Dressing for a College Interview

In an ideal world, our appearances would mean virtually nothing. We would be judged solely on our personalities and accomplishments, and the name brand on our shirts, or the price of our shoes would not mean a thing. However, we do not live in an ideal world, and often personal appearance plays a far greater role than we like to admit in a variety of situations. One such situation, in which appearance can make a major difference is the college interview.

Although not every college does interviews, a good majority of them do, and it is important to be prepared for these interviews in every way possible. While getting all of your information and records together is one such important aspect, it is also vitally important that your personal appearance sends the message you would like it to send during your interview. For that reason, it is important to carefully consider what you wear, as the right clothes can make all the difference when it comes to getting into the college of your choice.

The key to dressing successfully for a college interview is usually one of intermediates. One does not want to have an interview wearing simple, everyday clothes such as jeans and a t-shirt. However, at the same time, full suit and tie may be just a tad bit too much.

Remember, one of the most important factors of acing any college interview is your confidence. If your going to feel out of place or not be able to be yourself when dressing up too much, than the best bet is to go with something more moderate. The same is true for girls as well, remember that above all else, you want to feel comfortable and confident, and these may not be goals you an achieve while dressing too formally.

For that reason, try to dress in something that borders on business casual. Meaning, perhaps khaki pants and a nice collared shirt for guys, or a reasonable length skirt and blouse for girls. Remember that being slightly understated can often times be better than being overblown. Your clothes alone are not going to get you into college, and even a great outfit won’t make a major difference if the college just isn’t interested.

However, clothes are not the only factor in appearance, and this is something that many too often seem to forget. Even more so than dressing professionally, you want your entire appearance to say something about you. Which means you should probably spend a couple extra minutes getting ready in the morning. For guys, make sure that you are reasonably clean shaven, and that your hair does not appear to be a mess.

The same thing is true for girls, avoid interview day as the opportunity to try out a brand new hairstyle. Instead, sport something which is familiar, normal and clean cut. If you are a guy and happen to have long hair, you can’t go wrong with pulling it out of your face or parting it to the side. No matter how cool you think you may look, the interviewer likely won’t share that opinion.

The one thing that is not mentioned when interview attire is discussed though is that you definitely don’t want to be boring. Yes, you do want to look clean cut and professional, but that doesn’t mean bland and boring either. Use your favorite colors or some sort of accent to show that you have a personality as well. For girls, remember that a few select pieces of jewelry can do wonders, but you also want to be careful not to overdo it at the same time.

Your attire is definitely important when it comes to your college interview, but it is often not the deciding factor. In the end, your personality, accomplishments and dreams are going to speak far more about you than any set of clothes could ever hope to do. At the same time though, a clean appearance never hurt anyone, and dressing properly may just give you that extra edge that you need.