Grad student attire?

[daydreamer254]

I remember a few threads about grad school attire on here but can't find them. Anyway, I'm looking to take my wardrobe from "little kid" (undergrad) to "budding professional" (graduate) but don't know where to start.

 

A little info about the program I'm going into: It's an MA program in mass communications, located in southern California.

 

Any advice on what to wear to class? I know for interviews and conferences I need to dress professionally, but what about during lectures? There's no teaching involved.

 

Thanks!

[msmith1990]

Here's the girls' "dressing the part" thread in Officially Grads. It's got several pages of really useful stuff in it.

[33andathirdRPM]

Basic: clean clothes, nothing with offense messages

 

Intermediate: Shirts with a collar, belt

 

Advanced: OCBDs, slacks instead of jeans, no white (athletic) socks, no atheltic shoes

 

Very advanced: Dress shoes, jacket with or without tie, watch

 

I've probably missed quite a bit, but this was just a quick response.

[33andathirdRPM]

Okay, I'm an idiot and didn't check your gender. Well, if any guys take a look at the thread they can read my previous post.

[Swagato]

IMO this shouldn't be much of a question. Are you looking to be taken seriously by your cohort, by the wider academic community, and by the people who may someday have to decide on whether or not to hire you? Dress accordingly.

 

The only word of warning I'd offer is try and get a sense of the department's and institution's culture. Although it is far harder to be overdressed than underdressed, you don't want to come off as someone who apparently pays more attention to their attire than to their publications...

[CageFree]

Department/school culture and climate (often interrelated). In my program, you can only really wear a jacket for about 3 months out of the year because a) it's ridiculously hot and everyone bikes. 

 

Northridge does get pretty hot so a jacket is going to be overkill, especially for attending a lecture. A nice blouse and jeans/khakis/skirt, or a dress that is tasteful are probably all about as dressed up as you need to be. You won't look like a student and really, that's pretty much the goal. California is a lot less formal than other parts of the country (not too different from Hawaii, really).

Edited May 30, 2013 by CageFree

[lafresca]

I just graduated from CSUN with an MA in GE psychology. Everyone just wears whatever they want. I tried wearing nice blouses with jeans and cute flats. Some people just jean and t-shirt it everyday. Some girls dress it up in slacks and fancy shirts. It's WAYYYY hot in Northridge, I'd be more concerned about the heat. Just try to hit a mid-level range for the first few days of class until you see what people in your cohort and in the surrounding CSUN community wear.

[rricenator]

I've never met a grad student yet that I thought looked dressed any differently than an undergrad (perhaps a tad more "subdued" but not "dressier").  That said, I have always envisioned myself dressing like a stepped-down version of a professor once I make the grad cut.  You know, tweed jacket and such. 

[JenCook]

Basic: clean clothes, nothing with offense messages

 

Intermediate: Shirts with a collar, belt

 

Advanced: OCBDs, slacks instead of jeans, no white (athletic) socks, no atheltic shoes

 

Very advanced: Dress shoes, jacket with or without tie, watch

 

I've probably missed quite a bit, but this was just a quick response.

I agree with this guy.

[free_radical]

In my field we work in the lab all day, so the dress is rather casual.  However, I've found in my experience that it never hurts to look nice, even with casual dress.  Instead of just throwing on a t-shirt, sweatshirt, and sneakers to go to lab (which is perfectly acceptable, as in, it's not against the rules), it doesn't hurt to put on a nice fitted shirt, fitted jeans, and comfortable but nice shoes.  I think that regardless of how "dressed up" you are, it is always possible to present yourself nicely - just with different types of clothing.  It's also probably good to dress at the same level as everyone else - if someone showed up to lab in a suit, yeah they might get a few looks.  

 

Above paragraph applies to both girls and guys.  For girls specifically, I'd say watch out certain messages you might be sending, like if a dress is a little too short, nothing too low-cut, etc.  And unfortunately, if you're a girl who wears super-expensive clothing, it can get judged sometimes.  Sad that women get judged by these things, but yes, we do need to think about the way we dress.  Especially if you ever work in a male-dominated field like I did.  

[i.am.me]

When I dressed too casually in my grad program---ppl judged me for it. I got told so when I started making friends in my first semester. It probably didn't help that I have a young looking face (although I was older than a good majority of my cohort). It wasn't that I was sloppy or too juvenile, but my taste is not "American" they said. That was also because I just returned from a long stint working overseas ::shrugs::

 

I am now a Researcher in a governmental consulting firm, and my clothes generally align towards lots of fitted blazers, crisp vests because of the atmosphere/clientele. Now, when I go out with friends after work, I get told I look too dressed up/formal.

 

Sometimes, you just can't win.

 

Personally, I will probably maintain my current wardrobe since I think it's better to be over-dressed than under-dressed. I got the impression that I was over-dressed for my university visit.

 

And, yes, I also think cleanliness is the most important thing you can "wear" lol esp if you will be teaching and must stand in front of a classroom. Pick something you feel good in to wear to avoid being overly self-concious in front of your students.

[Guest |||]

there is grad student attire?

 

tshirt and jeans all day everyday.

[33andathirdRPM]

And, yes, I also think cleanliness is the most important thing you can "wear" lol esp if you will be teaching and must stand in front of a classroom. Pick something you feel good in to wear to avoid being overly self-concious in front of your students.

 

This.

[guinevere29]

Most of the undergrads at my school dress very informal...like athletic shorts, t-shirts, just-woke-up look. The grad students do not get super dressed up; the clean comment above is very apt. I like to get slightly dressier (like one step down from business causual) when I teach class. I think especially if you look young, it helps students see you as an authority figure.

[mpheels]

I think it depends a lot on both the school and the field. There are six departments in the school I attended for my master's. The "style" in my department (health behavior) was what I call Peace Corps business casual - my cohort was almost all female (39:1), and about 1/4 were Peace Corps veterans. Most people wore jeans most days, with sweaters, nice t-shirts, scarves, and "ethnic" jewelry. Skirts and dresses were pretty common, and lots of natural fibers. The maternal and child health deparment was pretty similar. The more "sciencey" departments (evironmental health, epidemiology, biostatistics) tended towards jeans and t-shirts. Health policy and management was dressier - slacks, blouses, skirts and dresses, less color (or less bold color), more formal over all.

 

I currently wear slacks or khakis with a sweater or blouse for work most days, plus lots of skirts and dresses in the summer, and I wear a lot of color. When I visited campus for my PhD program in March, it was the same day as their annual career fair, so everyone was wearing suits and dark colors. My advisor was very well dressed (I don't know a lot about menswear, but I could tell his shirt was very well made). I'm going to play it safe at orientation and the first week of class, and dress pretty much like I do for work now (maybe with less bold color at first).

[splinter111]

Most of the undergrads at my school dress very informal...like athletic shorts, t-shirts, just-woke-up look. The grad students do not get super dressed up; the clean comment above is very apt. I like to get slightly dressier (like one step down from business causual) when I teach class. I think especially if you look young, it helps students see you as an authority figure.

 

Great post. I couldn't agree more