Interview weekend attire

[refreshingmyemail]

Hey everyone,

I have my first interview weekend coming up and I'm starting to overthink what I should be wearing.  I don't want to overdress but I don't want to underdress too. Does anyone have any suggestions?

[icantseethespacebar]

42 minutes ago, refreshingmyemail said:

Hey everyone,

I have my first interview weekend coming up and I'm starting to overthink what I should be wearing.  I don't want to overdress but I don't want to underdress too. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Business attire. You should look professional. And I was always told to avoid dresses and skirts (they can be distracting? Of course this is coming from male professors). You could get away with nice slacks, top, and blazer for women and a suit for men. Over dressing would be waaaayyy better than under dressing--it just shows that you care! I've also gotten mixed reports on wearing colorful anything. Some say it's good to wear a color on top that stands out, but you also don't want to be too flashy. You want them to remember your name for the right reasons!

[VentureIntoNothingness]

I am very glad that someone started this thread. I have been brooding for a while. I know that suit would suffice for the interview day. But what should I wear when the grad student come pick me up? My interview places would be cold but my suit is relatively "thin," what should I wear to keep myself warm? A coat, but would I have to take that off and carry it around awkwardly from a faculty to another faculty? What should I wear for the "grad student party"? What should I wear for post-interview "casual" hangouts (with grad students)?

[artsy16]

8 hours ago, icantseethespacebar said:

Business attire. You should look professional. And I was always told to avoid dresses and skirts (they can be distracting? Of course this is coming from male professors). You could get away with nice slacks, top, and blazer for women and a suit for men. Over dressing would be waaaayyy better than under dressing--it just shows that you care! I've also gotten mixed reports on wearing colorful anything. Some say it's good to wear a color on top that stands out, but you also don't want to be too flashy. You want them to remember your name for the right reasons!

Wow. Avoid dresses and skirts? I've never heard that one before. I am very skeptical of that coming from men (and honestly wouldn't want to work with them if they feel distracted by a woman in a business dress or skirt!)

 

49 minutes ago, VentureIntoNothingness said:

I am very glad that someone started this thread. I have been brooding for a while. I know that suit would suffice for the interview day. But what should I wear when the grad student come pick me up? My interview places would be cold but my suit is relatively "thin," what should I wear to keep myself warm? A coat, but would I have to take that off and carry it around awkwardly from a faculty to another faculty? What should I wear for the "grad student party"? What should I wear for post-interview "casual" hangouts (with grad students)?

I'm wearing regular clothes on the plane/to be picked up. All my interviews are preceded by a dinner (at a student's house) only for current and prospective student. No need to be fancy, just comfortable. I'm dressing like I would for class (jeans and a t). 

 

From my itineraries, there is 0 time between interview day concluding and after interview events/hangouts, so we'll be wearing our business attire. I don't mind. 

Edited January 23, 2016 by artsy16

[mylifeinshambles]

8 hours ago, icantseethespacebar said:

Business attire. You should look professional. And I was always told to avoid dresses and skirts (they can be distracting? Of course this is coming from male professors). You could get away with nice slacks, top, and blazer for women and a suit for men. Over dressing would be waaaayyy better than under dressing--it just shows that you care! I've also gotten mixed reports on wearing colorful anything. Some say it's good to wear a color on top that stands out, but you also don't want to be too flashy. You want them to remember your name for the right reasons!

I really hate that females are told to avoid dresses and skirts because it's "distracting". No offense but I think that's bullshit and I don't think there's anything wrong with wearing a tasteful dress or skirt. 

[FeelTheBern]

5 hours ago, VentureIntoNothingness said:

What should I wear for the "grad student party"?

For the events hosted by the graduate students (socials, dinners, mixers, etc.), my SO is wearing a button down with an argyle, v-neck sweater over and dress pants. Based on what people have been posting on here, I am assuming that this may be a bit overdressed, but in this situation I feel like overdressing can't hurt one bit. Better to be overdressed than under-dressed is usually my rule of thumb.

[kjc]

14 hours ago, refreshingmyemail said:

Hey everyone,

I have my first interview weekend coming up and I'm starting to overthink what I should be wearing.  I don't want to overdress but I don't want to underdress too. Does anyone have any suggestions?

This is somewhat field-specific. Ecology, for example, tends to be more casual. At one of my interview weekends everyone (but me), including professors, was wearing fairly casual clothes (nice jeans and a button up (but not fancy) shirt and sensible shoes). I felt really out of place wearing full-on business clothes, so I adjusted for the rest of the days. 

What I would suggest is to dress kind of middle-of-the-road (i.e. nice khakis and a tucked-in button up, maybe?) on the first day and adjust up or down on subsequent days depending on how the professors and other students are dressed. I think the most important part is that you look put together and like you would fit in well with their department. If they are a group that dresses fairly casually because they are constantly out in the field digging through the dirt, it might be off-putting if you are wearing a suit. 

So I guess moral of the story is, wear business casual the first day then read and react! That's what I would do, at least. 

On another note, for events exclusively with graduate students (like and evening party) you can dress casually (but still look clean and well put together!), as long as it is not at a fancy restaurant or something. 

[ayerhead]

I was set on wearing a suit, and then the invitation for interview specifically stated business casual. That always seems so much more difficult! Women's business casual has such a wide range of choices. I'll be trying on everything to see what looks best. I'm thinking slacks and a nice sweater with a few understated accessories.

[St0chastic]

12 hours ago, kjc said:

What I would suggest is to dress kind of middle-of-the-road (i.e. nice khakis and a tucked-in button up, maybe?) on the first day and adjust up or down on subsequent days depending on how the professors and other students are dressed.

This is what I'm planning on doing.  As others have said, it's preferable to be overdressed than underdressed, but it might be a bit awkward being the only one wearing full-blown business attire.  I'm also going to bring a blazer with me that I can quickly put on if things become more formal.  

19 hours ago, VentureIntoNothingness said:

But what should I wear when the grad student come pick me up? My interview places would be cold but my suit is relatively "thin," what should I wear to keep myself warm? A coat, but would I have to take that off and carry it around awkwardly from a faculty to another faculty? 

I've been wondering this myself.  I'll probably just play it safe and have business casual attire on at the airport.  I can always change into something comfier later if it feels appropriate. And while it might be a little awkward to carry a coat around indoors, it will be even more awkward not having one outside in the middle of winter!

[khunconan]

On 1/22/2016 at 9:18 AM, icantseethespacebar said:

Business attire. You should look professional. And I was always told to avoid dresses and skirts (they can be distracting? Of course this is coming from male professors). You could get away with nice slacks, top, and blazer for women and a suit for men. Over dressing would be waaaayyy better than under dressing--it just shows that you care! I've also gotten mixed reports on wearing colorful anything. Some say it's good to wear a color on top that stands out, but you also don't want to be too flashy. You want them to remember your name for the right reasons!

I would recommend against working with any professor who can be distracted by a below-the-knee skirt suit.

[PinkFreud22]

What I have been told from current graduate students and professors at my current undergraduate institutions is that for events with the grad students wear jeans and a casual but still nice top and a sweater if you'll be somewhere colder and for the big interview and meeting the faculty day wear dress slacks or an appropriately lengthened skirt with a blouse/button up and a cardigan. I have heard the advice to not wear anything too shocking (bold patterns, neon colors, etc.). I have also been told to wear nice but comfortable shoes because a lot of interview weekends will involve campus tours and walking so uncomfortable shoes could make that experience negative. 

Side note: The graduate student I work with closely now advised bringing a snack or two on interview days because it can be a very long day so having a quick pick me up can be helpful. 

Good luck to everyone on interviews in the upcoming weeks! 

[hippyscientist]

Interview attire: don't be someone you're not. If you like colourful clothing, put a pop of colour in your outfit - evidently don't wear like a bright fuschia suit, but a bright bag or shirt isn't the end of the world. If you want to wear jeans, I would suggest leaving them for grad student only events. But that's not to say that leggings, smart boots and a long-line tunic wouldn't be out of place and that's comfy and smart (can you tell I live in gym kit all the time?). Comfy shoes are a must.

At the end of the day be the presentable and put-together version of you. Put yourself in their shoes, the clothes aren't going to be the only factor deciding whether or not you get in. Personality and fit are much greater indicators, and the fact that you care about clothes and what they might say shows that you're not going to eff it up.

Also, if you're a skirt/dress person (I'm not) wear it. Who does some geriatric head-up-his-bum professor think he is to say no to perfectly respectable clothing?! (Ugh).

(Take this with a pinch of salt, 90% of my professors teach in sweatpants and hoodies)

Edited January 24, 2016 by piglet33

[Moemoemoe]

What are the feelings regarding piercings and tattoos? I have a nose ring and wondering if I should remove it before I go to interviews. My tattoos are easily covered by sleeves, but if students/faculty saw them could it be detrimental? 

 

[Anxiousapplicant01]

2 minutes ago, Moemoemoe said:

What are the feelings regarding piercings and tattoos? I have a nose ring and wondering if I should remove it before I go to interviews. My tattoos are easily covered by sleeves, but if students/faculty saw them could it be detrimental? 

 

It really depends on the department! One interview I went on faculty were very formal and conservative and that probably would've been frowned upon. However, at another, I walked in to see that the head of department had blue hair! So it really depends, but I would cover the tattoos and take out the piercings to be safe! 

[hippyscientist]

5 hours ago, Moemoemoe said:

What are the feelings regarding piercings and tattoos? I have a nose ring and wondering if I should remove it before I go to interviews. My tattoos are easily covered by sleeves, but if students/faculty saw them could it be detrimental? 

 

I put in retainers for my nose ring and tong ring (the little skin colored plastic things). It was then clear I had made an effort to tone it down for schools but wasn't up for getting rid of them. No one said anything.

[artsy16]

12 hours ago, Moemoemoe said:

What are the feelings regarding piercings and tattoos? I have a nose ring and wondering if I should remove it before I go to interviews. My tattoos are easily covered by sleeves, but if students/faculty saw them could it be detrimental? 

 

I put in clear glass retainers for my nose rings, no one said anything. Probably didn't even notice--I was surprised that *I* didn't even notice them sometimes! I have tattoos as well, but nothing that shows easily (at least, not in the dead of winter). I think that professors MAY have more of a bias against piercings and tattoos than the current students, but it's a toss up really. My advice is to play it safe. You can show your tattoos and piercings after you're accepted and have secured a place as a student

[Johnic73]

30 minutes ago, artsy16 said:

I put in clear glass retainers for my nose rings, no one said anything. Probably didn't even notice--I was surprised that *I* didn't even notice them sometimes! I have tattoos as well, but nothing that shows easily (at least, not in the dead of winter). I think that professors MAY have more of a bias against piercings and tattoos than the current students, but it's a toss up really. My advice is to play it safe. You can show your tattoos and piercings after you're accepted and have secured a place as a student

Thanks for discussing piercings within this forum. I have an eyebrow piercing, which is obviously visible in comparison to my ear piercings. The program I'm interviewing at (IIT - clinical psychology) is rather liberal, and I have heard from friends going to IIT's clinical psych program that someone within their cohort has large gaged ears. My advice from my advisor is to play it safe as well. For clinical psych interviewees it comes across as being conscientious of varying situations (e.g., professional) and can be related to a person's openness to adjust their appearance for such situations. He gave the example of clinicians needing to come across as less individualized so to be approachable by a diverse array of clients. For the record, my advisor does not care about piercings and forgot (after working with me for three years) that I even had my eyebrow pierced until I broached this topic with him. He suggested taking my piercing out for my actual interviews with my POI and then replacing my usual rod with a clear retainers for the remainder of interview day. He also is very close with my POI (went to undergrad together, researched in same lab for 6 years, etc.) and said he doubts my POI will be concerned with a piercing but that my POI would at least appreciate my conscientious to take out the piercing for an interview. As for tattoos, my are all easily coverable as long as my hair is down/partly down, so my advisor said not to worry. He did caution that eventually as a professional and someday a clinician I may have to take my piercing out altogether, especially when practicing in a clinic. Anyways. . . I thought I'd share my experience

[psycgrad37]

As many have pointed out, business attire is best for interviews. As for socials, I say business casual or even just jeans and a nice button down or nice sweater with plain shirt underneath. I wouldn't do just t-shirt and jeans as I think it's a little too casual. 

For piercings and tattoos, I think it really depends on the field. For Psychology, I think some piercings (such as a small nose stud or extra earrings) are acceptable but much more than that I think it would be best to take it out. I have seen people with small nose studs at interviews and no one seemed to mind. I haven't seen any visible tattoos but I think that as long as they're not in the neck/face area where they're very visible then you should be fine.