Dress Codes

[Benefactor]

Hi guys,

From what you guys have seen or experienced, what's the dress code for most of these public policy schools? Do they have more of a professional vibe like a lot of the business schools nowadays, or is it more in line with the ole undergraduate standard of wearing whatever, and of course - weather allowing - the old hoodie and (rainbow) sandals combination?

[emoleys]

I've been in SIPA classes and from what I've seen, the dress code is quite informal. Hoodies, jeans, you name it.

[Benefactor]

I've been in SIPA classes and from what I've seen, the dress code is quite informal. Hoodies, jeans, you name it.

Thanks. That's good to hear. Nice to know you wouldn't stand out for wearing a pair of rainbows and a sweatshirt to class

[greendiplomat]

Thanks. That's good to hear. Nice to know you wouldn't stand out for wearing a pair of rainbows and a sweatshirt to class

Having gone to Columbia for undergrad (and taken a few SIPA classes while there), I'm going to make a *slight* modification to the above.

I agree that public policy / IR schools have no dress code (tacit or otherwise) and dress is generally more casual than B-schools. That being said, I think that their students are slightly less casually dressed than students at your average college, something that I think can be explained by 2 factors: (1) at the end of the day, these are professional schools and the perception of peers as future colleagues is more pronounced than during undergrad; and (2) because most students don't live on campus, students can't show up in the straight-out-of-bed PJ-bottoms-and-hoodie look. The last class that I took there, for example, had a handful of students that came directly from work and were thus definitely business casual, with the rest of the class ranging from jeans/hoodie casual to preppy.

I wouldn't worry too much of it, but my strategy when in doubt (and probably what I'll do the first day of SIPA) is to dress preppy so that you won't stick out in either environment (casual or business casual) and to adjust accordingly as the year goes on.

Edited January 24, 2011 by greendiplomat

[Benefactor]

Having gone to Columbia for undergrad (and taken a few SIPA classes while there), I'm going to make a *slight* modification to the above.

I agree that public policy / IR schools have no dress code (tacit or otherwise) and dress is generally more casual than B-schools. That being said, I think that their students are slightly less casually dressed than students at your average college, something that I think can be explained by 2 factors: (1) at the end of the day, these are professional schools and the perception of peers as future colleagues is more pronounced than during undergrad; and (2) because most students don't live on campus, students can't show up in the straight-out-of-bed PJ-bottoms-and-hoodie look. The last class that I took there, for example, had a handful of students that came directly from work and were thus definitely business casual, with the rest of the class ranging from jeans/hoodie casual to preppy.

I wouldn't worry too much of it, but my strategy when in doubt (and probably what I'll do the first day of SIPA) is to dress preppy so that you won't stick out in either environment (casual or business casual) and to adjust accordingly as the year goes on.

Thanks for the well thought out and comprehensive reply! For sure that's what I'll do. I'd go in there on the first day more or less dressed somewhat better than I usually would and then just see how things progress. Once things start to loosen up, as they invariably will, I'll go with the flow. Although, most of the universities (well...with a couple exceptions) I'm applying to are either not in urban areas/big cities or are such that I can live really close to or on campus, which should make the whole lazy dressing thing somewhat more likely to happen.

[Benefactor]

Bump

[flyers29]

I'll second that it varies--some like dressing preppy all the time, some like dressing more casual. I wouldn't worry about it.

[fso2k11]

Don't bump this thread, this is the dumbest question I've seen on the boards. I'd rather go through life without knowing that someone actually wonders whether rainbow sandals are allowed in grad school.

Bump

[Benefactor]

Don't bump this thread, this is the dumbest question I've seen on the boards. I'd rather go through life without knowing that someone actually wonders whether rainbow sandals are allowed in grad school.

Then don't let the door hit you on the way out. Nobody asked you to come into this thread, and from what I've seen thus far, nobody else has a problem with it.

[CC139]

I think it is really useful, especially for those of use who have never been around a US grad school before.

[Benefactor]

I think it is really useful, especially for those of use who have never been around a US grad school before.

Where are you originally from?

[DCHopeful]

Don't bump this thread, this is the dumbest question I've seen on the boards. I'd rather go through life without knowing that someone actually wonders whether rainbow sandals are allowed in grad school.

It's pretty funny that this comment ended up bumping the thread too.

If you don't have anything nice to say.....

[greendiplomat]

Then don't let the door hit you on the way out. Nobody asked you to come into this thread, and from what I've seen thus far, nobody else has a problem with it.

While I don't have a problem with the thread itself, I will agree with blingem in that bumping this thread makes the issue of dress codes seem like a bigger deal than it is. The conclusion that we came to (and the reason why the thread died in the first place) is that it's not something that anyone should be losing sleep over, and I think bumping it reinforces the notion that people that haven't been to grad school in the US like CC139 should be worrying about what to wear.

Edited February 26, 2011 by greendiplomat

[Benefactor]

While I don't have a problem with the thread itself, I will agree with blingem in that bumping this thread makes the issue of dress codes seem like a bigger deal than it is. The conclusion that we came to (and the reason why the thread died in the first place) is that it's not something that anyone should be losing sleep over, and I think bumping it reinforces the notion that people that haven't been to grad school in the US like CC139 should be worrying about what to wear.

I understand what you're saying, but the reason I bumped it is because I just wanted to get as many opinions from as many people as possible, and given the fact that all kinds of new people are coming into the forum given what time it is, I wanted to bring it to their attention that a thread like this exists - and that I'd be interested to hear their opinion on this if they have one.

[mssyAK]

While I don't have a problem with the thread itself, I will agree with blingem in that bumping this thread makes the issue of dress codes seem like a bigger deal than it is. The conclusion that we came to (and the reason why the thread died in the first place) is that it's not something that anyone should be losing sleep over, and I think bumping it reinforces the notion that people that haven't been to grad school in the US like CC139 should be worrying about what to wear.

i agree - but especially being at the mercy of adcoms for this seemingly endless period of time, i appreciate the opportunity to focus on a topic over which i have some semblance of control!

also... admittedly... i like clothes.

[greendiplomat]

i agree - but especially being at the mercy of adcoms for this seemingly endless period of time, i appreciate the opportunity to focus on a topic over which i have some semblance of control!

also... admittedly... i like clothes.

OK, that I'll agree with.

Talk on!

[Benefactor]

i agree - but especially being at the mercy of adcoms for this seemingly endless period of time, i appreciate the opportunity to focus on a topic over which i have some semblance of control!

also... admittedly... i like clothes.