<p>Hey guys,</p>
<p>My interview is next week and I need wardrobe advice. It is in a coffee shop, so the location calls for informal attire. However, a.) I love finding excuses to wear a suit and b.) It's an interview (I feel that wearing a suit explicitly shows care for the college). </p>
<p>I am comfortable in a suit, but is it overkill? I understand that an interview is about the person beneath the clothes, but will more formal attire detract the interviewer or come with some stigma that I do not know?</p>
<p>Thanks guys.</p>
<p>It is overkill.</p>
<p>The interview doesn’t matter very much anyway, but it is overkill.</p>
<p>Do not wear jeans. You do not need to wear a necktie.</p>
<p>Long-sleeved button down oxford shirt, khakis, match your shoe & belt leather, no athletic shoes, no jewelry except wristwatch and school ring. Now you look east-coast nice and you look neither overdressed nor a slob.</p>
<p>A suit is overkill for a coffee shop.</p>
<p>Also:
[Barney</a> Stinson - Suit song - YouTube](<a href=“Barney Stinson - Suit song - YouTube”>Barney Stinson - Suit song - YouTube)</p>
<p>Barney Stinson will ALWAYS recommend to ‘suit up’. :D</p>
<p>I think wearing a suit comes off as desperate.</p>
<p>I’m an H interviewer who interviews in coffee shops. I’ve had plenty of applicants show up in suits even though I take pains to tell students that the interview is very informal. To me, it beats jeans. I’ve never thought “oh he’s desperate” or “oh that’s overkill” or anything like that. Dressing like a slob will hurt. Honestly, I don’t think wearing a suit will hurt. I doubt it will help. So do what makes you feel most comfortable!</p>
<p>Thanks for all the responses guys.</p>
<p>@Harvard How so? I am a business owner netting (almost) six digits a year. I think a suit is a great representation of who I am.</p>
<p>@Crimson I love wearing suits, and I do so very often and they truly make me feel comfortable. What do you think of wearing a crimson tie to couple my crimson-stoned school ring (would that show desperation or passion (which I have) for Harvard)? </p>
<p>@Snarlatron Great advice! Those articles of clothing are exactly what I will wear if I do not stick with a suit.</p>
<p>@Sikor I am disheartened that you say that the interview is of little importance. If it truly is, then I wonder why alumni such as Crimson continue to volunteer their time for their college.</p>
<p>@Dwight If anything, you made me want to wear a suit even more :).</p>
<p>MD, I think the tie & ring would be nice touches. </p>
<p>As far as the interview being of little importance… in my own experience, there is a single instance where I know for a fact that my interview made a difference in the acceptance/rejection decision. For all the other interviews, I don’t know for sure one way or the other. So it would not be accurate to say that the interviews are meaningless, although for some (maybe even most) individuals that may be the case.</p>
<p>@MDandFACS: Alum interviewers don’t volunteer because they have some grand delusional fantasy that they’re controlling the fates of the students they interview. I personally enjoy meeting ambitious and smart high school seniors, whether or not I think they’ll be admitted to Harvard. Even with candidates whom I’m certain will not be admitted, I usually still enjoy the conversation and am very often impressed by their maturity. </p>
<p>I was based in NY, and will be again very soon, but I interview students around my old NJ neighborhood. I’ve actually interviewed several students from my old HS (not a great school I may add) and maintaining that connection is something really meaningful to me. To be able to do it as a rep of my college alma mater is even better. </p>
<p>As for whether the interview matters–the short answer is that it probably doesn’t in most cases. The interview report can [might] sway the reader one way or the other in borderline cases, but for the vast majority of candidates, I’m guessing the reports usually just confirm the adcom’s impressions from the rest of the application.</p>
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<p>I wouldn’t notice. I would notice a suit, but if I had told you the interview was informal, and you knew we were meeting at Panera or someplace similar, I would think you didn’t really grasp how to dress appropriately for the situation. But a crimson necktie to match your crimson-stoned school ring? I’d think you were wearing your school ring and a red tie. If I thought you were doing to show your devotion to Harvard, I’d think that was extremely hokey. (1987Crimson: really? Huh. Don’t it go to show you never know!)</p>
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<p>Well, I quit interviewing. I am considering resuming, but not really chomping at the bit. I asked other alums who interview for Ivies and their peers the same question a few months ago. T26E4 gave an excellent answer here: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/1187515-alumni-interviews-highly-selective-colleges.html?highlight=alumni+selective+interview[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/1187515-alumni-interviews-highly-selective-colleges.html?highlight=alumni+selective+interview</a>.</p>
<p>If you think about it, however, it only makes sense that the interview should be relatively unimportant. Most interviews take place at a considerable distance from Cambridge; they are conducted by volunteers. The Admissions Office has virtually no way to control interview quality, or to tell whether the standards of an interviewer in New York City are like those of an interviewer in Missoula. If both of those interviewers say “outstanding,” does it necessarily mean the same thing? In addition, a lot of interviewers have pretty dated knowledge of the College and the campus culture.</p>
<p>To add to Sikorsky’s recent post- the importance of an alum interview report may also depend on something completely out of your control: the competence of your alum interviewer. </p>
<p>The adcom office tends to take experienced interviewers more seriously than new interviewers. This is not just because older interviewers are inherently more competent, but rather, there’s a record they can compare with or use as a reference. For example, a question such as “Is this someone who always gives ‘outstandings’ or is the interviewer really stingy with high ratings?” can really only be answered when there’s a multi-year record of interview reports. I can imagine an adm. officer giving an application a second look if the interviewer gave the candidate an outstanding overall rating but has only done so once or twice over the course of 20-years of interviewing. </p>
<p>The adcom office also suggests certain guidelines when writing up reports, such as [I’m paraphrasing here] “it’s better to write down objective observations-exact quotations of the student’s answer to a question, for example, rather than your own subjective thoughts”. </p>
<p>I generally warn students that even if you think an interview went extremely well, consider the possibility that the alum forgets to submit the report on time, or writes up something really perfunctory that won’t be taken too seriously by the adcom committee and so on.</p>
<p>True. In addition, I know that some Harvard Clubs put a lot more effort into overseeing the interview process than others.</p>
<p>What all of you are saying makes absolute sense. My apologies if I seemed to be arguing over the importance of an interview. I understand and agree with all of the things you three are stating.</p>
<p>@MDandFacs. I think a suit come s off as “trying too hard.” Of course, one must dress in a “country club” manner. I mean, do whatever you wish, just my opinion.</p>
<p>Sent from my DROIDX using CC App</p>
<p>@Harvard “Trying too hard” is much better phrasing than “out of desperation” haha. Thank you.</p>
<p>* I’d think you were wearing your school ring and a red tie. If I thought you were doing to show your devotion to Harvard, I’d think that was extremely hokey. (1987Crimson: really? Huh. Don’t it go to show you never know!)*</p>
<p>I’m sure it wouldn’t cross my mind that there was any significance to a red tie & red ring… but if for some reason I did notice, I surely would think it was sweet, not hokey!!</p>
<p>On the other hand… the applicant who looked at me and with way too much seriousness said “it is such an honor to meet a Harvard graduate…” well… I thought that was hokey.</p>
<p>@Crimson There is always a fine line for everything. I believe that applicant didn’t just cross the line, but he took a leap over it!</p>
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<p>Oh, my. When I arrived at Harvard from one of the square states, one of the lessons I learned early was the importance of appearing unflappable, almost to the point of being blas</p>
<p>@Sikorsky: </p>
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Oh, my. When I arrived at Harvard from one of the square states, one of the lessons I learned early was the importance of appearing unflappable, almost to the point of being blas</p>