Prom. It's just a tiny little word that has come to mean so much. Just looking at it without knowing what it is you might brush it off as you do so many other everyday words. However, in my junior year I have come to learn that to some people prom means everything.

Now, prom season is technically from the end of April, when the early ones begin, to around mid-May, when the final schools (like Uni) cram theirs in. For most girls, though, prom starts about two months, if not more, ahead of prom. The hardcore fanatics just book appointments and mark their calendars on the first day of school.

There are so many aspects of prom to consider (and at this point I am going to veer completely off the gender-neutral theme because I have never been a guy taking a girl to prom). For girls, the day begins somewhere around noon, when you shower or get the fundamental things that you do everyday out of the way.

Then the real preparations begin: hair, nails, makeup. No matter whether you get them done professionally or stick to DIY, it's going to take awhile to get these things done. At that point (if you're lucky) you have around an hour to pick up the boutonniere, squeeze into your most-likely-uncomfortable dress, and jam your feet into heels that you will probably take off as soon as you step on the dance floor.

That's not even everything. Chances are you will want to take pictures in a huge group with your friends (if it's your prom) to remember this marvelous experience. You have to come up with a time and place to meet, and make sure that everyone and their dates and parents are OK with the arrangements.

Then comes dinner. If you're lucky, one of your friends planned it. If you're unlucky, you have the responsibility of choosing a place within everyone's price range and tastes, and making sure that everyone coming has someone to talk to if their date is preoccupied.

After a dinner that cost more than you probably wanted it to, you can finally head to the actual dance. Often times, the dance is just a dance. People dance awkwardly (for them or for you depending on the couple) at times, and you're guaranteed to get a few songs that don't suit your tastes.

But that doesn't stop people from shaking what they've got whether it's to the beat or not, and soon the girls, most of whom will have a slightly diminished height due to their discarded heels, swarm the dance floor with or without their dates.

The music continues well past everyone's bedtime, at which point everyone is usually ushered to a brighter, quieter, though more active post-prom. However, because Uni is apparently boycotting this part of the tradition, I will skip over post-prom and just say that I'm a little disappointed, because of the proms I have gone to, post-prom was the most fun part.

This year, it's up to you to find your own fun to keep you awake well past the usual hour. At the risk of sounding like a PSA or some other boring thing that everyone plasters on a fake smile and agrees with in front of adults, please try to limit activities that you wouldn't do normally and are using prom as an excuse for.

If you do drugs, drink, and have sex on a regular basis, that is up to you. But all the romanticism has fled from the idea that prom is the ideal time to "do it." Now it's just tacky. I'm not going to say that everyone has to be abstinent forever, because that's a personal choice, but consider the fact that doing it on prom night is the biggest cliché out there. Next time someone tells you to have a safe prom, actually consider not going back on the automatic promise that you make to do so.

Basically, prom is a big event. There is a lot of hype, and everyone talks about it and almost everyone who can go does. But when it boils down to it, it's a dinner, some dancing, and a lot of hanging out with your friends.

Sure it's all in amazing dresses and everyone looks gorgeous, but it is just another night of your life. Make it special and memorable (otherwise why did you pay all that money?), but make sure that your date knows what you want the night to be about. Enjoy your night, and when I say have a safe prom don't swear you will just to make me happy. So …

Have a safe prom, guys.