How to dress for interview in July

My daughter will be interviewing ED (obviously) in July. How dressed up should she get?

Where is she doing the interview and do you know the age of the interviewer? If the interview is in an office setting, the safest thing is “business casual”, so maybe a skirt or slacks with blouse. If it is at a coffee shop/public place or the school, she probably can go a tad more casual. If the interviewer is going to be an older alum, then more conservative is safer. Personally, as an interviewer (not for Wake), I don’t even notice what the interviewee wears, although no one has come to an interview wearing a t-shirt you might see on a beach.

Thanks BKSquared.
She’ll interview in the admissions office with and admissions counselor

Any WFU students or alumni have advice please?

Parent of a junior here. When our son interviewed on campus two summers ago, the girls were wearing dresses (think nice sundresses, maybe with a cotton cardi for the air conditioning). The boys wore khakis, button downs and sports coats, with or without ties.

Wow, I mean three summers ago. How time flies!

Two summers ago and dress was same as @thegriswolds . Also tell her that it was a comfortable conversation. S was a bit stressed going in as it was his first college interview. Didn’t know what to expect. Spent about 30 - 40 minutes. Said he thought he did really well and it was actually fun (he was proud of himself). Typical behavioral type questions to get a better sense of your D. opportunity to bring her application to life.

If you are touring as well that day, which is often the case, the expectation is that you will be comfortably and neatly dressed. I saw lots of boys in khaki shorts and Polo shirts. I agree that a sundress with a cardigan would fit the bill.

Tell her to enjoy the conversation!

When my S interviewed at Wake last spring, it was a hot day, so although I’d suggested khakis, I said okay to his preference of shorts, polo shirt and sneakers. The other kids in the admissions waiting area were absolutely more dressed up (roughly as described above; S had in fact chosen white-on-white, making it look like he’d just strolled off the tennis court). I privately sweated this misstep for months afterward. S was accepted regardless, so I am here to tell you I don’t think attire is a big part of what they’re looking at.

Above advice is good. I’d advise erring a little on the upside. Compared to other schools where mine (multiple kids) interviewed, there were a large number of students/families present. Parents wait in the downstairs lobby while students go upstairs or adjacent rooms for interviews, which do take 30 minutes to an hour. So you are sitting there for quite a while with other families, many of whom are wearing jackets and often ties, or dresses. I’d estimate there were about 20 families, give or take, waiting down in the lobby area with us.

We were at some places that we knew would be more casual (Reed). We were at other places where we knew it would be better to dress up (Hamilton). But those dressier places, other than Wake, were typically smaller affairs, with just another family or two, or no one else there for the interview. Wake places much more emphasis on the interview than most schools, so that makes sense.

I agree with @TTG. D wore a nice dress to her interview. I wore a blazer with tie, my standard college visit attire. There were lots of nervous looking families sitting in the visitors center, but the admissions counselors were friendly and professional. Most of the kids looked like they were dressed for a job interview. I don’t think it hurts to dress up a little.

In our case the counselor came downstairs and intoduced herself, took D upstairs for the interview, then brought her back downstairs and spoke to both of us for a short time. It was all very pleasant. D’s interview only took about 20 minutes, so I wouldn’t place too much emphasis on amount of time spent with the admissions staff.

D returned from her freshman year at Wake last week and loves the school. It has been a perfect fit for her in every way.

If you are worried about being over or under dressed, think about which would make you more uncomfortable. I am pretty sure the interviewers don’t care that much but if one makes you feel significantly less comfortable, it could impact your state of mind for the interview.

Thank you for all of your input.