Apologies if I’ve missed this. But are we talking about an interview now (where it’s been sweltering in many parts of the country) or are we talking about something in the fall when temperatures are more moderate?
Pizzagirl, we’re talking about on-campus interviews after a full day on campus (tour, information session, meeting with a professor and then admissions office interview) in August and early September, in the Northeast.
You could also wear shorts for the walking-around and then have a pair of khakis in your car and change before the interview. In general, on a hot day, it would make sense that someone would spend a few minutes in an air-conditioned bathroom and freshen up a bit anyway.
@hunt, if the interviewer dings my kid for not wearing khakis, it’s not the school for her. We’re not a default to the safest option kind of family, for better or for worse.
Is that the same advice you’ve give your kid if she were interviewing for a job? Take me as I am or lump it? (And yes, I get interviewing for a lifeguard job doesn’t call for the same clothing as interviewing for an office-based job.)
Nobody thinks the interviewer is going to write “Shorts–reject” on the interview form. However, interviewing is about putting your best foot forward. It includes things like looking the interviewer in the eye, knowing how to shake hands, being prepared with questions and answers to likely questions, and, in my opinion, presenting an appearance that does not detract from the interview.
And let me say that my view about this would be much stronger if we were talking about meeting an alumni interviewer, as opposed to an on-campus interview after a tour. An alumni interviewer (in my opinion) is more likely to notice unprofessional dress, and more likely to wonder about the seriousness of an applicant who doesn’t dress appropriately for an interview. Let me add that I think many interviewers would also react negatively to a student dressed up in a suit for a college interview at Starbucks. But business casual will not cause the interviewer to think at all about what you are wearing, which is what you want.
It depends. H has super long hair that he wears in a ponytail, and he’s an executive. Most people would have told him to cut it for an interview.
I’ve never not nailed an interview. Never. I typically don’t look like a drone when I walk in, but I’m not walking in in flip flops and sweatpants, either. Because that’s stupid, and I’m not.
Unless you’re Zuckerberg and already a bajillionaire, you have to be able to balance what the client/school/business requires and what you are as a person. Zuckerberg can break sartorial rules because he is in a position of power. Hoodies in the boardroom, etc.
Some people don’t understand the different between edgy and inappropriate. If you wear something that is bold and you are bold, it’s authentic, especially if the company or school you are shooting for is a place that values that.
If you’re bold and the company or school is looking for khaki wearing drones, then you’re better off being yourself and not pretending to be a drone. Saves time.
Hunt, we do prep are kids for interviews, practicing appropriate behavior. For me, this is just whether we’re going to the mat and insist my son wear dress pants or whether we let him choose to wear nice shorts. He sees what other students wear (much more casual at the places we’ve been thus far), and thinks it’s ridiculous to wear long pants when it’s 95 degrees out.
Just to inject a little levity into this: When we were doing our New England trip, we were off to Tufts and Brandeis one day. My kids were in their own hotel room and S was wearing a fleece jacket over his clothing throughout breakfast and the drive there. We get there, S takes off his jacket - and he’s wearing a Brown t-shirt. “What’s the big deal, mom.” Sigh. At least he wasn’t doing on-campus interviews!
Ha. I was just about to post, “You wouldn’t wear a Harvard T-shirt to your Yale interview, would you?”
One other comment about this: don’t assume that the interviewer’s attitude about clothing (and this is even more true for alumni interviewers) tells you much about whether the college is right for you. An alumni interviewer might be a lot older, and his attitudes may have been formed in another era. You still have to get past him, though.
I would go with Khaki’s and a polo shirt with boat shoes.
Of course, one can be dressier in an air conditioned building than walking around on a hot day. If it is really a concern that appropriate campus interview dress is dressier than what is suitable for a hot day campus tour immediately beforehand, then make provisions to change into the dressier clothing between the tour and the interview.
^^and bring extra deodorant.
I think I need to clarify khaki wearing. If you love khakis, and khakis are your jam, then I think you are a khaki-wearing rock star and more power to you. If you’re wearing khakis to “play it safe”, then I think you’re not being authentic. I didn’t want to hate on the khaki loving people.
I think one can look authentic and look reasonably polished at the same time. Different people achieve it in different ways. I think a lot of kids mistakenly think that “authentic” means unkempt, sloppy, take-me-as-I-am.
I think khaki pants are fine if it’s 65 degrees…a kid in khaki pants in 80-90 degree weather is going to look damp and unhappy. I can’t imagine people that work on college campuses don’t have a clue how “kids” dress…clean and neat is a step up from what they see every day. We ran into the head of admissions at Bates touring with one of the kids, we were looking at the campus map and trying to decide which building and direction to head. He stopped to help and in a conversation with S told him who he was. Nicest man you’ve ever met (he’s no longer there) and I guarantee you he didn’t give one wit that my son had a polo shirt and shorts on. He asked my son what he was going to study and my son turned completely red and stuttered “I don’t know.” and he said, “that’s OK, that’s what college is for…to explore and figure it out.” I think sometimes we pick link from our navels in these threads. Frankly there are probably kids with piercings, tats, and strange colored hair who show up in heavens knows what, bro guys in baggy athletic shorts and tank tops…and they get into the very same colleges as the kids with the polo shirts and bermuda shorts. Just make sure they are clean and don’t smell and don’t have an offensive slogans on their tshirts. One of my kids, sitting in the outer waiting room before an interview said he could tell the “posers”…and I could too and I’m guessing so could the admissions folks. There is something to what motherofdragons is saying about authentic.
Just because bro guys in tank tops interview and get in doesn’t mean that I’d advise my kid to do so. And the OP sought advice.
Btw I said earlier I thought nice, neat khaki shorts were fine if it was really hot out.
I wouldn’t have my kids wear tank tops and sweatpants either. Just trying to figure out whether admissions officers will think less of my son if he wears nice shorts and short sleeve button down shirt (he’s partial to madras).
My S wore shorts when they did college interviews on campus. The shorts and polo shirt were clean, but were not what I had hoped he would wear. It didn’t matter–he was comfortable and was accepted and got a nice merit award to study the field he wanted, engineering.
Early applications are due November, what interview is he having?