What should I wear to my UChicago alumni interview?
-male
Whatever makes you comfortable that is a step above jeans and tshirt. Khakis and button down shirt or even a polo shirt should be fine. Unless of course the interview is at some fancy joint that requires a jacket but I would think that is highly unlikely. Clean, unwrinkled and not too loud (unless you want to stand out for your fashion sense like Johnny Weir).
Generally rule is business casual – for a guy that would be neat khakis or slacks with either a button down shirt, a nice sweater, or a polo shirt, and loafers or topsiders. It sounds silly but basic grooming – like brushing hair/teeth before interview make a difference as well. (The exception is if you are meeting the interviewer in his/her business office then I might wear a blazer.)
Loafers or topsiders seem like upper middle class footwear options to me. As an interviewer (not for U of C), I don’t pay attention to what shoes the applicant is wearing.
I’ve done a lot of interviews over the years as an alumn for my top 20 school and kids show up in just about anything. Truly, I don’t care. They are students. Many come from school directly or play on a team. What I care about is that they arrive on time, minus any helicopter parents, show passion for the school they are interviewing for. What I care about is if they have chosen X school as their first choice, knowing that they’ve out of necessity applied to several, and that they speak with genuine ardor. As an interviewer I don’t know their grades or their test scores. I’m there to assess who this person is, find out if they have a story they want to tell that helps explain their application that may not show up on their application. Additionally I think it’s almost impossible to ignore the fact that certain schools attract certain communities of people. Chicago is one, IMO. While this won’t make or break an interview, it can help a person feel like the right “fit” if you happen to have that personality. As an interviewer, I reassure the person that I can’t hurt their chances (and I can’t actually hurt their chances) but I may be able to help. Finally, I’m there to attempt to answer any questions that the person has about the school. Come equipped with questions. It makes for a great convo. In recent years I’ve noticed that some of the candidates ask about “traditions” and “what extracurriculars did you do while there”? as if their schools had primed them to ask certain questions in the interview. The first time I heard these questions I was impressed! Then I heard them time and again and I’m not so impressed. And I noticed that the interviewee drifted off during my answers . . . I’m boring, I know . . . and they are pretty good questions! Just over used. See if you can figure out ahead of time questions that you have genuine interest in and can stay awake during the answer. Best of luck.