Grad School Attire

[kingcartier]

I'm going to be starting as a PhD student this fall, and this may seem like a silly question, but I am not sure how to dress/present myself. In undergraduate I usually wore whatever I felt like to class, sometimes (most of the time) looking pretty bummy because it didn't matter. Obviously for TA'ing there are some appearance expectations, but for class and lab, what is typical attire like? I live in the south so it's going to be very hot. 

I'm going to be the youngest in my program and have a very casual/streetwear type style, so I really want to make sure I present myself correctly!

[AP]

On 8/1/2022 at 9:32 PM, kingcartier said:

I'm going to be starting as a PhD student this fall, and this may seem like a silly question, but I am not sure how to dress/present myself. In undergraduate I usually wore whatever I felt like to class, sometimes (most of the time) looking pretty bummy because it didn't matter. Obviously for TA'ing there are some appearance expectations, but for class and lab, what is typical attire like? I live in the south so it's going to be very hot. 

I'm going to be the youngest in my program and have a very casual/streetwear type style, so I really want to make sure I present myself correctly!

It depends a lot on discipline/dept culture. 

To me, the PhD was a job, so I was comfortable (jeans, shirts) but not in gym clothes. You never know when your advisor will introduce to the dean, take you to lunch with a visiting scholar, etc.