One of the most fun, stressful, and possibly expensive parts of senior year is graduation parties. As the spring is almost fully here, seniors, including me, are starting to finalize ideas and lists for their parties. Although grad parties can be really fun- getting to see all the people that support you- they can be tiring and overwhelming at times. Even for me last year, getting invited to a few parties and trying to fit them in with my schedule was tough. That’s why some seniors choose not to have parties and do something different.

As I thought about what I want to do for my graduation celebration, I weighed the pros and cons of having a party. Some of the pros included getting to see previous graduates of BSM that I haven’t seen in a year or so. Also, picking out the food, decorations, and setting all of it up seemed like something fun to me. Just deciding to have a party is not the stopping point. You have to choose how you want to invite people. I feel like the majority of people choose to do an ‘open house’ where anyone can come within a given time frame. I always felt like that was too much for me.

There are some students I know who chose not to have a party, but instead went on a vacation. Some people were also given the money it would have cost to run the party and saved it. Both options seem enticing, but as I really thought hard about it, I decided to create a list of friends, coaches, and family that I wanted to invite. For me, this eliminated the cons of grad parties, such as not knowing how many people will show up (potentially people you don’t even know), and finding a venue that will cater to the party well. Also, having to say hello and talk with so many people can get exhausting, and I want to keep it simple.

Grad parties are a great way to get together with people who support you and want to celebrate the accomplishments you have made. That’s why I think the best option, at least for me, is to create a list of people myself, with people I know well. I am super excited to be able to pick the food I want and just have a good time with the people who made my high school experience.