Everyday Dress Code

[noisemaker483]

I'm about to start a PhD in a biological/biomedical field and I'm wondering if there are any specific guidelines about clothing for daily activities such as being in the lab or in class.  At my undergraduate institution (in the North), it was quite common for graduate students to dress casually in jeans, shorts, etc. depending on the weather.  The attire didn't seem to change if they were teaching.  However, I've been advised to check on whether the expectations might be different where I'll be doing my PhD (in the South), as I've heard that the norm might be a bit more formal, especially during teaching duties.

Can I expect to be able to wear shorts, etc. on a daily basis, or should I plan to buy new clothes before I start?

[Meraki]

I recommend reaching out to the current students in your program and ask them what is typical attire for the department, or if there are any expectations, such as in lab, class, or teaching. If you're still uncertain, then dress a little more formal your first few days until you see what others are wearing and then take it from there. I've generally seen students dress more formal when teaching classes, at least at the start of the semester to make a good impression, and become more casual over time (if permitted). Students in my program dress down much more when they're only working in the office, but I'm in a different field and this sort of thing varies from program to program. 

[orange turtle]

All my friends in biomedical and related fields wear jeans, tshirts, and shirts to the lab. Some also wear exercise attire. There will be lab dress codes to adhere to (e.g., closed shoes, long pants) but I rarely see people dress up except when presenting or teaching. Even then, some don't follow that rule. I'm on the west coast though and it's chilled here.

I suggest visiting campus before school starts and just hanging out in the building and people watching if you don't feel comfortable reaching out to current students as @Sangria1700 suggested. You can often learn a lot just by people watching.

[AllieKat]

From what I've seen (Southerner here), everyone wears pants pretty consistently, but those are often jeans or leggings. A girl in a neighboring H. pylori lab wears shorts all the time, but she also handles things without gloves and we judge her hardcore for both. I'd just wear pants and if you're NOT working with an infectious disease and other people show up to lab in shorts, it's probably acceptable to wear shorts.