Do professors care if you wear sweatpants all the time?

[Strangefox]

But clothes are my grad school splurge; I like dressing up and wearing makeup (which, by the way, only takes about 5-10 minutes for a natural non-fussy look).

Yes, I am exactly the same! I like dressing up and using natural make up

[studentaffairsgrad]

How do you all feel about ball caps? I have semi-long hair and some days, especially when it is super humid, don't feel like "doing it," so I throw on my fav hat and represent for my fav hockey team. I rarely see any other ladies wearing hats, especially sports ball caps. Of course I would only be wearing it in class.

Also, further back in the post, I found the commentary on wearing clothes related to sports at your undergrad interesting. I went to a huge football school for undergrad, and will be attending a much smaller school that isn't well-known for football, but in the same state. Which means, a lot of people are kinda hostile to my undergrad, b/c they get all the attention. For example, during assistantship weekend, we all had to announce where our undergrad was, and when me and the other person from my school said it, people actually groaned. As with a lot of other people, I know my heart will always be with my undergrad, but I think I am going to really have to watch the school spirit, or risk people thinking I am obnoxious.

[StrangeLight]

don't wear a baseball cap in class. ever. to and from class is fine, but you should take it off while you're in there. you're not going to wear your sunglasses in class, are you? just tie your hair back if you don't want to do it. i think wearing ball caps in the classroom crosses the line from (potentially) inappropriate to disrespectful.

and this is coming from someone who dresses very casually in seminars and has tattoos showing pretty much all the time.

[Zencarrot]

I personally agree with StrangeLight about baseball caps in class - they are a bit too casual. But at the same time I recognize that the reason most people wear them in the first place to class is to hide their hair, thus taking your hat off defeats the purpose of wearing it in the first place, lol.

[eco_env]

How do you all feel about ball caps? I have semi-long hair and some days, especially when it is super humid, don't feel like "doing it," so I throw on my fav hat and represent for my fav hockey team. I rarely see any other ladies wearing hats, especially sports ball caps. Of course I would only be wearing it in class.

Also, further back in the post, I found the commentary on wearing clothes related to sports at your undergrad interesting. I went to a huge football school for undergrad, and will be attending a much smaller school that isn't well-known for football, but in the same state. Which means, a lot of people are kinda hostile to my undergrad, b/c they get all the attention. For example, during assistantship weekend, we all had to announce where our undergrad was, and when me and the other person from my school said it, people actually groaned. As with a lot of other people, I know my heart will always be with my undergrad, but I think I am going to really have to watch the school spirit, or risk people thinking I am obnoxious.

one of my professors wears a baseball cap often, but not when he is in class or a teaching kind of situation. I think the idea that wearing a baseball cap indoors is disrespectful is antiquated.

[runonsentence]

I think that casual hats can be okay, but baseball caps are better to avoid if possible because they cover the eyes.

[rising_star]

How do you all feel about ball caps? I have semi-long hair and some days, especially when it is super humid, don't feel like "doing it," so I throw on my fav hat and represent for my fav hockey team. I rarely see any other ladies wearing hats, especially sports ball caps. Of course I would only be wearing it in class.

I wouldn't do it. A lot of people in my department cycle to campus, so there's a lot of hat/helmet/wind-blown hair. Even so, people take off the hat and try to at least tie their hair back for class.

How much time would it take you to throw your hair into a ponytail?

[newms]

Is it really that bad to wear a baseball cap in a classroom as a student? I wouldn't do it myself, since I don't wear headwear indoors, but I've seen students in classes with caps on and I wouldn't mind if a student wore one if I were the lecturer.

[studentaffairsgrad]

I wouldn't do it. A lot of people in my department cycle to campus, so there's a lot of hat/helmet/wind-blown hair. Even so, people take off the hat and try to at least tie their hair back for class.

How much time would it take you to throw your hair into a ponytail?

If you really must know, I tend to sweat a lot in the summer when sitting in classrooms without AC, so hats do double duty there. I appreciate all of your opinions!

[Roccoriel]

I think that casual hats can be okay, but baseball caps are better to avoid if possible because they cover the eyes.

What exactly is considered a casual hat? I buy hats like some people buy shoes or purses and would like to start wearing them more. Obviously, big ones with feathers and ribbon are out (as is my Victorian riding hat), but fedoras, berets, and the like...can I get away with them if I take it off before class starts?

[StrangeLight]

i think it is totally okay to wear head coverings in class. berets, headscarves, whatever. but as someone else said, the baseball cap covers your eyes. it's just not appropriate inside a classroom, unless you want to turn it backwards. then i think it would be fine. to me, it's not the casual-ness of the hat or the fact that your hair is covered that's the problem. the prof can't see your eyes. that's why i mentioned sunglasses. you wouldn't wear those to class either.

[Two Espressos]

Is it really that bad to wear a baseball cap in a classroom as a student? I wouldn't do it myself, since I don't wear headwear indoors, but I've seen students in classes with caps on and I wouldn't mind if a student wore one if I were the lecturer.

I once had a professor who requested that every student take off his/her hat in class. He became angry when students thought he was joking.

He was older and tenured though, so I guess that explains both his old-fashioned view and his insistence that it had to be followed.

Edited July 1, 2011 by Two Espressos

[Kathiza]

I once had a professor who requested that every student take off his/her hat in class. He became angry when students thought he was joking.

He was older and tenured though, so I guess that explains both his old-fashioned view and his insistence that it had to be followed.

I don't think that's old-fashioned. I think that's good behavior. You don't wear hats inside. Why would you? I'm in my 20s and I think it's impolite to wear any kind of hats at a lecture.

BUT: I was just organizing a major international conference. And the people who did not dress appropriately (to European standards) were the Americans ;-) So I guess it's a cultural thing. I guess dress codes in Europe are a lot stricter than in the U.S. A European would NEVER EVER come to an international conference in Bermuda Shorts. Well.... some Americans did. Some even wore Hawaii shirts.

Call me old-fashioned or conservative, but I was a little shocked to see this to be honest (and I wasn't the only one...) But then others on the organizational staff of the conference told me that it's cultural: Asians and Europeans come to major conferences like this wearing a suit and a tie. If you're a student and pretty young, you can even skip the tie. And Americans come in shorts, flip flops, t-shirts etc. This way you can at least tell at first glance where the person comes from :-) It's just so much more casual, I was told. But still: Wearing hats in class is too casual. You can't even look a person in the eyes when they wear a baseball cap. It's like wearing sunglasses in class. You just don't do that... (I wouldn't allow it either when teaching... I guess my American students will call me the weird old-fashioned European girl then ;-))

[Two Espressos]

I don't think that's old-fashioned. I think that's good behavior. You don't wear hats inside. Why would you? I'm in my 20s and I think it's impolite to wear any kind of hats at a lecture.

BUT: I was just organizing a major international conference. And the people who did not dress appropriately (to European standards) were the Americans ;-) So I guess it's a cultural thing. I guess dress codes in Europe are a lot stricter than in the U.S. A European would NEVER EVER come to an international conference in Bermuda Shorts. Well.... some Americans did. Some even wore Hawaii shirts.

Call me old-fashioned or conservative, but I was a little shocked to see this to be honest (and I wasn't the only one...) But then others on the organizational staff of the conference told me that it's cultural: Asians and Europeans come to major conferences like this wearing a suit and a tie. If you're a student and pretty young, you can even skip the tie. And Americans come in shorts, flip flops, t-shirts etc. This way you can at least tell at first glance where the person comes from :-) It's just so much more casual, I was told. But still: Wearing hats in class is too casual. You can't even look a person in the eyes when they wear a baseball cap. It's like wearing sunglasses in class. You just don't do that... (I wouldn't allow it either when teaching... I guess my American students will call me the weird old-fashioned European girl then ;-))

I agree with you, to an extent. I see no compelling reason to wear hats (and sunglasses) in class. It feels far too informal. Maybe that's just because I'm not a hat person, though.

Anyways, Americans can definitely be far too casual.

I loved the no-hat professor, by the way, despite his terrible public speaking skills and cantankerous attitude. He has been my favorite thus far. His no-hat rule quickly established his authority in the classroom: my fellow students were most well-behaved!

[spunkrag]

People wear sweatpants for the darnedest reasons. Really, it doesn't take much with some people to get things going.

[ktel]

Personally, I will wear whatever the hell I want.

Anyway, I focus far better if I dress 2 steps under the next lowest dressed individual. I feel much more "in control" and "not sucking up" to people.

My style is:

1) Wear whatever I want.

2) Sit down second row with an empty seat in front of me.

3) Put my feet on said empty seat to retain my relaxed position.

4) NEVER take notes. I can't learn while trying to copy someone's speach.

5) If I show up late, be confident about it. Be sure to have some sushi to munch on as my excuse for being late.

6) Get straight A's, just to surprise the instructors after the initial "this kid is bad news" impression.

7) Change people's views as to what a "good student" looks like.

8) Wait patiently for the down votes. :-)

EDIT:

Hopefully this method continues to serve me well in grad school!

Your arrogance, although subtle, continues to show more and more in your posts. You seem to feel superior to your classmates, so much so that you believe your in-class questions are "unintelligible" to most of them.

I've been raised to never wear sweatpants out of the house unless I'm going to or from a sports game. The way you present yourself to others, in my opinion, shows your level of respect for that person. The time it takes to do your hair, put on make-up and put on a presentable outfit is worth it to avoid seeming disrespectful. And while I could maybe understand not having the time to do your hair/make-up, it does not take any longer to put on a pair of regular pants as opposed to sweatpants. That's just lazy.

[Kathiza]

Your arrogance, although subtle, continues to show more and more in your posts. You seem to feel superior to your classmates, so much so that you believe your in-class questions are "unintelligible" to most of them.

I've been raised to never wear sweatpants out of the house unless I'm going to or from a sports game. The way you present yourself to others, in my opinion, shows your level of respect for that person. The time it takes to do your hair, put on make-up and put on a presentable outfit is worth it to avoid seeming disrespectful. And while I could maybe understand not having the time to do your hair/make-up, it does not take any longer to put on a pair of regular pants as opposed to sweatpants. That's just lazy.

I'm not sure (since I was told in my Orientation Seminar that Americans don't joke and don't have a sense of humor - seriously!), but I thought the posting by Aaron McDevitt was a joke or at least an attempt to provoke people. I don't think anybody can be that arrogant and not noticing it ;-)

[Kathiza]

I agree with you, to an extent. I see no compelling reason to wear hats (and sunglasses) in class. It feels far too informal. Maybe that's just because I'm not a hat person, though.

Anyways, Americans can definitely be far too casual.

I loved the no-hat professor, by the way, despite his terrible public speaking skills and cantankerous attitude. He has been my favorite thus far. His no-hat rule quickly established his authority in the classroom: my fellow students were most well-behaved!

It's just something I have to get used to, I think. It's a different culture in some regards. The way I was raised and the way it is in my country is: no sweatpants except if you're doing sports, not hats inside, no sunglasses inside, suit and tie if you go to a conference or a meeting etc... So this is what I'm used to. This is what to ME feels "right" (although I know that there isn't really a "right" or "wrong" here)

I would handle it like this: If it doesn't affect me (my teaching) or the class, people can wear whatever they want. If it affects my teaching (i.e. hats/sunglasses - because I can't look that person in the eye) or if it affects the class (i.e. somebody showing up in REALLY inappropriate attire so the class is distracted etc) I won't allow it.

But that doesn't mean that I'll never stop wondering how people can attend international conferences in bermuda shorts and flipflops (it was a cold day too, and there was aircondition; I wore a suit and I was cold) ;-)

[qbtacoma]

It's just something I have to get used to, I think. It's a different culture in some regards. The way I was raised and the way it is in my country is: no sweatpants except if you're doing sports, not hats inside, no sunglasses inside, suit and tie if you go to a conference or a meeting etc... So this is what I'm used to. This is what to ME feels "right" (although I know that there isn't really a "right" or "wrong" here)

I would handle it like this: If it doesn't affect me (my teaching) or the class, people can wear whatever they want. If it affects my teaching (i.e. hats/sunglasses - because I can't look that person in the eye) or if it affects the class (i.e. somebody showing up in REALLY inappropriate attire so the class is distracted etc) I won't allow it.

But that doesn't mean that I'll never stop wondering how people can attend international conferences in bermuda shorts and flipflops (it was a cold day too, and there was aircondition; I wore a suit and I was cold) ;-)

Well, we do make jokes, but we don't like to hear jokes about things which portray the people to whom you are speaking in an unflattering light - appearance, mannerisms, having our mistakes pointed out etc. - without knowing each other really well or the butt of the joke being prepared for it. There are "roasts" in which people expect that, but otherwise jokes between strangers definitely tend toward the non-personal.

Edited July 4, 2011 by qbtacoma

[Kathiza]

If the person I am seeing is more concerned with how I look than who I am, they don't deserve my time. On a personal note, I don't wear sweatpants anymore, but they are pretty damn comfortable!

They don't "deserve" your time? What about you? Do you think you deserve their time? What if they think you don't because you look like you don't even care enough to dress appropriately. Especially in a university setting, you are one or several ranks below others. If you don't think they deserve your time, they'll send you home. Problem solved. I doubt that's what you're going for.

Ad. sweatpants being comfortable: Yes, they are. The most comfortable clothing for me is none. I like running around naked. Seriously. I do it a lot at home. But I don't go outside like this because I respect others (and I think it's even illegal in many states ;-))

In your previous posting you list so many things that are very rude and impolite: being late, putting your feet on an empty seat, copying others because you're too lazy to do your own work etc. And that you want to seem like you are confident about it is another sign of arrogance. I think you might be pretty young and you remind me of my 24-year-old brother who is going through the same phase in his life where he thinks he is the center of the universe and he can dictate the rules or at least break them without any consequences. You can of course do this (he's been doing it for some years now, although not in such an extreme way) - but don't be surprised if people don't react the way you want them to and if they just decide it's YOU who doesn't deserve their time.

[ktel]

Clearly Aaron needs to watch an episode of What Not To Wear and understand the importance of dressing professionally...

[Mal83]

You know it's all about getting back what you give. I understand that some people have a mission to go against the grain and their very comfortable doing it every chance they get. In some cases that can be very respectable. But purposely displaying a lack of respect for your environment and expecting to be shown respect by those in it only to prove a point seems a little self-defeating. It's not only about the clothes, it's about draping yourself all over other seats in the lecture hall, pretending to be too lazy to do your own work (which can get you into trouble), and sauntering in to class late while munching on sushi. Academically you might eventually impress someone but socially you're not going to get anywhere. Who is going to want to work with you on projects? Who's going to want to network with you? You might have the brains to get As but you have the attitude of a slacker, that's how you're presenting yourself to your peers and superiors, they probably won't get or really care that you're only trying to stick it to the status quo. Like if you told them that's what you're doing do you think they're going to thank you for shedding light onto their judgmental ways? You're setting people's expectations of you very low from the beginning and you'll impress only because you were expected to fail in the first place. "You did pretty good for a slacker..." is that really a compliment you want from a professor?

[Kathiza]

I'm sorry, I seem to have misread your point no. 4. I thought you don't take notes because you copy the notes of others...

Actually, I even admire how you think you don't need to compromise your philosophy. BUT: Don't be surprised if it doesn't take you anywhere...

[Mal83]

First off, I do all my own work, and I am by no means a slacker. I don't know where you got that idea. That's the whole point; one can be relaxed without necessarily being lazy. That is actually the main thing I enjoyed about my school of choice - they seem to love the whole relaxed image. They work hard, but make it look fun!

Sorry for misreading, but that's how you present yourself by your own admission, like I said, you could be academically very good, but it seems like you purposely put on the "I'm gonna be bad news" thing just to prove that you're not and make people see how wrong they were to judge you as such. I'm saying that people aren't going to get that or appreciate it...but hey maybe you know some that do. And if I were a professor I certainly wouldn't appreciate students lounging all over the seats in a lecture hall and confidently bursting into class late while chomping on food...I wouldn't care if you were brilliant, it's rude and disrespectful. So it's your attitude that that's all OK because you're smart and don't care what anyone thinks of you that would probably result in a less than pleasant relationship. But if that's the atmosphere of your program then that's one thing and I also appreciate a relaxed comfortable environment, but respecting the environment that you're in is the mature thing to do. If this was your original post "we love the relaxed image, we work hard but make it look fun," I wouldn't have in anyway seen that as objectionable, I'd say that that's great.

Edited July 4, 2011 by Mal83

[Mal83]

It's not so much "I'm gonna be bad news" image that I put on, but the "I'm here only because I want to be here and I'm gonna enjoy it as much as possible" image. Not sure if all that gets across though... haha. Oh, and it's the food that makes me late... Damn flesh! Why must I feed it every day! But seriously, the instructors don't mind. This one instructor (crazy guy, and pretty phillosophical - I liked him) made us argue 2 sides of often crazy things in front of class. My topic was "eating meat is immoral" on the day I walked in with a chicken sandwich.

The school with the relaxed image is the one I will be going to this fall. When I walked in and heard the attitude there on visitation day, I was sure I found heaven!

Well then that's cool, you fit right in. I just pictured all of those things you outlined happening in one of my classes where the environment is different and I was like "wow, that wouldn't fly." Anyway, good luck!