The glitz, the glamour, the… Great China Buffet? All of these items are synonymous with prom night, despite whatever stereotypes come to mind: big poofy dresses and the ritzy dinners. Although seventy-plus couples went to prom, that leaves quite a few upperclassmen and nearly all of the underclassmen who didn’t go. Instead of a night filled by loud music and dancing with buddies some students opted to skip prom and spend time with friends in a different way, whether it’s because they lacked a date or the desire to attend.

Many decided to attend grand march to see their friends, all gussied up, promenade down the stage and get pictures with them. Others leaned towards a quiet night at home with Netflix, video games, and even homework. A few decided to go out and do something fun, and most likely cheaper, with their friends who didn’t attend either.

Sydney Erhardt and Josh Siebenaler decided to go out for dinner, rather than spending an exorbitant amount of money on a dress, matching suit, and tickets. They went to see the play “Crimes of the Heart” at the Guthrie Theater, and according to the two, “The dinner was deliciously casual Italian and the play was brilliantly true to life in a small town. It was still a wonderful night.”

A couple of my friends and I decided to get together for a girls night as a prom alternative. We decided to go to the chinese buffet and eat it’s delicious offerings without worrying about fitting into prom dresses. Afterward we headed back to one of our houses and instituted a Disney movie night- complete with loud sing alongs, giving ourselves badly-done makeovers and staying awake until the very early hours of the morning.

So attending the dance isn’t the only choice come prom night, there are a lot of alternatives that are just as fun, and much cheaper. There isn’t a need to drop loads of cash on one night, nor is it necessary to go to grand march with someone you’ve spoken a couple of sentences with just so you have a date. The world is full of choices, prom only being one of them, and some are more difficult to make than others- like whether to have kung pao chicken or lo mein (the answer is both, it’s always both).