The typical reaction students have when they receive an acceptance letter from their dream college or university is to celebrate with friends and family. This concept is foreign to some, though, as they take their academic commitment to an extreme level.

“Bed parties” as they are called, feature an extravagant spread of clothing, food and other accessories, aligned with the school colors. In theory, a bed party allows the student to express their creative freedom and pride for their next alma mater.

To start, these bed parties are a complete waste of time for all of those involved. The same celebration could be accomplished at a dinner or a small gathering with friends and family. People have to go out of their way to stand by a bedside and have awkward encounters with the host. What is a guest of a bed partygoer supposed to do, stare at the host, and occasionally shoot a couple of pictures?

This trend is insensitive to say the least, failing to consider others who did not get accepted into their dream school. As you may be able to assume, bed parties are not cheap, pricing into the thousands. This may discourage students who cannot afford the same luxuries and celebrations.

The reflex for bed partiers is to post pictures all over social media, looking for likes and comments. According to the University of Pittsburg, students have found inspiration and frustration in the Tik Tok posts featuring bed parties. Seemingly harmless, the pictures come off more as a boast than celebratory.

Along with the lack of humility, bed parties are a complete waste of resources. How many sweatshirts do you need with your college logo on it? Not to mention, there is no way a tiny dorm room closet will be able to house the 30 sweatshirts on the bed. Also, who is going to eat the box of stale, college-themed donuts, or the gallon of colored M&M’s? Sure, everyone wants a sweatshirt or two representing their next four-year commitment, but do we really need to supersize it just so a bed is covered?

This is not meant to discredit students’ hard work and dedication to receive admission into their dream university. Students should be proud of their hard work and be excited about starting a new chapter of their lives. However, the gloating behavior that comes off from bed parties, is unwelcome and a bad look.

A welcome alternative is donating the amount of money that you would have spent on the bed party, to a charity nearest to your institution. That way, you are making a real-world impact instead of an artificial one on social media.