Whether you’re walking into a meeting with a college rep or going to a dinner with the leader of your community service group, first impressions are huge. The first thing about you that people will judge is your appearance, especially the way you dress. This is why schools like the University of Southern California and University of Miami actually have workshops available to their student bodies to teach you how to dress and present yourself at job and internship interviews.
It can be hard to navigate the “Do’s and Don’ts” of dressing for important events. Just a few weeks ago, I walked downstairs ready to go to a regional meeting for New York University in an outfit that I thought was appropriate. The reaction that I got was not what I was hoping for— both of my parents looked at me with wide eyes before simultaneously saying, “Are you insane?” Apparently my idea of what was acceptable was not correct.
I learned that there is a common set of guidelines for most occasions that everyone can follow. The main thing to remember is that you don’t want to offend anyone because of how you dress.
Even though you may love your hipster clothes and combat boots, the conservative admissions official at a small northern private college probably won’t. The same goes if you are trying to impress a coach or community service leader. Individuality is great until a certain point.
One of the easiest ways to be on the safe side is to just stay “preppy,” which shouldn’t be a problem for the majority of the student body. If you’re a girl that’s more “boho” you could try a dress or flowy pants and a blouse. For the “edgy” people, keep the darker color scheme going but still make sure you look presentable. If you’re a girl, stick to these pointers and your should be fine:
• try to keep shorts/skirts/dresses about mid thigh or longer
• extremely lowcut shirts are never a good idea
• make sure that nothing is shear
• if you’re going to wear heels then please make sure you can walk in them
• natural makeup is better! It’s not good if your makeup reminds an adult of Taylor Momsen
For guys it’s pretty simple: use your common sense and don’t show up in basketball shorts and a T-shirt.
Interestingly enough, the colors you wear can also evoke responses from your interviewer. Monster, a website that people to go to to get advice on anything from how early to arrive at an interview too how to fill out an application, did a study on what the colors you wear say about you. Blue and grey are the most neutral and convey calmness, stability, security and sophistication. You may want to stay away from colors like red and black, as they are more commanding colors and covey passion, aggression, power and drama. White is always a safe bet as it conveys simplicity, cleanliness and precision.
Whatever you are going to, make sure that you always pay attention to whether the dress is casual or formal and remember to always dress for success.