Once you’re in college, the one night event of trick-or-treating turns into four or more days (a.k.a. Halloweekend) of costume parties and free booze. It takes months of preparation to make this the best weekend of the year. Halloween is no longer a day but a season, and it goes a little something like this.

The night starts off with everyone going out in costume to Chipotle for boo-ritos.

Or boo-wls. Nah, that just doesn’t have the same ring to it.

Then you and your roommates go and get ready hours before the party just so you can take a million pictures.

Even though you’ll only Instagram one.

You leave for the party, and you start to notice the stares.

Your costume must be even better than you imagined. People can’t stop looking at you.

Oh, wait. They’re trying to figure out what your costume is.

You tried to be original with your costume, but you must have tried a little too hard. No one knows who or what you are.

Once you get to the party, you start comparing your costume to everyone else’s.

Surprisingly, you’ve already seen four other girls with the same costume. At least they get it.

You’re probably doing this…

*clinks, appears to be having fun*

But secretly wish you could be doing this…

*checks Twitter to see which movie is coming on Freeform next*

Halfway through the night, you realize that most of your costume’s accessories are missing.

It doesn’t matter, though, because no one seems to notice, and the party is still bumping.

You and your roommates decide to leave early because free booze just doesn’t compare to free candy.

Can’t we just go back to a simpler time?

You attempt to pass as trick-or-treating youths, but parents assume you’re trying to lure their children away Hocus Pocus-style.

You just want candy, and everybody knows what’s leftover in those Target bins tomorrow is the equivalent of pure garbage.

You go back to your dorm all like, “I’m never doing this again.”

Until you realize this was only the first night of Halloweekend.

So you proclaim that tomorrow night will be better and get ready to take on the next costume party.

One down, three to go.

What Going Out on Halloween Is Really Like in College