It’s October, which means one of a college student’s greatest struggles is on the horizon: choosing a Halloween costume.
For some, Halloween, or, Halloweekend, if you will, just means throwing on something from your closet and hoping people don’t ask what your costume is. For others, it means a chance to put together an elaborate costume you’ve been planning all year, maybe even multiple.
But never fear – if you’ve started wrestling with ideas of what to dress as this year but can’t seem to find the right one, I’m here to give you some options. Based on your academic college at WKU, of course.
Gordon Ford College of Business
To start off, I’m going to say one thing to the business majors: please don’t go as Patrick Bateman again this year. I understand you already have the suit, but I promise there are some other options.
Of course, if you haven’t starred in “American Psycho” for Halloween yet, feel free. It seems like a rite of passage for GFCB students.
On the topic of costumes that involve a suit, you could still do something from a movie. Men in Black, Pulp Fiction, Clark Kent, and with a little makeup, Jigsaw. If you’re wanting something more generic, that’s even easier. Go as a business person on Wall Street, a 1920s gangster or talk show host. If you’re into the music scene, I’d love to see someone as The Dare, just grab your suit and some sunglasses.
Economics and accounting majors, I’m asking you to step away from the Excel sheet. And then become the Excel sheet. Wear green and white, hold a floating formula box and call it night. Or grab three other friends and go as the whole Microsoft Office suite.
Okay, I understand that may be connecting your major to a costume a little too literally, so here are some other ideas. Get away from work and go as a cheesy tourist on vacation – a floral button up, a swimsuit, a big hat, a fanny pack, go the extra mile with a fake sunburn. Go as Barbara, Adam or Lydia from “Beetlejuice,” with a suited-up GFCB friend going as Beetlejuice himself.
Ogden College of Science and Engineering
Costumes for this college can be super easy or kind of complicated, and I’ll give you some choices for both.
On one hand, you’ve got pre-professional students who are probably too stressed to put together a costume that’s more than what they already have in their closet. I get it — but these costumes can be creative, too!
Put together the best decades-themed outfit you can come up with. 1950s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s and Y2K are all easily attainable by looking at some references and seeing if they match what you have. If you have time to get more specific, go as a character from “The Outsiders” for the 50s, a “Stranger Things” kid for the 80s or someone from “Mean Girls” for the 2000s.
Thinking about what you have on hand, STEM majors could break out the required lab coat and goggles this Halloween. Go with the classic mad scientist costume or even Frankenstein himself (the doctor, not the monster). Grab some yellow gloves and go as Doc Brown from “Back to the Future,” even pair up with an 80s-themed pre-professional friend.
If you want to be something strictly science-y, I’d love to see a group of four as the DNA base pairs – wear a specific color with a letter on your shirt (A, T, C, G), hold hands with the right person and you’re all set. Get a group of five together, some white t-shirts, pipe cleaners, hot glue and determination, and you could be the five stages of mitosis.
For engineering and applied sciences majors, I know you’re itching to build something for your costume. Get an astronaut costume and grab a rocket you made yourself. Get together with some friends and use cardboard boxes to become Tetris blocks. If you’re feeling especially creative, add a light up or moving part to any outfit.
College of Education and Behavioral Sciences
The soon-to-be teachers in this college need to prepare for a future of Homecoming spirit days and other dress-up events, especially elementary ed. Halloween is a perfect time for this.
My immediate thought for the education majors were costumes based on the children’s book characters we grew up loving. With a yellow shirt, blue pants and some cat ears, you could be Pete the Cat. Change that to a blue shirt or rain coat, yellow pants and add a red hat, and you’re Paddington. Put on a couple chunky necklaces, a dress and tease your hair, and you’re Fancy Nancy.
Of course, there’s always everyone’s favorite fictional teachers to dress as, too. Miss Frizzle from “The Magic School Bus,” Miss Honey from “Matilda” or any of the “Harry Potter” professors are some of your options.
For psychology majors, I sense some opportunities for horror or thriller movie costumes that are sure to leave people thinking. There’s the classics: Jason from “Friday the 13th,” Leatherface from “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” or Hannibal Lector from “Silence of the Lambs.” For a more modern take, go as Florence Pugh’s character in “Midsommar,” Amy Dunne from “Gone Girl” or, what I’m sure will be a popular one, Nicholas Cage’s villain in “Longlegs.”
If you’re in military science or the ROTC and you can fit a Halloween party into your schedule, some great options for you are Captain America, in his military or superhero uniform, Uncle Sam himself, Lara Croft from “Tomb Raider” or a funny group costume with your cohort, such as everyone as a Gatorade bottle.
College of Health and Human Services
For the college with a lot of different majors, it’s only right that they get a variety of costumes.
As a nursing or dental hygiene student, you do already have a built-in costume with your scrubs, where you could dress as your favorite fictional doctor in “Grey’s Anatomy.” If you’re tired of your daily work outfit, however, I can see you going with a simple but effective group costume: Crayola crayons, M&Ms or the Spice Girls.
The fashion merchandising majors probably already have their sewing machine ready to make their own custom costume. From this group, I’d love to see something niche or elaborate. Look camp right in the eye and pull out a Met Gala outfit, create your own Disney princess dress or grab a sword and fit into the “Lord of the Rings” universe.
If you’re in exercise science or sports management, go ahead and pull out your favorite athlete’s jersey, I know you have it. Paired with any piece of sporting equipment, this makes for a super easy costume. If you want to go to the next level, honor this year’s Olympics and go as an famous Olympian – the cool Turkish air pistol shooter, the Australian breakdancer Raygun or Stephen Nederoscik, America’s pommelhorse sweetheart.
While I know my hospitality management and nutrition and dietetics majors will most likely host the Halloweekend events, that doesn’t mean you get out of wearing a costume. But, I know it’ll need to be something you can move in, so grab the apron you already have, a white shirt and a pink bandana, and you’re from my favorite Nintendo DS game “Cooking Mama.” If you’re feeling more hardcore, switch to a blue apron, draw on some tattoos and yell in a Chicago accent – you’re Carmy from “The Bear.”
Students in public health, you might have some scrubs too, so you could join in as the rest of the “Grey’s Anatomy” cast. But, you all might have heard of the CHHS “10 dimensions of wellness” initiative. You know where this is going – get 10 of your friends and each go as a section of the wheel. I think it would be really funny.
Potter College of Arts and Letters
I saved PCAL for last, because if you’re in this college, you probably already know what your costume will be, or you’ve been planning it for months. If you haven’t, don’t worry, I’ve listed some options below.
I’d love to see English majors dressed as their favorite book characters or authors. I know this sounds cliche, but after reading so much all semester, you know these characters better than anyone. Match the WKU homecoming theme and go as someone from “The Great Gatsby” or get more modern and dress as Marianne or Connell from Sally Rooney’s “Normal People.”
Or, on the funnier side, take some pieces of poetry really literally. Be the tiger in William Blake’s “The Tyger.” Be the raven from Poe’s “The Raven.” Be the walrus or the carpenter from Lewis Carroll’s “The Walrus and the Carpenter.” You get the point.
Keeping with the literal theme, an easy costume for history majors is to just go as your favorite historical figure. Whether you’re into cultural, military or classical history, there’s a recognizable figure you could go as, plus, you get to show off your knowledge when people ask about your costume.
Like the business majors, I know political science students probably already have a suit ready to go. You could go as just a regular politician, or you could go as a fictional one – someone from “The West Wing” or Leslie from “Parks and Rec.” Or, get a little morbid – my friend went as RFK with the gunshot wound last year. I painted it on him.
The theatre and dance majors definitely already have their costumes, whether it’s something they borrowed from last year’s show or made themselves, and I’m very excited to see it. Personally, with the “Wicked” movie coming out soon, I’m hoping to see a lot of Elphabas and Glindas this Halloween.
Last but not least, for my social sciences majors, I think costumes that really embrace the current cultural scene would work for you. Get a trio and some tennis rackets together for a “Challengers” group costume, keep it simple with a Charli XCX “brat” green outfit or go all out as one of Chappell Roan’s iconic outfits this year.
News Reporter Alexandria Anderson can be reached at [email protected].
