My child heard through the grapevine that it is perfectly acceptable for girls to wear jeans and sneakers to their Thacher interview. (She wore dresses and flats to interview at other schools).
Is that true? I’m hoping that @ThacherParent , @patronyork or others who have visited Thacher already can comment!
Even if she **can/b the better question is whether she should.
As an analogy, I interviewed for internships at companies where calling the dress code “casual” would be a stretch. But I would never show up for an interview anywhere wearing jeans and sneakers. Nor would I rely on anecdotes through the grapevine. Even if they allowed casual dress for interviewees (as is the case with college admissions interviews) there are many options that are on the continuum between jeans and sneakers at one end and dresses and flats on the other.
Thacher is the sort of place that sells pocket knives in their school store…so I think they are different than most schools. But I would stick with dresses and flats.
Just because some kids told your D that you could, that doesn’t mean you should!
The interview confirmation letter says to wear comfortable clothes and shoes. We may compromise with a casual dress and converse… (The grapevine, in this case, includes a recent graduate…)
I can only speak for the guys (I’ve never understood how to translate it to female equivalents), but boys should definitely wear tuxedos…JK. Some kids go to the interview in coat and tie, but I’d put them in the minority. While in almost every case, I feel interviewees should dress up a little bit as a sign of respect for the process, Thacher IS in southern California and you’re more likely to fit in dressing a bit more casually. The admissions team wears open collar button downs and slacks or NICE jeans. I would imitate them https://www.thacher.org/page/admission/meet-the-team. The only thing to avoid is sloppiness, wrinkles, dirty shoes, unkempt hair etc.
I will translate for ThacherParent 
: I think the casual dress and converse (not dirty, though) split the difference well.
I agree with @SevenDad - casual dress + sneakers or comfortable flats are fine. Don’t wear jeans. Same goes for Cate, if you’re visiting there as well.
General rule of thumb is to take school dress code and match it (or go a little dressier for a super casual school). Something you’d wear to religious services, a nice dinner with grandparents, etc. Mine wore khakis and blazer to all schools for interviews. For revisit days he wore casual at casual schools.
The reason they suggest you wear comfortable clothes and shoes is because you will be walking in and around horse stalls. Remember that freshmen will be assigned a horse to take care of for the year. Traction is important during the stroll around campus. Dress shoes may be too slick and unstable in this arena. BTW, a good place to visit when in the area is the miniature horses in Solvang.
The advice for #8 applies to Thacher, of course.
When we went to interview everyone was wearing formal-semi formal clothing. Parents in business casual. Kids in either short + blazer or nice shirt + shorts and girls in pant/skirt with a blouse. I will say that I was glad I didn’t wear my flats because we went around campus and the sneakers helped a lot. A lot of walking and some places were slippery…
@Atria: Thacher is…well, a little different than most schools. A bit more outdoorsy, western, rustic. Though neither of my kids applied, I visited when in the area for other business and am a huge fan of the school.
Parent of a current student here. Because the interview process is a bit different at Thacher-- there is a group session-- your child may want to consider how she will feel if she is dressed much more casually than others in the interviewee pool. (Notably, though, the enrolled student group will have wide variances in formality.) T-shirt and jeans is probably too casual. Church dress is too formal. (My daughter wore a dress to interview, but she tends to dress up more at school.) Go with what makes your child feel most confident.
DS wore a blue blazer, dress shirt, khakis & desert boots to both Cate & Thacher interviews. He was not overdressed and there were definitely other applicants there wearing ties (plus some kids in sweats - seriously!). Again, for boys, girls AND parents, wear comfortable, sensible shoes to every school visit. You will be doing a lot of walking and will want to be comfortable.
There was NO ONE wearing a jacket or tie when we visited… and plenty of dads AND kids in shorts.
I guess I went on “formal” day with both my DD and then 2 years later, my DS @CaliMex LOL! The East Coast kids were definitely more dressed up both times I visited. My kids found it easiest to wear literally the same outfit to every single school, minus the tie for DS for Cate/Thacher only.
My favorite interview outfit sighting was at Choate however - very preppy & dressed up Mr & Mrs Howell parents, with their applicant daughter in a bright purple Juicy (written on the rear) track suit and Uggs. Pink hair, not brushed. Clearly VERY annoyed. We still talk about her and fantasize about where she ended up and how she’s doing and what she’s wearing.
There was even a girl in tiny denim shorts.