<p>We're meeting at a local coffee shop and the interviewer told me the dress code is casual. it's for a pretty good university (MIT) and Im not sure what counts as casual bc I still want to look good. are jeans ok?</p>
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<p>I am an alumni interviewer for 2 Ivy League schools. I posted yesterday about interview outfits in general. It’s post #11 in this thread: <a href=“Interview Outfits - Admission Stories - College Confidential Forums”>Interview Outfits - Admission Stories - College Confidential Forums;
<p>I think that if the interviewer specifically told you “casual” (and not “business casual,” which isn’t actually casual), then nice jeans are okay. However, in general, if in doubt, I would not wear jeans, because I have heard interviewers express that they think that’s not appropriate. If you wear jeans, then wear something nicer than a t-shirt on top.</p>
<p>Even when they say jeans are okay, I tend to be old-fashioned and tell my kids jeans are never okay for any interview. Button-down shirt and slacks are always a safe bet for a guy, girls have a little more flexibility, but nothing sexy or low cut.</p>
<p>or polo shirt and khakis for guys. Definitely a collared shirt and no jeans/shorts.</p>
<p>Re: <a href=“Interview Outfits - #12 by elsacc - Admission Stories - College Confidential Forums”>Interview Outfits - #12 by elsacc - Admission Stories - College Confidential Forums;
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<p>What if the student has never had reason to dress as otherwise recommended in that post, such that dressing as recommended would be awkward to him/her, and not something that s/he would do in other contexts?</p>
<p>I’d go with what people consider business casual, not “high school” casual. For a guy go with khakis and a polo or button down shirt and casual shoes (not sneakers) such as loafers or topsiders or something like that. My D would wear black pants, dress high heeled boots and a nice shirt/sweater or in warm weather a sundress, wedges, and a cardigan. </p>
<p>The main thing is you don’t want your clothes to be a distraction. You want to be the student with the cool EC, not the one that wore jeans with holes.</p>
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<p>At what point does anyone start to grow up and enter the real world? If not the college interview, only the most important set of interviews so far in their lives, then when? You aren’t required to dress business casual or wear a suit to go to college classes, so does that make it okay to go to job interviews senior year dressed like you’re going to a game of Ultimate Frisbee because that makes the interviewee more comfortable? </p>
<p>Most kids have had an opportunity to wear something other than jeans and a t-shirt, whether that’s a funeral, wedding, bar mitzvah, quinceanera, formal dance, or fancy dinner. Dressing for the occasion should be standard protocol.</p>
<p>However, it is not that unusual to see a college student interviewing for an internship or first job at graduation dressed in a poorly fitting suit or dress shirt, which sort of defeats the purpose of wearing dressy clothing. A high school student dressing for a college interview needs to be careful about this sort of thing if s/he tries to dress differently from how s/he normally dresses.</p>
<p>I would think it is always better to have put some effort into your appearance, even if the end result is not how you would “normally” dress. Err on the side of dressier than not. You are meeting with an adult for an interview. I saw a teenager picking up a job application at my favorite coffee shop yesterday morning. Not only was she there taking up the time of the counter staff at their busiest time of the day, she was wearing sport shorts and flip flops, which is not how the employees dress. Make a little extra effort to give a good impression; it can’t hurt.</p>
<p>Khakis & a collared shirt. No athletic shoes.</p>
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Then maybe that student shdnt be interrviewing for that job.</p>
<p>“What if the student has never had reason to dress as otherwise recommended in that post, such that dressing as recommended would be awkward to him/her, and not something that s/he would do in other contexts?”</p>
<p>Then, barring some kind of extreme poverty, the parents have failed, if they’ve never given their child any occasion where something beyond jeans and a t shirt is required. This has nothing to do with money – as working-class people dress up to go to church, weddings, funerals, or even situations where something more is called for – grandma’s special 80th birthday dinner. And it has nothing to do with specific styles of dress, either. </p>
<p>There’s always a thread each year in which some unfortunate kid has to go to a job interview and has zero clue what to do. It’s parental failure. </p>
<p>If you’re “uncomfortable” in a polo shirt and khakis, try acting like you’re not a first grader. No one is suggesting full suit and tie, just something a bit more polished. </p>
<p>“However, it is not that unusual to see a college student interviewing for an internship or first job at graduation dressed in a poorly fitting suit or dress shirt, which sort of defeats the purpose of wearing dressy clothing. A high school student dressing for a college interview needs to be careful about this sort of thing if s/he tries to dress differently from how s/he normally dresses.”</p>
<p>This is a perseveration of yours – you constantly refer to the “difficulty” of finding well-fitting clothing, esp for slim men. Maybe this is your own projection, because in the real world the vast majority of people are perfectly able to find clothing that fits them, and they aren’t really as stymied at the task as you seem to believe. Any mall will have plenty of clothing to choose from at all different price points. For a particularly hard to fit person, there are things called drycleaners and tailors, everywhere. Don’t portray things as difficult when they aren’t. </p>
<p>How is it “uncomfortable” to wear khakis? Last I saw, they’re shaped, well, kind of like jeans. And how is it “uncomfortable” to wear a polo shirt? It goes over your head like a t-shirt. </p>