I loved Halloween when I was a kid. I was - and still am -- a chocolate addict, so you can imagine my excitement every year when I went trick or treating. I loved dressing up, and most years, I had my costume picked out since the first of November the year before. I loved walking the streets of different neighborhoods, canvassing the houses for candy. Once I was a little bit older, there was also the added bonus of seeing the excitement of my little brother and sisters’ faces when they put their costume on. I still love that.

Now, in college, there’s no more trick-or-treating. There’s a little something known as Halloweekend. It’s the weekend of Halloween - Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night - and sometimes, even a few days added on before and after the actual weekend itself. It’s many college students’ worst nightmare.

Gone are the days of free candy and one costume per Halloween. Now, you need a minimum of one costume per night. From the perspective of a broke college student with a pile of homework that needs to be done, it equates for - in my opinion - the worst holiday of the year.

Picking costumes is the absolute worst thing. You already have an endless to-do list, and now you have to add on the following seven steps:

1. Search for a costume idea.

Avoid being the stereotypical “slutty cat”. It’s harder than it looks.

2. Gather friends to dress-up with you.

“Hey, guys, want to dress up as the Spice Girls?”

3. Scavenge for money to pay for the costume.

I suggest looking for loose change in the pockets of your jackets. Or ask your mom.

4. Either order online - way in advance - or Uber to the nearest mall.

Both are a pain to do.

5. Try on said-costume.

Nine times out of ten, it fits weird.

6. DIY your own costume.

This is what I will always resort to.

7. Repeat steps for each night you plan on going on.

It never ends.