So, the summer is over and term time begins again. For some of you that means the last year before GCSE exams, for the rest of you it probably means the run up to A2 exams and the rollercoaster ride of deciding what happens after school.
It's also time to decide if you want to be on the prom committee. Over the next couple of weeks, school assemblies up and down the country will be announcing calls for prom committee volunteers, and you might be tempted.
What's the big deal? Prom planning is easy, right?
Planning a prom is hard work. Trust me. It really is; I've met prom committee members who are simply exhausted by the end of it all. They're often thrilled with the results, but exhausted nonetheless. I've sat in on chaotic prom committee meetings with arguments flying back and forth, and people throwing their hands up in the air, ready to quit then and there.
This isn't something that you should walk into blindly.
Yes, it's a lot of fun too. And prom committee members have the chance to really shape something big – to put their stamp on a school prom that will be photographed and set forever in a school's history. But committee members do put a lot of time and effort into it.
Do you have what it takes to be on the prom committee?
There are three main qualities that every person who wants to be on a prom committee should have – everything else (like great poster design skills for example) is a bonus.
Do you have the time?
Lots of people who volunteer for prom committees, also tend to volunteer for other things too. They're nice like that. Look at your schedule carefully. What other clubs, societies and crazy schemes are you involved in? Have you accounted for the increased workload of an exam year? Do you really have the time to devote to prom planning?
Are you reliable?
When you say you'll do something, do you? There's no place for people who can't follow-up on tasks that they have responsibility for on the prom committee. Even if you are fabulous in every other way, if you don't deliver the goods when it counts, it's no use to anyone.
Can you maintain a long-term commitment?
I'm not talking about marriage here, but planning a prom takes months and months of meetings, work between meetings and loads of decisions. Do you lose interest in things easily? If so, you might just want to think twice before committing.
At the end of the day it's up to you. Feel free to ignore everything I've said here. I don't want to put people off at all – being a prom committee member is hugely exciting and satisfying – and a great thing to put on university and job applications.
Just remember that there is a hint in the word ‘committee' – it takes commitment, can you handle that?
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