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Halloween is upon us, and for many college students, this will be the most raved about, Instagrammed and celebrated time of the year. You throw all your creativity into crafting the perfect, no-one-else-will-look-as-good-as-me costume, catch wind of the biggest parties, hope you’ll accidentally run into your future bae and prepare for a long, droning week once your 7 a.m. starts the next day.

The excitement is brewing, drinks are mixing—but let’s not let it get too spooky. Halloween in a busy college town can also bring out real-life ghouls and horror stories if you don’t keep a watchful eye. Here are some safety tips to keep your spirits high this week.

1. Plan ahead

Allow for that big questionable party that you’ll inevitably find when you’re out roaming the scene, but be sure to communicate your openness in checking out something new with your girlfriends. It’s best when your whole group knows you’re down to switch it up and no one gets separated from the pack.   

2. Don’t go alone

That’s no fun anyway! Halloween can bring in hundreds of out-of-towners. When streets and apartments are literally crammed, they create an opportunity for incidents to slip through the cracks. Bring a friend and be each other’s right-hand woman, and give each other the “maybe you’ve had too much” reality check you’ll probably need at 2 a.m.

3. Bring your ID

It’s always best to have some form of identification on you at all times. You could paper clip it to your bra, tape it on your body or keep it in your shoe. 

4. Eat!

Eat before you go out, during if you can and definitely after. Some friends may encourage otherwise—”You feel it so much faster if you skip dinner!”—but you will have plenty of hours in the night to get loose and enjoy yourself. Top your evening off with that greasy burrito you’ve been wanting all week.

5. Grab your own drinks

Halloweekend brings out colorful beverages and strange concoctions—basically easier ways to slip something foreign into your cup without you noticing. If someone offers you a drink, watch them pour it, and never accept something if they need to leave the room to get it. If it’s a stranger’s party with a community bowl full of jungle juice, skip it. If you’re dying to try it, wait for the freshest batch to come out before dipping your red Solo in for a taste.

6. Stay alert

Halloween at many campuses is such a huge event that law enforcement from surrounding counties come in to help monitor the situation. Medical tents are set up on major corners of the city and flood lights may line the main drag. In more recent years, large costume accessories have been confiscated for safety reasons. Be diligent, keep your eyes open and notify an officer if something is off. We promise you, he will overlook your state of mind if you’re taking responsibility for what’s around you. 

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Caitlyn graduated from "party school" UC Santa Barbara in 2009 with a BA in Sociology and minor in Professional Editing. She is the web editor at Women's Running and previously was associate editor at both Women's Running and Competitor. She runs a lot (obvi), eats a lot of avocados straight from the skin and loves studying the evolution of the Peanuts comic strip over the last 60 years. She's @caitpilk on Twitter and Instagram.
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Alicia serves as an Assistant Editor for Her Campus. She graduated from Penn State in 2015 with degrees in Journalism and Spanish and a minor in International Studies. Before she joined HC full-time, Alicia worked for the editorial team as an intern, editor of the Her Story section, editor of the Career section, standard content writer, viral content writer, and News Blogger. When she's not busy writing or editing, Alicia enjoys attempting to become a yogi, cooking, practicing her wine tasting skills, hanging out with her Friends (you know—Chandler, Monica, Ross, Rachel, Phoebe & Joey?) and city-hopping her way across the globe. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram at @aliciarthomas.