful? It’s only one night that comes around once a year. The point is to have fun and hang out with friends. But expectations make this event unnecessarily dramatic for the student body. Everyone wants to have a flawless night that fits the quintessential  high school experience. Putting less pressure on having the perfect, seamless night would allow students to actually enjoy homecoming.

But as planning for homecoming progresses, one issue becomes clear: high costs. In addition to paying for the football game, dance, clothes and hair or nail appointments, many students also feel pressured to pay for elaborate group activities. Large groups often splurge on expensive meals and transportation like party buses or limos. There is constant pressure for students to pay these high fees to fit in; if they don’t, they’ll be excluded from their group.

Panicked students also scramble to create groups that include friends and dates while still maintaining the optimal  size. This leads to some students without plans feeling excluded during homecoming. Even finding a date becomes stressful because of the expectations of a homecoming ask. Some people think it’s necessary to have an elaborate and public ask, and many do, making those who want to ask dates privately seem timid.

Homecoming is also used as an opportunity for a perfect photo; students overwhelm social media platforms with photos of dates and friends. This makes those who choose not to go feel left out. The pressure to take the perfect photo and share it with friends fosters jealousy and a culture of exclusion.

While students may experience this same stress during prom, it’s an event that students attend only once in four years and is the culmination of their high school experience. Homecoming should be more relaxed and about having fun, rather than stressing about details.

So much unnecessary stress and planning consumes students during the fall semester. While a night out with friends can be fun, high schoolers need to put less pressure on having the perceived ideal night.