It’s time: the best holiday of the year. To me, there’s nothing more fun than dressing up in costume and trying to be someone else for a little while. 

I have countless treasured memories of finding the perfect costume and spending nights with my friends, eating candy and hanging out. But there was always one thing that bothered me in these social gatherings, no matter my age: the quality of each person’s Halloween costume. 

Picking the correct Halloween costume is a very specific and precise process. You want the outfit you wear to be topical, but not so topical that it won’t age well by the time you look at a picture and ask yourself, “What even is that?” 

What works? Many things, but it’s up to personal preference. Obviously, there are some that will never die: Harley Quinns, Scooby Doo characters, and array of super heroes will always be a costuming mainstay for the time being. And for those of us considering outfits not in dress code, there are certainly some other famous options. (Have fun in college, I guess!) 

What also works are your classic horror movie monsters: Dracula, Frankenstein, Michael Myers, and Freddy Kreuger. They are “spooky” and somewhat well-known enough that you won’t have to constantly explain who you are. 

Here are some other more specific ideas for those of you who need inspiration: 

1. Mr. Worldwide (a.k.a. Pitbull): Whether or not you are doing a costume individually or as a group, dressing up as Pitbull will always be iconic and simple—all you need is a bald cap, facial hair, sunglasses, and academic dress. 

2. Top Gun: As perfectly displayed by Hill’s new faculty members, Top Gun costumes will steal the show.  Not to mention, this is perfect for a group or individual! 

3. Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker: Dress up as the most iconic duo of all time from the Rush Hour movie franchise.  And if you haven’t watched it yet, it’s on Netflix.

4. Tinkerbell Fairies: For an easy and cute costume for you and your friends, dress up as the Tinkerbell fairies: Tinkerbell, Rosetta, Silvermest, Vidia, and Iridessa.  

5. Founding Fathers: Look great strutting your stuff to class dressed up as your favorite founding father.  Personally, I’ll be going as Benjamin Franklin.  Who doesn’t love a good bifocal? 

My advice? Pick something that you can look back on positively. You want to look at a picture of your costume and go, “I was cool.” 

Now, I’m not entirely sure what our costumes will be like this year. I can guarantee at least a dozen animated movie characters and quite a few modern references I won’t understand. More than anything, have fun with it.