Many may choose to dress up for Halloween festivities, but some students go beyond expectations to outdo the costumes of those around them.

Whether costumes are bought, made, or a combination of the two, they are the center of what we know as Halloween.

“No matter how old you are, it is always fun,” said Jon Fischer, senior in graphic design. “You can dress up and, in a way, act young.”

Whether you are going to a haunted house party or planning a night of barhopping, students look forward to the one night of the year during which they can be something out of the ordinary.

“Halloween is often a time for consumers to set aside their real concerns to focus on the imaginary,” said Phil Rist, vice president of Strategy for BIGresearch, in a National Retail Federation press release. “As news about the economy floods the airwaves, many Americans want to take a break from reality to have a bit of fun.”

Although escaping reality may be fun, creating or getting a costume for Halloween has a price tag.

According to the NRF, the spending for this year’s Halloween is expected to reach $5.07 billion, with 18- to 24-year-olds spending an average of $34.07 per costume.

Fischer said he spent about $50 on his costume, which he made with bought materials. Creativity and detail are his key to making the perfect costume.

“If people can look at you and not ask who you are, that makes it a really good costume,” Fischer said. “It takes an element of creativity to have a great costume.”

But creativity may not be enough, Fischer said. A sense of humor about the costume concept is important, too.

“You have to be able to laugh at yourself,” Fischer said. “That is how I’m getting myself to wear spandex.”

Dustin Welch, senior in management information systems, said the character one plays influences what attitude to adopt.

“I decided to be a Spartan from the movie ‘300,’ and running around half-naked sounded like a fun idea,” Welch said. “I like it because I can be serious or humorous depending on how I feel.”

There are many ways to come up with ideas for Halloween costumes, but many find movie or TV characters to be the most fun.

“Back in March, I saw an ‘American Gladiators’ marathon and thought it would be hilarious to dress up like that,” Fischer said.

Carly Wilson, junior in marketing and employee at the Halloween Bootique in North Grand Mall, 2801 N. Grand Ave., said some students come in already knowing what they want to be and others come for the selection that costume stores have to offer.

“We have a lot of different costumes for every type of person,” Wilson said. “When you buy a costume, you don’t have to worry whether or not it will turn out or not, although it can be cheaper to make it.”

Costumes at the Halloween Boutique range in price from $4.99 to $129.

“As long as you have a good costume, you can make [Halloween] as fun as you want it to be,” Fischer said.