<p>Aside from the occasional miniskirt, my clothes tend to be pretty classy, so I think I'll just wear whatever I'd wear to school: for instance, a patterned or embellished knee-length skirt, a colorful shirt and/or sweater, cute flats, a discreet silver necklace, and interesting (but not exaggerated) earrings. If it's cold enough, I'll wear a long black wool coat and a colorful scarf... yeah, I like bright colors. </p>
<p>When I visited Swarthmore I was mistaken for a tour guide because all the other prospectives were wearing jeans (I wore a skirt, flats, and a cabled sweater; our actual tour guide wore faded jeans and flip flops), so I don't think there's any danger of me being underdressed. ;)</p>
<p>I'm going to throw in a slighly different way of looking at this for your consideration.</p>
<p>The clothes you are wearing, at any given time, says something about you.</p>
<p>If you are wearing running clothes, for example it says "I'm an athlete." If you wear a lot of expensive looking jewelry it says "I want you to see I have money" (at least that's what I think it says.)</p>
<p>My D had three interviews. I reviewed the various school's marketing materials, and I considered this in light of how these school are actually perceived "on the street." Two schools were similar, percieved as nerdy but marketed as edgy. The other is percieved as pop culture and marketed as Ivy League-like.</p>
<p>I had D dress as to how these schools want themselves to be seen, ie how they market themselves. So she dressed funky for the nerdy schools and Preppy for pop culture school. All these interviews were serious interviews, none were done by alums, but the same thinking might apply to alum interviews, though in this case I'd dress as to how alums want to see their school.</p>
<p>This is probably a bit easier for girls as they have a wider array of clothing options.</p>
<p>What ever you decide to wear, think about the message you are sending. You ARE sending one. Think about it. I wouldn't say what you wear or don't wear is a huge factor, more a subliminal one. But even so, why not have the subliminal message work in your favor?</p>
<p>I can't help but feel stupid when I wear dress pants. Would a black turtleneck and a shortish -ish!- skirt with black tights be a bad idea? Actually, would any skirt hitting above the knee be a bad idea? I'm guessing yes, but I don't want to look either fake or foolish.</p>
<p>I know I enjoy skirts above the knees, but i'd reccomend against it for such a formal meeting ;)
if you do wear one, be sure to (without going in-depth) cross your legs lol</p>
<p>I do alumni interviews in informal locations. Because I know that students stress about what to wear, I usually tell students that they do not need to "dress up" for the interview. I think that dressing for the interview--whether formally or informally--is about what NOT to wear. I shouldn't remember what you were wearing. Common sense should prevail--no short skirts (shorter than just above the knee), no low pants, no belly shirts, no low tops, no ripped jeans, tasteful make-up, no distracting jewelry. I also would avoid wildly expensive designer accessories because, even though "appropriate", you do not know your interviewer and they really can stand out. You can dress with individual flair, but don't feel as though you need to make a statement. The impression you want to make is about what comes out of your mouth. While I have never mentioned on an evaluation form what an applicant was wearing (in 20 years of interviewing) and always try very hard to focus on the substance of the individual, inappropriate clothing has never helped anyone show their interesting, intellectual, passionate, etc. side and is most definitely distracting in a way that is not most helpful to an applicant.</p>
<p>I had my MIT interview at a place of business, so I wore a formal shirt and trousers (I'm a girl, but not very comfortable in a skirt), and very minimal jewellery (stud earrings and a brooch). I think it worked.</p>
<p>What you wear to an interview says more about your social intelligence than anything else. Show up in a suit at a suburban coffee shop, and you'll likely look out of place. Ditto for being too casual in the offices of a high-powered law firm or bank CEO. I'd say in most venues a "business casual" approach is fine - it's flexible enough that even if the interviewer is dressed up or down you'll feel comfortable. If the interview is in an office or other unfamiliar location, don't hesitate to ask how people dress there. Even some law offices and corporations are going casual at times.</p>
<p>Can't speak much for college interviews, but in the world of work the interview dress should always be a suit and or other business attire. It's not so much about what you are wearing, but if the applicant is too dumb to figure out that they should dress for an interview, you have to wonder what else they are lacking in as far as common sense. </p>
<p>Perhaps in the college setting admission reps are more forgiving since it is a young person, but I'd still advise at the very least avoiding anything that draws attention to itself (no heavy perfume, no jewelry other than a simple ring or watch, no heavy makeup, no outlandish clothes). You don't want them to focus on your clothes - you want them to focus on you.</p>
<p>My last (and 6th? 7th? 8th? I've lost count) interview is this Monday, and it's for one of my top choice schools :) So from my experience... </p>
<ul>
<li>white khakis / black dressy pants</li>
<li>knee-length or longer skirts</li>
<li>collared white blouse / oxford shirts / polos</li>
<li>nice sweater or blazer in case it's cold</li>
<li>nice jacket (peacoats, etc... not those arctic ones that look like eskimos should wear, lol)</li>
<li>black dress shoes (flats or kitten heels/pumps will work as well for girls)</li>
<li>no misc. things like huge dangly earrings or piercings stick out... don't have like 20 rings on your hands (my friend did this to an interview... did not work out), no random tattoos or such showing. DO NOT wear excessive amounts of makeup if you're a girl: au natural, subtle is the way to go. no chipped nail polish (unfortunately I forgot my first interview, LOL. I hid my hands the whole time :P)</li>
</ul>
<p>Omg my Yale interview (first interview!) is next week! It's going to be at a Borders cafe. How is a nice pair of jeans and a button-down shirt for a guy?</p>
<p>Heh. I wore a mid-thigh-length skirt and a sweatshirt (it was raining!), lol. The interview went great, but it was with a very young interviewer at a Starbucks, so that might be part of the reason it was no big deal. And she wore jeans.</p>
<p>I know I'm reviving an old thread, but better than being annoying and starting a new one right? Anyway...I'm going to visit two schools this week. I will be meeting with an admissions councelor at both of them and I will also be going on campus tours. Since I will be walking around the campus and trying to see if I could "fit in," should this affect what I wear? I want to be comfortable, but not too casual right? I was thinking of jeans and a turtleneck sweater or cords and a sweater, would this work? For reference, if I had my way, I would wear jeans and a t-shirt every day.</p>
<p>I have an interview tomrrow at my house (he/she asked if my house would be fine, I said yes). I have asked how I should dress like so many times from different people lol… But anyway, I’m not very good with fashion, or even names of dresses etc…</p>
<p>I was going to buy a khaki pant but I bought a modern fit pant (they look similar I think but modern fit pant(express photographer?) is a bit more ummm “glassy, cool, fashion looking?”). Anyway, would that be fine or should I go return it and buy something else. for the top, I’m going to wear a white button shirt and a vest.</p>
<p>With the interviews I’ve had during campus visits, it wasn’t so much an event as part of a day-- so don’t overdress for your day, just make sure what you’re wearing is appropriate for when you do have your interview. I’d assume a similar dress code applies for location interviews. Dress nicely, but not conspicuously.</p>
<p>By the way, for the guys who like their jeans and t-shirts-- just wear a blazer over the t-shirt and make sure it’s a dark wash of jean and that everything fits well.</p>