What to wear for visiting days

[pastthesarcophagi]

What do we wear? Anthro is a very casual field but I don't want to appear slovenly. Do people dress in business-casual or just nice-casual...? Is anyone else nervous they will visit and be told their acceptance was a mistake? hehe

[nevermind]

I'm in a very interdisciplinary field (not anthro) and I'm going to wear a pencil skirt ensemble with flats (probably lots of walking). If you're female, something like these may work:

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/543317142523796297/

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/526499012658610143/

http://www.polyvore.com/grad_school/set?.svc=copypaste&embedder=3415147&id=44634375

[sierra918]

I've been mulling over this as well! I have s campus visit over the next two days. I'm going to do business casual tomorrow and see what everyone else wears for Friday ?

[busybee]

I visited CUNY this past week and wore a pretty and uniquely-printed (yet casual) dress with a casual blazer, black tights and black Toms! A few of us girls wore Blazers but no one was wearing super business formal with pressed pants or high heels or anything. It was definitely the paired-down-anthropologist-slightly-formal wear. My dress was also printed in a style somewhat similar to the area I want to work--this is really just my personal style coming out, but don't be afraid to let your personal style shine! I would say not to wear jeans, at least, but perhaps a nice pair of slacks--and blazers are not necessities. 

[busybee]

2 hours ago, nevermind said:

I'm in a very interdisciplinary field (not anthro) and I'm going to wear a pencil skirt ensemble with flats (probably lots of walking). If you're female, something like these may work:

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/543317142523796297/

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/526499012658610143/

http://www.polyvore.com/grad_school/set?.svc=copypaste&embedder=3415147&id=44634375

I LOVE this last look! It is perfect for interviews, I think!

[Eigen]

Just please, please wear something professional. It doesn't have to be fancy, but it needs to be professional. 

We've had people wearing things that have no business whatsoever in a professional situation to interviews recently. A polo and slacks wouldn't draw any comments in our department, but something suited for a nightclub rather than a day of interviews definitely does.

[rising_star]

This is the "gold standard" for think about what anthropologists wear in professional settings, like conferences: http://savageminds.org/2013/11/20/conference-chic-or-how-to-dress-like-an-anthropologist/ 

[Ajtz'ihb]

I think the pinterest/polyvore links above give a pretty good idea of appropriate dress for female applicants. And that savage minds article is a classic. For men, I would recommend something along the lines of oxford shirt, chinos or dark jeans, and leather shoes (e.g. oxfords or chukka boots). I don't think a jacket is necessary unless the weather requires it. 

My own general guideline would simply be to look like you care and that you have some sense of contextual appropriateness: nothing flashy, nothing sexy. Just, y'know, "nice."

[Slagatha]

Please, please, do yourself a favor and wear comfortable shoes! I made the mistake of tidy shoes that I though were comfortable but after a day of touring the campus and wandering around between classes I ended up limping around with two blisters that were the size of 6th and 7th toes. Never again.

One of the guys on my visit only brought suit with him, and wore it across three days. Not ideal in the California "winter" we were stuck in. It was tidy, but noticeable. I wore dark black jeans and shirts on two of the days, and opted for a top/cardigan/scarf ensemble (hahaha) on the third day. After the first day you see what the other folks are wearing and know what you can get away with for the second, but it's harder if it's just a one day visit. In the end, you don't want to wear something in which you're visibly uncomfortable, right? That'll just make you feel a bit off, and you want to be as comfortable with yourself as you can be. 

[MedAnth077]

On 3/4/2016 at 11:16 AM, rising_star said:

This is the "gold standard" for think about what anthropologists wear in professional settings, like conferences: http://savageminds.org/2013/11/20/conference-chic-or-how-to-dress-like-an-anthropologist/ 

I find that article pretty hilarious, if only because it is so accurate. I wonder what my flair is supposed to be if I want to do ethnographic fieldwork in hospitals in the United States?!

All in all, for the ladies, I would echo what's been said and note that decent slacks or a pencil shirt (knee-length), paired with a cardigan and a nice tee/sleeveless shirt (I always tend towards the polyester ones since they seem to resistant wrinkling a little better than silk shirts) can look very simple and professional. If you're already accepted, I would not even bother with a suit. You're in, you might as well keep it professional but also be yourself (and thus be comfortable). At that point, you're there to see department and determine if it's a good fit for you, not to wow them with your amazing wardrobe.

Edited March 8, 2016 by MedAnth077

[smallaxe]

On 3/7/2016 at 4:54 AM, MedAnth077 said:

I find that article pretty hilarious, if only because it is so accurate. I wonder what my flair is supposed to be if I want to do ethnographic fieldwork in hospitals in the United States?!

Lab coat. Blood stained scrubs. Stethoscope. Crocs.

I watch Grey's Anatomy a  lot 

[MedAnth077]

3 hours ago, jamesaly said:

Lab coat. Blood stained scrubs. Stethoscope. Crocs.

I watch Grey's Anatomy a  lot 

Hmm... that sounds dangerously close to the "participant" part of the "participant observation"! I'll take the ironic lab coat any day though.