Grad School Attire

[flowerpotpot]

Hello,

I'll be starting grad school in the fall and have no idea what to wear. Does it matter anyway? Do people wear business casual or would jeans and t-shirt be okay?

Thanks in advance.

[wordsmith]

I can't imagine it would matter in the least.

[pisces2473]

It really doesn't. You'll find all levels of dress.

[coll214]

Yep, you'll be in classes w/ people in suits and those that look like they just crawled out of bed. Don't worry!

[caostotale]

Are you nuts.:eek: Who cares?

If you're going into a lab environment, I'm sure they'll say no baggy clothes. If not, nobody will care what you're wearing.

I would wear really comfy stuff because grad classes (at least where I want to go) are generally three-hour long/once-a-week things.

[yankeeyosh]

Geez...dress casual if you feel like! Some people even dress in pajamas or something like that. This isn't 1955!

[pisces2473]

Geez...dress casual if you feel like! Some people even dress in pajamas or something like that. This isn't 1955!
YAY! I like to see posts from Yankee like this!

[Bocheezu]

I used to clean up for tests -- clean-shaven with business casual. Sort of like putting on my war paint in a way. Other than that, though, there were times I didn't shower for days and wore the same clothes because I was literally in the computer lab for 2 days straight and going to the apartment (probably a good 20-25 min bus ride away) and cleaning up would just take too much out of the day.

[aggiegrad05]

Yeah, wear whatever the hell you feel like wearing because once you start working, chances are that you're not going to be able to come to the office wearing jeans that haven't been washed in weeks and the wrinkled tshirt you slept in the night before. I miss college.

[wordsmith]

I didn't take many tests, but if I was up all night editing a paper, I sure as hell came to class in pajama-like attire.

[caostotale]

I didn't take many tests, but if I was up all night editing a paper, I sure as hell came to class in pajama-like attire.

Indeed, and the professor would generally not look much better. Yes, he would have dress clothes on, but no, they would not have been cleaned or ironed in weeks.

[WorkInProgress]

I vote clean jeans and tshirt. It's what I wore, more or less, all though undergrad, unless I had a reason to dress up.

[ebruening]

I'm a grad student in education. The students wore whatever they felt like - I wore jeans and a t-shirt nearly every day. Our profs always dressed in professional attire, but I honestly think that's more the case in the education profession.

[twinkle twinkle]

I logged in to ask this very question! lol. I think maybe it depends on what we're studying though... the university I did undergrad at had dress requirements for the law and MBA students, not sure about the rest. I have no idea what to wear on the first day, I am not trying to "be cool" like in high school or something, I just want to dress appropriately. For some reason it is difficult for me to believe very casual will be okay. But I'm sure it will. That said, I know a lot of people in my program have worked for a few years at least or have already gotten an advanced degree... so maybe they'll be used to dressing a little more professionally. AH lol

[capella]

I'm usually in my pajamas.... but all my classes are online. ;)

[Deni81]

I'm a grad student in education. The students wore whatever they felt like - I wore jeans and a t-shirt nearly every day. Our profs always dressed in professional attire, but I honestly think that's more the case in the education profession.

Yeah when i visited the school the grad students dressed pretty casual.

[ugarachel82]

I'm a grad student in education. The students wore whatever they felt like - I wore jeans and a t-shirt nearly every day. Our profs always dressed in professional attire, but I honestly think that's more the case in the education profession.

This is what I think as well. I knew grad students in education when I was in undergrad. They wore casual attire to class, but when they were teaching or going into a school would dress up professionally.

Do what you want, but be mindful of the situation. I'm sure you knew that.

[crystal_dance]

Depends...

I took management grad classes, and we were expected to be dressed business casual at the very least.

Not that it really mattered because alot of people said fuck that to the rule :p

Still...never hurts to dress as well as you can. Looking professional helped me try to envision my career choice throughout grad school and psychologically made me feel productive.

I used to work for a no dress code company and while it was very convenient not to mention comfy, I prefer to wear my pinstripes and ties just because it makes me feel professional.

Don't know if that really makes sense, but yeah at the graduate level dress code largely depends upon major. I sincerely doubt that a biology major or a computer science major will be suited up on a regular basis.

[AshleyJordan]

My program had a lot of working students (like myself,) so it wasn't uncommon to see a lot of suits and business attire. Same for those who had internships, on their "work days." We were also expected to wear suits for presentations, even if it was just a Powerpoint in front of the class. In a way, it helped a LOT. It was sort of old school, but dressing up for things like that got us more familiar with professional/business standards.

However, on days when we weren't presenting or if we didn't have work that day, all of those rules went out the window! :p If you're spending your entire weekend (or weekday, sometimes,) in the GIS computer lab or doing fieldwork on brownfields or something, you'd be a fool NOT to wear jeans or yoga pants. Honestly, the people I went to school with probably saw me more disheveled than my parents or SO ever have, we spent so much time together and pulled so many all nighters! :p

[Phenomenon]

Geez, they just asked a question, what the heck?

Perhaps, if you've never been to grad school, you don't know how people might dress.

What do you get out of being so rude to people?

[winneythepooh7]

Geez, they just asked a question, what the heck?

Perhaps, if you've never been to grad school, you don't know how people might dress.

What do you get out of being so rude to people?


Huh??????? Who was rude to people?

In ANY event, when I was in grad school, I don't recall people ever being in pajamas (that was more of an undergrad-living-on-campus thing), however, jeans, t's, yoga or sweat pants, all fine.........

[dacrunkest]

Indeed, and the professor would generally not look much better. Yes, he would have dress clothes on, but no, they would not have been cleaned or ironed in weeks.

I had a literature professor who wore a 1970s barbecue colored nylon running/athletic suit (zipper, side stripes and all) to class at least once a weak. I had a calculus professor who wore Bills zubaz pants and a 1991 AFC Champion sweatshirt once a week as well (and this was in 2000).

As a guy, one of the only dress code "musts" I remember from school was just not to show up with the barn door open...:0

[wordsmith]

Geez, they just asked a question, what the heck?

Perhaps, if you've never been to grad school, you don't know how people might dress.

What do you get out of being so rude to people?

Who are you talking to and what prompted this?