What to Wear to a Campus Visit

[fancypants09]

I'm in need of some sartorial advice from the wonderful people on this forum---specifically, from the ladies---for an upcoming campus visit to UCLA in early March. 

 

I'm totally clueless on how to dress for this particular occasion. I'm used to corporate dress from my previous day job (suit, or a more formal business casual take on the suit---twinsets, blouses of all colors and stripes, you name them I've got them) or a variant thereof for teaching, but I think I'd definitely be way too overdressed. I thought about doing nice casual---flow-y pants with a short-sleeved blouse or a nice t-shirt, or a less business-y dress, so that I'd fit in more with the students there, but not sure if it would be formal enough. 

 

Then the shoes: Heels or no heels? I so want to wear flat sandals since I don't know how much I'll be walking through the day. 

 

I thought I'd ask for advice from lit folks as dress tends to be specific for the field. Thanks in advance for your input

[Dr. Old Bill]

I'd say you should wear fancy pants.

 

 

 

...

 

 

 

(Sorry, low-hanging fruit )

[fancypants09]

I'd say you should wear fancy pants.

 

 

 

...

 

 

 

(Sorry, low-hanging fruit )

 

How am I out of upvotes already?! BUT THIS. IS. THE. BEST. LOLLLL

[toasterazzi]

I only did one visit last year and I'd say most people were dressed fairly casually. I think I wore like dark jeans and a sweater. Some people wore tshirts. Some people wore skirts or dresses. I don't recall anybody being especially fancily dressed and nobody seemed to care one way or the other.

 

As for shoes, I'd definitely recommend something comfy. A campus tour was part of my visit, and there's no way I'd personally want to traipse around any campus in heels lol

[kurayamino]

I was wondering the same thing! I don't have more than one suit and I figured tht might be too dressy. I thought instead I would wear some slacks and a blouse with some flats. But I'll probably bring some jeans too, just in case that's still too dressy.

Also, I'll see you there!

[hypervodka]

It's not going to be formal at all. My advice: Wear a blouse if it makes you comfortable, but there'll be plenty of people donning t-shirts as well. Wear jeans rather than trousers, and wear comfortable shoes.

[margeryhemp]

I'm in need of some sartorial advice from the wonderful people on this forum---specifically, from the ladies---for an upcoming campus visit to UCLA in early March. 

 

I'm totally clueless on how to dress for this particular occasion. I'm used to corporate dress from my previous day job (suit, or a more formal business casual take on the suit---twinsets, blouses of all colors and stripes, you name them I've got them) or a variant thereof for teaching, but I think I'd definitely be way too overdressed. I thought about doing nice casual---flow-y pants with a short-sleeved blouse or a nice t-shirt, or a less business-y dress, so that I'd fit in more with the students there, but not sure if it would be formal enough. 

 

Then the shoes: Heels or no heels? I so want to wear flat sandals since I don't know how much I'll be walking through the day. 

 

I thought I'd ask for advice from lit folks as dress tends to be specific for the field. Thanks in advance for your input

 

THANK YOU for asking this!! Will you be at the UCLA "welcome week"?

[fancypants09]

I was wondering the same thing! I don't have more than one suit and I figured tht might be too dressy. I thought instead I would wear some slacks and a blouse with some flats. But I'll probably bring some jeans too, just in case that's still too dressy.

Also, I'll see you there!

 

Just PM'ed you! Hope to see you there too

 

THANK YOU for asking this!! Will you be at the UCLA "welcome week"?

 

Not sure whether my visit is part of "welcome week" or any formal orientation by my department; literally a day or two after I received my acceptance, my POI proposed a specific date for visiting (I had expressed interest in visiting before making my final decision), and the department and I have been planning for my visit based on that date. When are you going to be visiting, and are you with the English dept like kurayamino? It would be great to meet fellow GC/UCLA admits in person! 

[fancypants09]

I only did one visit last year and I'd say most people were dressed fairly casually. I think I wore like dark jeans and a sweater. Some people wore tshirts. Some people wore skirts or dresses. I don't recall anybody being especially fancily dressed and nobody seemed to care one way or the other.

 

As for shoes, I'd definitely recommend something comfy. A campus tour was part of my visit, and there's no way I'd personally want to traipse around any campus in heels lol

 

 

It's not going to be formal at all. My advice: Wear a blouse if it makes you comfortable, but there'll be plenty of people donning t-shirts as well. Wear jeans rather than trousers, and wear comfortable shoes.

 

Thanks for the advice---I think I'll go with some "fancy" pants (thanks WT!!) and blouse/t-shirts with sandals.

[margeryhemp]

Just PM'ed you! Hope to see you there too

 

 

Not sure whether my visit is part of "welcome week" or any formal orientation by my department; literally a day or two after I received my acceptance, my POI proposed a specific date for visiting (I had expressed interest in visiting before making my final decision), and the department and I have been planning for my visit based on that date. When are you going to be visiting, and are you with the English dept like kurayamino? It would be great to meet fellow GC/UCLA admits in person! 

 

I am! I'll be there from the 8-11th, and I'm with the English dept. GC meetup!!

[__________________________]

Thanks for starting this thread!  I'm jealous of all you UCLA admits talking about wearing sandals and t-shirts in February.  Ugh.  So I guess my questions will be limited to the midwesterners amongst us ;-)

 

But it'd be nice to have input from men too.  Do y'all reckon different schools will have different expectations?  I've never been able to tell where academics buy their clothes.  I was thinking of wearing the same sorts of clothes I wear for teaching when I visit UChicago next week -- corduroys, some Dockers shoes (classy, but comfortable), my faux-tweed jacket and a collared shirt, maybe a tie?  Too fancy?  My students always tell me I dress more fancily than most of their teachers (I was teaching about prejudice and had them give me their first visual impressions of me when they met me -- "uptight," "listens to classical music," etc. ) but I'm also a young teacher and just want to be taken seriously.  

 

Not so sure with academics though -- I went to a super casual SLAC and I just imagine, probably irrationally, all the bigger universities being much more "serious" and "classy" than what I'm used to as far as academic settings go....

[CarolineNC]

Haha, I'm planning on wearing what I darn well please. I've never seen a worse-dressed group than professors so I'm not worried about it. 

[circlewave]

I doubt it matters too much, as long as it's in good taste. Not too casual, but also not too trendy.

[__________________________]

Haha, I'm planning on wearing what I darn well please. I've never seen a worse-dressed group than professors so I'm not worried about it. 

out of upvotes...

 

I dunno.  I worry about this stuff a lot and I would think others would too.  Maybe I spent too much of my youth being labelled as the "poor kid" wearing hand-me-downs and $10 jeans that didn't fit me and always looking like shit.

[kurayamino]

I am! I'll be there from the 8-11th, and I'm with the English dept. GC meetup!!

Yay! It'll be so nice to sort of know some other people there!

[Dr. Old Bill]

If you're really in a bind, just dress like your area of study.

[__________________________]

If you're really in a bind, just dress like your area of study.

 

Time to dig out the old do-rag I guess... 

 

[lunalit]

I'm from LA, and I'd say dark jeans count for a happy medium between dressy and casual. Dark jeans, a blouse, flats (zomg do not wear heels - UCLA is on a hill). Bring a sweater in case it's cool and for air-conditioned buildings. 

 

Now being from LA, please advise as to how to dress in Chicago in March. Will a parka/boots still be necessary? I've no idea what to do with myself once the temperature goes below 55.

[kurayamino]

If you're really in a bind, just dress like your area of study.

Good thing I kept my stays and petticoats moth free!

 

 

I wonder if Addison will mind that my hoop skirt is over four yards..

[1Q84]

Time to dig out the old do-rag I guess... 

 

 

Legit lolled in bed when I saw this. 

 

As for modern-day dress, for the guys I think the new "dressy casual" is the nice sweater with dark blue, fitted jeans (as opposed to the somewhat dated polo with khakis). Seems like a standard go-to. I guess khakis could still substitute in and not look too formal. I normally wear this kind of outfit to teach or just a button-down but I think I would avoid a button-down for a campus visit. It feels stuffy. 

[__________________________]

 

I wonder if Addison will mind that my hoop skirt is over four yards..

 

ROFL <3  I hope your carriage has a good pulley system

 

 

I'm from LA, and I'd say dark jeans count for a happy medium between dressy and casual. Dark jeans, a blouse, flats (zomg do not wear heels - UCLA is on a hill). Bring a sweater in case it's cool and for air-conditioned buildings. 

 

Now being from LA, please advise as to how to dress in Chicago in March. Will a parka/boots still be necessary? I've no idea what to do with myself once the temperature goes below 55.

 

I'm from Los Angeles too, midwesterner-by-transplant of five years.  The weather out here has been rather schizophrenic, bouncing around between temperatures a lot.  All those temperatures will probably translate as "cold as the ninth circle of hell" for you though.

 

In March, it won't be so bad as February, depending when.  If you're in the city, a parka and snow boots will likely be overkill.  Number one rule in the midwest is to have layers available.  Bring a winter jacket -- by this I don't mean a parka, just something synthetic that can take cold weather.  Shoes, you won't need boots, but something water resistant and with some sort of grip might be good.  If you're wearing a dress, bring leggings. Check the weather ahead of time and be prepared for it to be, like, 10-20 degrees warmer or colder depending on how far ahead you're preparing.  I dunno, you can dress the same in Chicago as anywhere else, just be willing to throw a coat over if you have to.  The weather can be unpredictable sometimes, which is why the weather is a totally legitimate and widely accepted form of conversation -- from small talk to speculative debates -- all over the midwest.

[ráiméis15]

I'm at UCLA. Heels aren't a great idea, especially if the department arranges a campus tour (can't remember if that happens at welcome week, orientation, or both). As others have mentioned, UCLA is pretty hilly.

 

Dark jeans, nice blouse/light sweater (I'd avoid a t-shirt, but nothing incredibly fancy), and flats will be almost definitely be fine. If you want to err on the side of dressier, substitute black pants for jeans.  Casual dress or skirt is also fine, but that raises the heel/flat question again. A suit would be WAY overkill. 

 

Plan for temperatures somewhere between 60-75 during the day; if it's "cold"(I know, midwesterners, I know) temps may drop into high fifties at night. <--I mention this only because the department reception is outdoors. 

 

See you all in March-- and congrats!

Edited February 18, 2015 by ráiméis15

[__________________________]

I'm from LA, and I'd say dark jeans count for a happy medium between dressy and casual. Dark jeans, a blouse, flats (zomg do not wear heels - UCLA is on a hill). Bring a sweater in case it's cool and for air-conditioned buildings. 

 

Now being from LA, please advise as to how to dress in Chicago in March. Will a parka/boots still be necessary? I've no idea what to do with myself once the temperature goes below 55.

[mikers86]

It all depends on what the department has planned for the visit. If it's more a campus tour/department introduction/Q&A with grad students/lunch arrangement, then dark jeans, shirt/sweater, and COMFORTABLE SHOES are standard. But if there's an official recruitment dinner after, depending on the venue (I only just noticed where our recruitment dinner was being held...posh) a t-shirt and a pair of Converse may not be the most appropriate attire. Layers are your friend.

[silenus_thescribe]

Now being from LA, please advise as to how to dress in Chicago in March. Will a parka/boots still be necessary? I've no idea what to do with myself once the temperature goes below 55.