Once January of your junior year rolls around, it’s time to start planning. Sure, some may say that four months in advance is a bit early, but you really can’t be too careful when it comes to prom dates. The moment the first juniors pair up, the race is on. What some have dubbed the ‘snowball effect’, the prom date frenzy is a source of stress for many juniors.

The benefits of choosing a date early are endless, but the most blinding of these is the fact that you can stop worrying about it and move on to stressing out about the other hectic details, like the after party. Throughout junior year, you need to keep potential dates on your radar. Every junior girls’ nightmare is that prom rolls around and she is the only date-less person left in her group.

The popular Disney film Prom brings this fear to life best as the main character, Nova,  is scrambling to find a date up until the last minute, and she’s not the only one. A supporting character, Lloyd,  is left with no choice but to go with his sister. Although some people may be interested in the idea of taking a sibling to prom, most people would rather go with a fellow student or friend. If you relate more with the latter, than you’d better get a move on it and start asking.

An underrated yet equally important benefit to asking early is that you can plan your outfits and color coordinate. Boys can opt to wear a tie or bow-tie that matches the dress color of their date, which will make for a much more aesthetically appealing look. Along with coordinating colors, you and your date can plan out matching corsages. The corsage usually flies under the radar, but can really make  a difference for your look, especially when it matches your date’s.

Prom is one of those nights that is hyped up by pop-culture and if you’re expecting a magical night, you’ll probably be disappointed. Let’s face it, girls can tell their hairdressers what they want and bring in pictures, but their hair is never going to be perfect. Guys can stress over the tie/bow-tie choice but it probably won’t make too big of a difference. One of the few things you can actually control is your date. If you let too much time go by, you’re only setting yourself up for failure and adding even more stress to an already detail-oriented night.