Winter Wear

<p>I'll be touring schools later this month in New England. I know how cruel the weather can be and would like to just walk around in blankets, but I'm not sure that will give the schools the best impression of me :) From shoewear to hats, what do you recommend I wear on my visits? What are current students wearing to class?</p>

<p>Insulated boots for sure, wet freezing shoes would be miserable. If you never deal with cold weather, then you may actually need to buy some winter clothes. Down jackets are lightweight and very warm. They also compress into overhead luggage compartments. Hats, instead of hoods, give you more freedom of movement and make it easier for people to talk to you.</p>

<p>Try looking online at sites like LL Bean and Lands End to see what real winter wear looks like.</p>

<p>The students will almost always be much more casually dressed than those coming for interviews, and they are dashing from one warm building to another, with ample opportunity to change if they underdressed, so they are not much of a guide.</p>

<p>I love fleece. It's lightweight, and warm, and dries quickly. I'd recommend gloves, a scarf, and long underwear, especially if you're coming from a warm climate. Modern long underwear is light, very warm, and not at all bulky. </p>

<p>Warm socks, of wool or fleece, also help. If you're a girl, you could try warm tights over long underwear, under a long skirt. The length of the skirt is up to you, but long underwear and a short skirt don't mix.</p>

<p>Wool sweaters are warmer than cotton. Fleece is great, but may be too casual to wear to interviews. This winter, we've been enjoying snow and freezing rain. Make sure you have a warm, waterproof winter coat. This would give you a better chance to adapt to the changeable weather in New England.</p>

<p>My son walks around his campus with a North Face three-in-one (fleece zip-out jacket. He has a fleece cap (which I doubt he wears) and fleece gloves. I did send boots with him.
My daughter typically wears her usual clothing and has a down North Face jacket and matching down North face boots. (She hates Uggs and they are not practical in wet/snowy conditions as the suede is destroyed).</p>

<p>I think for your visits, I would imagine that you wouldn't need boots as the visits we went after it snowed did not include walking in the snow (walkways are cleared).<br>
We just wore our regular interview clothes (boy so we are lucky with the pants ;) ) and warm coats. Which you WILL need if you don't have one.</p>

<p>You will spend a lot of time outside so the biggest thing is to dress warm, in layers works well. The walkways will most likely be clear (though possibly icy) but if it is snowing while you are there, then some thought to footwear like Sorels/NF or that type of boot (functional) or Ugg (although not the best because they don't keep their newness very long with wet--but if you like to wear what most/many others are wearing, Ugg is very popular and is what many will be wearing with their pants tucked in) is important. It would be nice to have a hat on but you may not want to get "hat hair," so a coat with a hood you can yank up is good. If you are a girl, a scarf can be a great accessory and functional. For coats, North Face is definitely the most popular in New England from all I have seen, although I wouldn't go out and buy anything (unless you don't have a coat at all) just for the interview. Many schools go to a bit of a more relaxed dress code during the worst winter months to be more practical so you might check that out before you go. If you are a girl, you will see other girls with skirts with leggings/tights and then boots like the Uggs or Sorels as mentioned earlier. That is if you want to go with a skirt rather than pants. I think dressing neatly and functionally based on the weather is what your target should be. If you show up without a winter coat in New England in the winter, they will probably think you are a little nuts. Hope that helps.</p>

<p>Unless there is a blizzard, you could go with the following interview/tour attire:</p>

<p>Navy pea coat with a nice wool scarf/felt or wool hat/leather gloves/leather boots or shoes. This should be a coat roomy enough to wear your interview outfit underneath, so if you are dressing formal, make sure you have room for your blazer or sweater underneath. Gray wool trousers would go nicely with the jacket.</p>

<p>Like Linda said, the walkways will be cleared. You don't want to look like you are:
a. ready to grind some rails (going snowboarding)
b. about to depart for a North Pole expedition (hidden under the down and furry hood)
c. ready for the beach because you thought it would be warm out
d. are underdressed and freezing to death!</p>

<p>I had an interview, and all the girls usually wear nice pants, uggs, without the pants tucked in. I thought it was weird for them not to get tucked in but i guess it's more formal. most of the had a blouse or polo, without the collars up. some had those wool, business coats on, but most had like a north face fleece. Some other girls had a nice knit sweater.</p>

<p>The guys, all the good dressed ones had a shirt, some with ties, pants, shoes, a coat ( i wore a wool ralph lauren one), and some with a suit. DO not wear baggy, none dress pants, one kid did, and everyone stared at him. and make sure your shoes aren't like pink, they should be the normal colors, black, brown, etc.</p>

<p>Layers are essential. Also throw into the suitcase something to wear to the interview if it's unseasonably warm. Don't forget light pajamas, in case the hotel thermostat's malfunctioning. WWW.accuweather.com provides a 15-day forecast which would give you a "best guess" idea before you headed for the airport.</p>

<p>Thanks so much. That clears up a lot. How does this sound? </p>

<p>black wool/cashmere coat, a bit like a trench coat
long black skirt
black tights (maybe with long underwear)
nice top
"Uggs" I got for $11 :) (I'll be on the lookout for more practical shoes, but I don't really want to spend tons of money on them as my feet are growing still and I won't wear them at home)
extra fleece
waterproof shell</p>

<p>Will schools understand if my outerwear is a little informal (fleece and rain jacket)?</p>

<p>Of course. Actually, they probably wouldn't even notice your coat at all because the interviews are done inside up in New England, it's too cold to do it outside. You could take of the coat (duh) and no one would even notice. The student who gives you the tour of the school doesn't care what you wear, and they're the only one's who see the coat. Plus, no one even cares.</p>

<p>As for the skirt, you would have a tour before the interview (in most cases) with a student, make sure you can walk in them. Most girls wore pants, but skirts are fine.</p>

<p>Sorry if I didn't make it clear before, but I won't be interviewing, just touring. I still want to look nice though... Actually at Exeter I won't even get a tour guide. After January 31 you only get 'self-guided tours'. Kind of off-topic, but I thought it was kind of strange.</p>

<p>I was going to say that at the 6 co-ed schools we visited, I would say about 50/50 of the girls (students) wore skirts/pants. All our female tour guides did. However, I would also say that **every one **of the girls we saw INTERVIEWING had a skirt on. </p>

<p>You're not interviewing at any of the schools?</p>

<p>What I meant is I'm not interviewing when I visit. I've already done interviews with visiting admissions officers/alumni interviews. I'll try to meet with the people I interviewed with or something if possible though.</p>

<p>I figured that you had already interviewed with someone, it's too bad you can't meet them again, or could not have waited and done the interview with the visit.<br>
Anyway, I think your clothing choice is perfect.
Good luck and have fun.</p>

<p>Just be certain that Admissions knows that you visited. You can also try to meet with any coaches or faculty members in your "special talents" areas.</p>