As senior Spring draws to an end and formal season begins, I find myself approaching my 13th and final Dartmouth formal unless you want to invite me to a 14th or 15th?! With so many formals, finding a proper date can be quite an adventure. Picking the perfect date is really an art form. Maybe you want a crazy-go-down-in-history night, or perhaps you have to take it easy before your midterm the next day (damn you, weekday formals).The Safe (best friend/not sexually interested/zero pressure) DateThis has always been the easiest option for me pathetic, I know. Once the post rush/sophomore year awe of formals wore off, I realized just how annoying it can be to find a real date if you're not seeing someone (you can define that on your own) in the one to two week pre-formal invitation period. You have to meet someone, get your sketch on, send awkward invitation blitzes (never in person), get set up with a rando, take things to the "next level" with they guy you may or may not be dating and the list goes on. Why bother wasting your time with boys when you can fetch a friend and ditch the drama. My favorite formal may have been sophomore Spring, when my date seemed to disappear for hours at Bates (may you rest in peace). We found each other later on the dance floor and after a quick stop in FoCo parted ways amicably upon arriving in Hanover.Personal record: 6The Blind DateIn the age of Facebook, actual blind dates are probably rare, but if you're looking for a non-safe date for a night of whimsical fun and a little mystery, try getting set up by a close friend with someone who you won't mind spending most of the night with. This is particularly fun when you have a larger group of three or four girls going with a group of guys who all know each other. It could be the start of something magical (Wedding bells? Dinner in Homeplate?), but if you and your date never quite hit it off, no big deal you both have other friends there to hang out with and can part ways when you step off the bus. Some friends and I tried this out sophomore Summer. There weren't any matches made in heaven, but it wasn't bad for a weeknight formal, after which I pulled an all-nighter writing a paper.Personal record: 1The BoyfriendGiven that I've never had a boyfriend at Dartmouth, I've never experienced this rare breed of formal date. These are the people who actually enjoy the sit down dinner that hiked the tickets up to $65 a pop. They've known who their date would be for entire term, thus bypassing any thoughts of the FoCo Challenge. They often attempt classier forms of dancing besides grinding or general aimless head nods and swaying. They could spend the 45-minute bus ride home making out, but they'd rather just fall asleep, heads on each others shoulders. Gross, right? I suppose the closest I got to a formal like this was a solid three years ago during my freshman year. We shuffled away to a field and did some stargazing. No, that's not a euphemism. We looked at the stars and contemplated our plans and dreams. Thinking back on that night now makes me want to vomit. Again, not a figurative statement literally, vomit. Talk about bad romance.Personal record: 0The Barely-know-you/Not-really-sure-what-we-are DateI've decided to combine these two types of dates into one, considering that the possible outcomes are basically the same. The barely-know-you date could really be any acquaintance you're not really friends with, someone from class or someone you met last night The not-really-sure-what-we-are date is someone you occasionally hang out/hook up with, but you're not quite dating and perhaps the outcome of formal could end things entirely or push you closer to dating territory.Personal record: 5The Winner-of-the-Food-Court-Challenge DateFreshmen take note. If you're not on a sweet sports team or other club that has its own "formals," you may have made it this far without having heard of this kind of date. In short, the FoCo challenge involves heading to Food Court in your dress and heels minutes before buses leave, and standing on a table to find a totally random date. I suggest planting a Safe Date in the crowd just in case things get awkward.Personal record: 0
After summarizing these different dates, I can't really decide which is the best, and given that I haven't invited anyone to my Spring formal yet, I've got 10 days to figure out which option it will be. I'll just tell myself the 13th time's a charm. Riiiiight.
