Let’s be honest; none of our proudest moments are going to occur during the four Halloweens we celebrate while in college.

Although we think of Trinity as being pretty tame, home to studious overachievers who uphold Trinity’s prestigious reputation, we release our inhibitions when October 31 rolls around.

We hide it pretty well at first. During the week leading up to Halloween we attend events where we carve pumpkins or watch scary movies. The Haunted Hall is an enduring tradition where students enjoy transforming their dorms into scary scenes.

But right around the time that the Trinity Club Rio Halloween Party (no one ever really knows its official name) comes around, our judgement starts to fade like the flame of a flickering candle in a dark, haunted house.

Buying a costume is usually accompanied by a twinge of guilt; we know we shouldn’t spend so much on something we’ll only wear once, but we quickly block out our conscience and make sure we have the most creative or scary ensemble of all our friends.

Those who opt for the “cute” or “sexy” costumes rarely make it through the night without regretting it. You can take off the uncomfortable shoes, but walking around barefoot usually isn’t much of a relief. Funny costumes of characters that require full body outfits might not be sexy, but they are hot. Those usually don’t make it through the whole night either.

There’s something about being someone or something else for the night that boosts our confidence when it comes to parties and social settings. Taking on a new identity “” in addition to all the other confidence boosters we ingest “” helps us talk, dance and act differently than usual. Whether that is a good or a bad thing, we usually decide the next day.

But before we even leave to go out, we have to experience the Trinity phenomenon that is the Calvert ghosts. After seeing classmates run around in nothing but whatever white substance they use to paint themselves, you will never be able to look at them the same way again. After witnessing our naked peers run around (just imagine it “¦ running with no clothes “¦), we have to cope somehow. So we rush to pre-game for whatever is taking place that night.

The Trinity Halloween experience mostly takes place just before the actual holiday. The costumes, parties and other events are always memorable “” even when there are things we want to forget. This year, Halloween falls on a Monday, so the day itself will likely be bogged down and much less eventful than in years past. Even if we don’t go out and celebrate that night, there are plenty of ways to create a night of memorable bad decisions.

Our Halloween issue is here to help with a few ideas of our own. We’ve ranked the best scary movies so you can know what to binge watch. Our article on candy corn might inspire you to inhale sweets by the handful. But that’s the magic of Halloween for college students: we know we are making bad decisions, but we turn off our adult intuitions and make them anyway. It can’t be too bad though, because we keep doing it every year. So here’s to one more, Trinity. Happy Halloween!