As the fall season is kicking in, most students are wondering what they should dress up as for Halloween. Halloween is celebrated by millions of people around the word as an enjoyable time for kids to wear costumes, go to their neighbors to get free candy, watch scary movies, and listen to ghost stories. It is certainly a cheerful time for people to get together and share a common experience filled with fun, laughs, and excitement. Nevertheless, for college students, the Halloween experience can perhaps be different.
Since college students are older than the kids that usually trick or treat, how can they make the most out of the Halloween experience? How can they maintain the holiday’s importance? Students were posed these questions on campus and many of them came up with some interesting answers.
Sophomore marketing major Drew MacDonald believes he will never be too old for Halloween. “I think I am old to go around and trick- or- treat, but I am not old for Halloween itself. I love to see the reactions of kids when they get candy. It’s an amazing sight and I think that’s what makes Halloween so special,” MacDonald elaborated.
Kyle Nunn, freshman biology major, shared the idea that since he lives close to one of the most popular cities in the world, New York City, he enjoys dressing up and going out there to celebrate. “There are so many parties, events, and celebrations that happen all day and all night long in the city on Halloween,” Nunn declared. At the age of seventeen, he went out with his friend to the city for a Halloween parade. He enjoyed the food, music, and the atmosphere of the people. “Halloween is too fun for people to even think of it as boring because every year is different. You can change up who you want to be every year and it’s always fun,” Nunn said.
College students today do not normally think about getting candy anymore. However, they still explore ways to be creative by dressing up for Halloween and fulfilling the experience. Cindy Lugo, freshman undecided major, dressed up as a nerdy zombie last year. Since her sister is a makeup artist, she learned from her and the stages it took to create the final product of the zombie costume. “It was so much fun…Halloween is always exciting and I don’t think anyone can be too old to celebrate, you can always have fun regardless of age,” explained Lugo. She added that Halloween is a time for her to be expressive and learn from other people’s costume ideas.
Freshman communication major Asa Dugger said she enjoys dressing up and going on hayrides. As a young girl, she was never really allowed to trick-or-treat, but as she aged, she enjoys pumpkin-picking with her family and friends. While trick-or-treating is considered to be one of the main activities on Halloween, there are other activities students can engage in and still enjoy themselves.
Although the college level workload can bring a great deal of stress to students, being able to go out and have fun on Halloween can serve as a stress reliever. Dressing up on Halloween is an excellent way for people to escape from their daily responsibilities and become a character that has a different personality. Halloween is meant to be a fun day of celebration--who wouldn’t want to celebrate a holiday?
