The Top 4 Costumes for Early Decision This Halloween (and The One You Should Wear)

For many of us seniors, the college application process is an annual Halloween ritual that has been passed down from class to class. This year, it’s our turn to select the perfect costume to confirm a spot in our dream schools. 

So let me help you out. I’ve studied every costume trend, and I can tell you exactly what’s “in” for this spooky season.

1. The Superhero

   Though it’s a classic, the Superhero is still reliable. It’s a little hard to pull off, but if you do, every college will be staring. The costume requires a suit woven with achievements in all disciplines. The “Superhero Essay” is stitched together with marvelous extracurriculars, lab research projects, university-level summer programs, and millions of service hours. But this facade hides a truth: many who attempt it stitch their costume out of obligations they never truly cared about. Behind the task is often a tired student who just wanted to please everyone, wondering if any of it was done with the right intentions. Before draping yourself in capes—worthy of a superhero—think to yourself, is this really the person you want to be?

2. The Zombie

   This year’s boldest look is The Zombie. The Zombie is the person who looks like they've been run over by a truck and stitched back together, dragging their wounds for everyone to see.  Tattered rips across students’ bodies, and sunken eyes, display the resilience The Zombie overcame in their trauma dump essay.  And yes, this costume is a popular one. After all, it does come with good rewards; admission officers love the “rawness.” However, it’s easy to forget zombies come with danger. Behind the mask is the student who has been through difficult situations. A parental divorce, a serious injury, or even losing a close relative, however, now they are forced to only display the parts of themselves they think will be approved by colleges. If you choose to become The Zombie, then ask yourself the question: who are you when the blood and bandages come off?   

3. The Prince

   If you’re not looking to put too much effort into this year, but really need that IVY league acceptance letter, this is the costume for you. It requires just one accessory—a royal parent. Just like the rich kid across the street who shows up to trick or treat with their daddy in hand, as a prince, you simply hold out your trick-or-treat bag, confident you’ll be handed a king-sized acceptance letter. Why? Because a rich parent is the person every college wants to suck up to. The Prince may look polished to others, but really, the only reason candy fills the brims of their bags is because of those scoundrel eyes towering behind them, their legacy. Is that all you want to be? 

4. The Ghost

   Throw a sheet over your head, cut two eye holes, and as simply as that, you are now a ghost. Dressing up as a ghost is the go-to for those who don’t really want to stand out: JV players, solid GPAs, service hours, and committed member roles. If you’re The Ghost you can show you’re capable of floating in any direction, wherever, whenever. However, we can’t forget that ghosts are also invisible. Unlike The Superhero, The Ghost intends to fly under the radar. By impressing college admission officers with variety in numerous disciplines, their essays stand with zero focus, taking away from their true passions. By being everywhere, students are actually showing they are nowhere. Under the white sheet, is the student who joined the school newspaper, MUN, and three service clubs not because they loved them, but just to float around. Touching everything, but never making a mark. Do you think admission officers really see who you are by just going through the motions?

   The “I forgot to wear a costume”

   This one’s my personal favorite. Those who show up dressed up as nothing. They aren’t draped in capes of exaggerated success, painted in the pale makeup of trauma, standing with an idol behind them, or hidden under a sheet of pointless achievement. They walk as themselves. And although that may seem like the worst possible costume to wear to a halloween party, in the world of admissions it’s the scariest costume of all. Because when you are not trying to impress, you are rejected. Why is it that to enter college, we must dress up at all? Why should we have to trade out truths for disguises in order to be seen? Admissions officers say they want authenticity, yet only reward those who can craft the best costume. The real horror of Halloween isn't the masks we wear, but the fact that we have to wear them in the first place.