Not THE interview but should I treat it like one?

[darwingirl]

Hi all,

I'm going on my first interview soon and it's a 3 day affair. The first day I'm meeting my grad student host and potential advisor for lunch and then just hanging out and exploring. My question is, should I show up dressed nicely or will jeans and jacket suffice since this isn't the interview? I should also mention it's an ecology program (usually very laid back). Thanks in advance!

[ktel]

I went to a similar interview-ish weekend and the dress code among students varied. I personally went with dark jeans, a button up shirt and a blazer. Not too formal but definitely put together. I'm a girl, by the way, but I'm sure any boy could wear a similar outfit. Other students at the same weekend went from jeans and a T-shirt to full suit. I felt comfortable in what I was wearing after meeting with several profs and grad students and seeing they were basically wearing the same thing.

[coonskee]

Not that I've been on any interviews yet, but I definitely think it's better to play it safe. You don't need to go three-piece suit for the first day, but definitely try to look put together - first impressions still count. Ktel's advice sounds really good for an occasion like that.

I'm going for a two-day interview - the Friday is interview with faculty etc, the Saturday is hanging out and exploring with everyone. Even though Saturday will definitely be more casual, the email about the weekend said "no jeans or sneakers" for (it appears) the entire duration of the trip - which, I think, is a nice hint that we're still being "interviewed" on Saturday. People will probably ask your grad student host about general impressions of you, and your potential advisor will definitel be asked - don't give them any reason to say anything negative, and good luck!

[perroquet]

on which note...I'm currently an expat living abroad, which means that my wardrobe is real limited--I dedicated a good portion of my luggage to field work clothing/equipment. I'll be flying out to an interview on the east coast (for an ecology/evo bio program) in a few weeks, and the department secretary emailed us to state that " Please wear comfortable clothes. No need to wear fancy shoes. "

I was planning to dress much like ktel--dark jeans, boots, a sweater of some variety---but then one of my friends had a fit and said Girl do you not know what business casual is?! In which event I got a bit confuzzled, but am still inclined to go the jeans/sweater route. Any thoughts would be greaaat!

[coonskee]

Dark jeans are the wonderful gray area between casual and business casual - it depends on how nice a pair you have and how neat they look, but I'd venture to say they're okay, since the secretary stated 'comfortable clothes'. Do *not* wear super-high-heels - boots will definitely be fine as long as they're not stilettos. I feel like I've heard people on this forum say ecology is pretty casual (not my area), so i think you're ok with what you planned, but definitely wait to hear from people who know more about your particular type of program