<p>I go to a smaller college in which class sizes under 30 are commonplace, which means professors often really get the chance to recognize and know each student.</p>
<p>Some friends and I were having an argument about how important it is to look good... to our professors. And by "good" I mean, to show up to class dressed neatly and nicely and put-together. </p>
<p>One of us was arguing that most professors are used to seeing college kids in jeans and sweatshirts and flip-flops, and that as long as you do well in class, they won't judge you by how dressed down you are. This person, by the way, is someone who routinely wears jeans and T-shirts and sweats to class.</p>
<p>Another one of us is a clothes horse and always looks like she stepped out of a J. Crew catalog. She admitted that the primary reason she always looks the way she does is because she believes professors view her as a smarter, more involved, serious student because she LOOKS more professional than the kid in sweats next to her. </p>
<p>At first I dismissed her theory, but then I realized something. I should note that, harsh but true, this person actually isn't that smart and doesn't work that much harder... yet still gets better grades than most of us T-shirt fans.</p>
<p>What do you think? How impacted by a student's appearance are professors?</p>
<p>I have been going to class in sweat pants and I cannot complain about my grades.</p>
<p>That aside, yes, I do believe that your grades are impacted by your professor's perception of your work ethics. A well-cared-for appearance definitely plays into that, but there are a lot more factors. On CollegeACB one student said that her grades improved significantly when she started planting "teachable moments" for professors. That is, she went to office hours and asked professors to explain fairly complicated concepts that she already knew, just to appear like a hard-working and smart (since she was able to understand the concepts so quickly...) student.</p>
<p>I live in jeans and t-shirts and I've got nearly a 3.5 gpa, so... I call BS on this one. I've only ever made one B in my major classes, the rest A's, and I know all of my professors fairly well. Hell, some of them wear jeans to class sometimes!</p>
<p>if your friend truly doesn't work that hard and still scores better than all of you on tests, then hate to break to ya, but chances are she is really smart. I doubt her fancy pants have anything to do with it :)</p>
<p>well, yeah, it's a 3.47 (thus nearly a 3.5, probably will be a 3.5 after this semester). It's cum laude at my school which I would consider "good"...
Is that not good enough for you?</p>
<p>Dressing well doesn't hurt, true, but it can be mighty uncomfortable walking around in heels and dress pants every day. (plus expensive... who has the money to dry clean stuff every week in college??)</p>
<p>Rule #1 in fashion: It does not cost money to dress well. A true sense of style is classic, timeless, and only requires imagination and creativity. In no way does style require money. Sure, having the dollars to spend is certainly a plus, but by no means is it a necessity for dressing well.</p>
<p>I have a 4.0 and I dress like total garbage. Most days I wear the same clothes over and over because I'm just going to learn the material and don't care what others think. It's not a fashion show. I call BS also.</p>
<p>I'm a prof. I couldn't care less how someone dressed (my classes are usually no larger than 40-50 students but I get to know them all). I've never ever heard of any of my friends (all professors) ever notice or comment on clothing. </p>
<p>Work ethic, basic professionalism matters. So coming in late, texting in class, blowing off meetings makes a bad impression. How you dress no-- we know you are students! </p>
<p>Besides, do you think your profs have any fashion sense whatsoever anyway? :)</p>
<p>This depends a lot on what classes you take and how you are graded. It probably will not do a difference on a math tests but in a class where they are to grade assignments based on how well you can argue it is very important how they view you.</p>
<p>If you have to give a presentation to the class, then you dress up. If not, the rest of the class is just a matter of looking at the syllabus to see what's required, and learn the material, and be able to use the material on tests.</p>
<p>i'm a guy (straight, for the record), and while i usually just head off to class in jeans and a sweatshirt or jacket or w/e, i do like to dress it up from time to time. maybe a collared shirt, nicer cut jean, w/e. while i do not believe that one's choice of fashion will dramatically affect one's grade and/or how a prof perceives a student, it's definitely a nice thing to do every now and then. i guess i just feel better in class when i'm freshly showered, nicely dressed, and as attentive as always, as opposed to my ultra casual counterpart.</p>
<p>btw, a 3.5 in college is pretty good. i attend a demanding, small liberal arts college, just finished my first semester, and got away with a 3.2 doing a lot of studying. i'm aiming for a 3.5 for this semester.</p>
<p>I definitely think that how well you dress does not correlate to grades, excluding class presentation grades. I'm somewhat of a slob, and managed to get a 3.7 last semester.</p>
<p>lol it does cost money when you have to buy nicer clothes, these clothes are probably dry-clean only meaning you have to pay to have them dry cleaned once a week, you have to buy non-sneaker shoes to go with them, etc. So yeah. Maybe for people who actually have money, it doesn't seem like alot, but for us poorer people, it is.
My wardrobe consists mainly of free (or really cheap) t-shirts I've gotten through my university, and mostly jeans that I've had for a year or more.</p>
<p>I have not read the whole thread yet. But I can say this my college does look at how you are dressed in class. They give work ethic grades which include:attendance, productivity, teamwork, character, leadership, organization, communication, respect, self-esteem and appearance. Employers in the area when they call about references will ask what our work ethic grade was and if its low you might not get the job.</p>
<p>While I respect starbright's comments that s/he knows no professor who cares about how students dress, I suspect it does correlate for a number of subtle reasons. First of all, students who dress more professionally are likely to be more meticulous and studious than those with poor hygeine and who could care less how they look. However, once you get beyond those students who absolutely could care less, the correlation likely drops significantly. At that point, the difference might be more seen between professionally dressed and teeny-bopperishly dressed people. Those who are professionally dressed are likely to be viewed (on a subconscious level) more positively by their professors. Dressing in a sexually inappropriate manner has been documented as having a significantly negative effect and professors' opinions of their students (Siegel et al, 2000). This may translate into a negative effect on grades given when grading is subjective. Additionally, there is research showing that an instructor's view of a student's intelligence has subtle effects on how the instructor treats a particular student, resulting in significant improvements on standardized test scores!</p>
<p>Theoretically, at least, how you dress should have an effect on your grade; HOWEVER, because there are a countless number of factors involved, apparent "exceptions" are to be expected. Remember that we are probably talking about a tiny effect, meaning that to detect the effect reliably would take an enormous sample. I would, therefore, consider how you dress as simply one more thing that adds to your professors' assessment of you as a student that might influence how you do in a class and, FAR more importantly, how your LORs might look from that particular faculty member.</p>
<p>Some of the classes I take have A LOT of students in them, and I find clothing (along with body language) to be very important factors in standing out and building a good relationship with the professor. I always wear mini skirts or short skirts together witj somewhat revealing blouses, often cross my legs and fight to sit in the front row. I can happily say that all my male straight professors know me by name, and I never have trouble getting private appointments or my emails answered. Clearly, my grades are excellent.</p>