In a recent opinion column published by The Daily Northwestern, Medill senior Sylvie Slotkin argues that traditional college senior trips to Las Vegas often fail to match personal expectations and can induce significant anxiety rather than joy. Writing about the planning and execution of the “NU Vegas Senior Trip 2026,” Slotkin details her transition from enthusiastic participant to reluctant traveler.
Anxiety Replaces Anticipation for the Las Vegas Trip
Slotkin writes that she eagerly joined a group chat for the “NU Vegas Senior Trip 2026” last year, recalling fond memories of a high school trip to The Bahamas. However, as the departure date approached, anticipation gave way to dread. She began waking up early to run 10-plus miles on Saturdays during the summer to cope with the mounting stress. Slotkin notes that she attempted to conceal her anxiety to avoid dampening her friends’ enthusiasm or worrying her parents, who funded the trip.
Comparisons to Times Square and Unmet Itinerary Desires
Upon arriving on the Las Vegas Strip, Slotkin writes that her nose was immediately bombarded by the M&M’S store, describing the area as feeling like “Times Square if Times Square got to be its own city.” As a New Yorker who actively avoids Times Square, she found the environment overwhelming. Slotkin adds that the activities she actually wanted to do—such as seeing RuPaul’s Drag Race LIVE! at the Flamingo Las Vegas—were absent from the trip’s itinerary.
Slotkin recognizes her tastes after Vegas trip fails to bring joy
Reflecting on the realities of a senior college trip to Las Vegas, Slotkin points out that the agenda revolves around dayclubs in resort wear and nightclubs, alongside taking numerous photographs. She questions the appeal of the trip, noting the misconception that wearing bathing suits would translate to actual swimming and tanning. Ultimately, Slotkin writes that she is giving herself grace to recognize her own tastes, concluding that the Vegas trip did not bring her joy, though she hopes to return eventually to see the drag queens.
Where was the column published and who wrote it?
Where was the opinion piece published?
The column was published in The Daily Northwestern, the independent student newspaper serving Northwestern University.
In Opinion: “Assuming everyone is obsessed with being cool, it’s so much cooler to be confident enough to look someone in the eye and ask them how they’ve been than to look at the ground,” writes Opinion Columnist Sylvie Slotkin. https://t.co/nupyOIflUZ
Who authored the column?
The piece was written by Sylvie Slotkin, a Medill senior and author of the publication “Communal Shower Thoughts.”
What specific show did the author wish to see in Las Vegas?
Slotkin noted in her column that she wanted to see RuPaul’s Drag Race LIVE! at the Flamingo Las Vegas, which was not included in the trip’s itinerary.
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