Halloween is upon us, and that means college students everywhere are figuring out what they’re going to dress up as. A lot goes into this decision, but before you finalize your outfit here’s a few things that you don’t want to do.

Don’t Spend Too Much Money

You are only going to be wearing this costume once, maybe twice. Always ask yourself if there are any cheaper alternatives. You might not qualify as Ron Burgundy’s twin or Batman’s stunt-double, but that’s okay. We forgive you.

Don’t Be Something Too Vague

If people can’t guess who/what you are by the end of the night, then was it really worth it? Wearing a suit doesn’t automatically make you Vince Vaughn in “Wedding Crashers.” It makes you the person in the suit who gets to be any suit-wearing character in pop culture. Details people, details.

Don’t Be the Same Thing Twice

I understand the monetary pressures Halloween brings to college students, but it’s generally frowned upon to wear the same costume twice. Try to make some slight alterations to it. If you’re a zombie one night, try to pull off vampire the next.

Don’t Dress Up as a Friend

Oh, your boy Derek is the coolest kid you know? Your BFF Sarah dressed like you too? Get crazy. Unfortunately, no one wants to hear about how pretty Sarah is or how Derek was actually the first kid to wear plaid shorts. Leave the inside jokes at home.

Don’t Forget to Dress Up

If you’re planning on not dressing up, you’re in the minority. You might be the coolest guy/gal on campus, but not wearing a costume to a costume party is a bad decision. And no one likes to be the actual “asshole” when people start chanting. They can be relentless.

Don’t Use It as an Excuse to be a Douche

Halloween doesn’t mean you get to be rude to everyone. We get it. You’re wearing a beer bottle costume and you like to drink. You’re not the only one at the bar/party (but damn those beer bottle costumes are cool).

Don’t Become Your Costume

Halloween is really just one big night of reciting movie quotes. But when the night’s over, you can knock off the “Zoolander” quotes for a while. And the dracula quotes. And the pirate quotes. And the Obama quotes.

Don’t Pass Out in Your Costume

Nah, you can. Just remove all jewelry and capes.

Don’t Wait Until the Last Minute

People will know. Although, some of the best costumes come together quite well when you’re in a bind. I’ve seen a solid, Goodwill Dwight Schrute outfit come together the Friday of Halloween weekend. But you might not be so lucky, so plan ahead.

What are some other “don’ts” college students should keep in mind?