As many York students know, this Saturday the 23rd is the homecoming dance. Talk of attire, pictures, and preparations seem to overwhelm conversation. Due to this there has been little discussion on a topic of controversy, “To go with a date, or not to go with a date?”.  For a majority of students, the dance is the only large social get together that they can experience through school. Given that it is such a big night for many, getting it right is something of importance, which causes students to question who they want to be spending their time with.

Carley Schwartz, a Sophomore at York, believes that going with a date can be restricting.

“It sucks to go with a date because you can’t really dance with other people,” Schwartz said. “Unless you only want to dance the whole time with your date, going with them can be an uncomfortable experience.”

To have to stay with one person the whole time means that you will miss out on dancing with your other girl or guy friends. This can ruin the “vibe” of homecoming, given that you don’t want to do anything to make your escort feel poorly. Instead of dancing with all the people around you, your partner can cause you to overthink how their night is going, instead of yours.

On the other hand going with a date can be important for certain relationships. Junior Brian Kunst, says that going without a date is perfectly acceptable, but so is going without.

“Going with a date can strengthen your relationship, and that’s a beautiful thing,” said Kunst. “Having a shared experience with you and your date can create something special, and make memories that you would have been unable to make without them.”

For students that are dating, or are “together” homecoming night can become a different kind of event. Instead of having it be a large get together with thousands of teens at York, it becomes a special experience that is shared between the two individuals.

This can also be a fuel for dramatics. For almost every situation, there is a grey area. If one person thinks that it is going to be a night simply meant for themselves and the other person, but their date believes it is going to be shared with friends, there can be some confusion. Freshman Megan Juneman, believes that correspondence with your date it vital.

“Going with a date can be fun, but you have to be able to communicate with the person,” said Juneman. “If you don’t that can create problems or be awkward.”

If the choice to go with a date is made, making sure that the person is someone you are comfortable clarifying things with, or that you want to stay with the whole night over your friends.

Having a date can also affect more than just the couple. Caroline Noonan, Sophomore, indicated that tension arises when some friends go without a date, and others don’t.

“Most girls in my group don’t have dates,” Noonan said, “so it would be weird if I did.”

This funnels into other possible problems. The decision to stay with the group, or your partner? To take pictures with the group, or your date? This leads to more than just problems with your date, but problems with your friend group too.

It also seems that going with someone else can be more for a status boost, then the actual event. Liam Parpan, Junior, talks about how to go with a date for girls and guys is different.

“If you are a girl it is more fun to go without, so you can dance with your other guy friends and not have to worry about it,” said Parpan. “If you are a guy it is more fun to go with, because you get to show off the fact that you have a date!”

For the most part, it seems to come down to what the majority is doing (similar to most experiences in high school). If your friends aren’t going with dates, then it would be advised to not go with a date. If your friends all have date, it’s suggested to go with a date. In the end, your choice is based on whether or not you want to remember the night as an occasion with another individual, or all of your friends.

In the wise words of previously interviewed, Caroline Noonan, “My friends are way more fun than any date I would get.”