What to wear????

[phd2prof]

I know this sounds corny, but I am going to make a visit to my campus (they are having an admits day to invite all admitted students)... and I really don't know what to wear. This is Southern California, so I know the students are typically more casual... but I don't want to show up in jeans when everyone else is in business casual... They are also giving a tour of the campus... which makes me even more so want to wear jeans and comfortable shoes... uuugh! I don't know! Anyone visit any campuses yet and can give some feedback?? I am hoping most phd students are casual... since we are all going to be broke!! thanks!

[chimerical]

Business casual is usually a safe bet. You may be a little more dressed up than the other students but when making a first impression it's better to be a little overdressed than underdressed. If you are female, investing in a pair of comfortable flats will make the campus tour more bearable.

[lompoc727]

If you are female, investing in a pair of comfortable flats will make the campus tour more bearable.

I can't overstate this. For my first visit, I bought a pair of flats that I THOUGHT were cute and comfortable. After making the multiple transfer, hours long train trip down to the university in question, the shoes were definitely still cute, but my bleeding ankles and toes were not. And I still had the rest of the day to tromp through.

Honestly I think the question of dress depends on your field and the activities for the day. For the bleeding feet visit, I was the only one visiting, so it was pretty casual. My "fancy," very dark jeans sufficed. I wish to God I would've bought my black sneakers. For the visit I'll be going on tomorrow, the first day of the Open House includes a class, professor meetings, a lecture, and some kind of dinner reception in the evening at a moderately expensive (for me) restaurant. So I'm planning to wear a gray, semi-casual dress with a cardigan and time-tested flats for that day, and for the next day my black sneakers and jeans will make an appearance since a campus tour is involved.

Seriously, don't be in the position where you're overdressed to the point of discomfort. You don't want to have to take off your shoes and walk around campus barefoot because the pain is so excruciating. If you're uncomfortable, you can't pay attention to your surroundings and professors/current grad students as well. Then again, it is a measure of how chilled out the department is if you can walk around barefoot for the entire afternoon and no one bats an eye....

Good luck!

[coyabean]

My experience:

And a good primer: http://chronicle.com/article/How-to-Stand-Out-in-Your/64153/

[asha]

I did this. I wore "comfortable" flats and ended the day with bleeding ankles and blisters everywhere else. I had to drive home in my socks because I couldn't wear my shoes without crying. I didn't expect to walk into town for lunch, up and down several hills. My mistake. I am going to another hilly campus in a week and I won't be wearing those shoes. I will have to find some that are actually walkable because I refuse to wear athletic shoes.

[so47]

The visit I went on last weekend was very casual, most of prospectives, grad students, and even profs wearing jeans (some people even wearing sweatshirts!). I was warned beforehand that this might be the case, so on Friday I wore my darkest wash of jeans (looks less casual) and a nice blouse. I brought khakis for the next day, but wound up wearing the jeans again since I felt like I would be really overdressed. The shoes I wore were Sperry's-esque "boat shoes"- super comfortable but still look very professional, and work with both jeans and dress slacks. I am probably going to wear the same to my visit this weekend, except wear the khakis for my faculty interviews. And tops, I would recommend a professional looking sweater (I wore argyle ), it looks polished but helps not to make you feel super formal.

[UnlikelyGrad]

I know this sounds corny, but I am going to make a visit to my campus (they are having an admits day to invite all admitted students)... and I really don't know what to wear. This is Southern California, so I know the students are typically more casual... but I don't want to show up in jeans when everyone else is in business casual... They are also giving a tour of the campus... which makes me even more so want to wear jeans and comfortable shoes... uuugh! I don't know! Anyone visit any campuses yet and can give some feedback?? I am hoping most phd students are casual... since we are all going to be broke!! thanks!

What I did: comfy non-jean slacks, a button-down shirt, and comfortable walking shoes. If you're visiting So CA at this time of year, go for a short-sleeved shirt so you don't boil.