should i invest in a nice suit/dress clothes before i start school?

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hello all,

just wondering if I should buy a nice suit and/or dress pants and shirts and ties before i start school. I have one really crappy black suit that barely held up for interviews. should I invest in one really nice suit? how many dress shirts will i need?

thanks brotatos

You don't need full suits so much as you need dress pants, shirts and ties for your standardized patient sessions and shadowing.

No, unless you're going to mayo, you won't need a suit at all until residency interviews. For clinical stuff the first two years, you'll prolly need about 3 dress shirts and 2 pairs of pants.

Originally Posted by turkeyjerky

No, unless you're going to mayo, you won't need a suit at all until residency interviews. For clinical stuff the first two years, you'll prolly need about 3 dress shirts and 2 pairs of pants.

This.

Also keep in mind that your body size/shape may change a bit during your 4 years of med school (some people get fat, some people lose weight, some people are able to hit the gym and bulk up, etc). You will have no use for a suit until residency interviews, and you may be a different size by then.

Get a couple pairs of pants and shirts for the occasions you need "professional" dress.

I agree with above posters - you don't really need a suit for med school itself. Lots of good pants, button-down shirts and ties. Start with ~2 of each, and buy more over time.

However - every man should have at least one nice suit and a tux. Get them with a little extra material so they can be let out over time, but really your goal should be to maintain your body shape/size over time anyways. You never know when you'll need it - wedding, funeral, dance, court appearance... who knows. But better to have it than not. They can last a lifetime.

And don't go to a large chain store. Find a small mom-and-pop type place where somebody will actually know what looks good and will get you a good suit. You may pay a little bit more, but it will be worth it.

You don't need one for med school per se, but if you want to be involved in fancy dinners/conferences related to school then you might one good suit.

Depends on the school. At my school we have to wear suits at least once a month first year. There were periods of time when we were wearing them once a week. When I say "suit," I mean interview attire but no jacket (because that is replaced by the white coat).

Talk to students at your school and see what they say. It is very school-dependent.

The guys at my school sometimes get away with wearing a normal button down shirt + tie and kakis, but its pretty rare. Usually they wear suit pants, legitly nice button down, and tie. Standards are higher for the girls.

Originally Posted by numberwunn

I agree with above posters - you don't really need a suit for med school itself. Lots of good pants, button-down shirts and ties. Start with ~2 of each, and buy more over time.

However - every man should have at least one nice suit and a tux. Get them with a little extra material so they can be let out over time, but really your goal should be to maintain your body shape/size over time anyways. You never know when you'll need it - wedding, funeral, dance, court appearance... who knows. But better to have it than not. They can last a lifetime.

And don't go to a large chain store. Find a small mom-and-pop type place where somebody will actually know what looks good and will get you a good suit. You may pay a little bit more, but it will be worth it.

Alright james bond....not all of us need to have a tux.

A suit wouldn't hurt, but I have yet to wear a suit to a school function thus far (I just finished my final shelf exam of 3rd year today). I have worn it to weddings and things of the like. I have worn a jacket and slacks to school events.

Bottom line, a suit is not a bad idea, but it's not a must have yet. If you're broke, I wouldn't go out of your way for one. If you must have one, just get a cheap one, hand-me down, whatever to last until graduation. Your 3rd year 95+% of the people will be wearing slacks shirt, tie and white coat or scrubs - depending on the rotation. You'll need a nice suit to interview for residencies. Like someone said, it is unlikely that you will be the exact same size when you graduate, so i'd hold off.

Good luck.

To add to the chorus, I would also just start out with a couple of dress pants and a few shirts/ties. You can accumulate more as the need increases.

Originally Posted by Go Ducks

The guys at my school sometimes get away with wearing a normal button down shirt + tie and kakis, but its pretty rare. Usually they wear suit pants, legitly nice button down, and tie. Standards are higher for the girls.

What does that mean?

I don't get it either, in my experience, it seems like "professional" dress standards are typically lower for girls than guys.

Also, lol @ the comment that everyone should own a tux.

Originally Posted by Go Ducks

The guys at my school sometimes get away with wearing a normal button down shirt + tie and kakis, but its pretty rare. Usually they wear suit pants, legitly nice button down, and tie.

you shouldn't wear your suit pants without the jacket and you also shouldn't dry clean them separately ...if you do the color of your pants will start to fade and the jacket won't and it will no longer look like a suit. if you need to wear dress pants then go out and buy dress pants. you can get a nice pair for 40 bucks or so.

also what's the difference between a "normal" button down and a "legitly nice" one? lol there is only one type of button down you should be wearing with a tie and that's called a dress shirt. they're almost always the folded button downs in the store. You can get good quality dress shirts for ~30 bucks at a department store.

Originally Posted by boopitybop

hello all,

just wondering if I should buy a nice suit and/or dress pants and shirts and ties before i start school. I have one really crappy black suit that barely held up for interviews. should I invest in one really nice suit? how many dress shirts will i need?

thanks brotatos

Save up for 3rd year when it actually matters.

Originally Posted by turkeyjerky

No, unless you're going to mayo, you won't need a suit at all until residency interviews. For clinical stuff the first two years, you'll prolly need about 3 dress shirts and 2 pairs of pants.

As I approach the end of first year I can say confidently that you will probably wear a suit once to never (we have white coats for clinic of course). However, I wear a dress shirt, tie, and nice pants so often that I honestly have 12 nice dress shirts in rotation (free clinic duties and required clinic rotations weekly with faculty means it is often more convenient to go to class in nice clothes so I don't have to change later).

Originally Posted by Caprica6

What does that mean?

Just meant that the girls wear suit pants or a fancy suit-type dress skirts . They wouldn't get away with wearing occasional kakis or a cotton button down like the boys do. The student handbook has a sentence for guys and a long paragraph for girls outlining what they should wear (perhaps the school is afraid of us dressing like sluts).

I also find it odd because in my past experience, the situation is usually reversed where there's more leeway given to women's attire since it is much more varied than men's. I guess I just picked the wrong school.

Long story short, my school is very picky about appearance (to a fault) and we wear lots of suits. The OP should ask students at his or hers school, since the answer clearly seems to be school specific ranging from "don't need one at all" to "need at least a couple".

Originally Posted by skinMD

also what's the difference between a "normal" button down and a "legitly nice" one?

Normal = could buy it at the GAP

"legitly nice one" = more crisp, fabric is different (though I'm not sure what the difference is, they certainly look different), probably bought at Brooks Brothers or somewhere expensive

As a girl, I'm not an expert on this subject. Judging by appearance, there are different quality of button-down shirts, just like my school blouses are very different quality than my suit blouses (even the fabric feels richer).

Who knows, maybe I'm clueless and the only difference is whether the guys starched their shirts or not

Originally Posted by Go Ducks

Normal = could buy it at the GAP

"legitly nice one" = more crisp, fabric is different (though I'm not sure what the difference is, they certainly look different), probably bought at Brooks Brothers or somewhere expensive

As a girl, I'm not an expert on this subject. Judging by appearance, there are different quality of button-down shirts, just like my school blouses are very different quality than my suit blouses (even the fabric feels richer).

Who knows, maybe I'm clueless and the only difference is whether the guys starched their shirts or not

I sincerely doubt that any of your classmates are starching their shirts. Some of what you're seeing may be related to ironing, though.

Originally Posted by Go Ducks

Normal = could buy it at the GAP

"legitly nice one" = more crisp, fabric is different (though I'm not sure what the difference is, they certainly look different), probably bought at Brooks Brothers or somewhere expensive

As a girl, I'm not an expert on this subject. Judging by appearance, there are different quality of button-down shirts, just like my school blouses are very different quality than my suit blouses (even the fabric feels richer).

Who knows, maybe I'm clueless and the only difference is whether the guys starched their shirts or not

You made me curious so I went and looked in the bf's closet. His 'semi-dress' shirts are all 100% cotton, and have a sort of soft, relaxed feel to them. The 'dress' shirts are cotton/poly blends and have more structured seeming to them, so they fall differently and have that stiffer feel. The fabric is also a tighter weave, so they feel smoother and look different. Neither are super expensive though, we're on more of a department store budget than Brooks Brothers.

Originally Posted by phltz

I sincerely doubt that any of your classmates are starching their shirts. Some of what you're seeing may be related to ironing, though.

I get mine dry cleaned. I maybe wear a dress shirt once or twice a month and I can get them done for about $1.50 a shirt. I can usually re-wear them two or three times before I need to wash them. It just ends up looking way nicer then I can do with an Iron myself.

Plus, it keeps the fabric nicer for longer.

Originally Posted by Go Ducks

Just meant that the girls wear suit pants or a fancy suit-type dress skirts . They wouldn't get away with wearing occasional kakis or a cotton button down like the boys do. The student handbook has a sentence for guys and a long paragraph for girls outlining what they should wear (perhaps the school is afraid of us dressing like sluts).

I also find it odd because in my past experience, the situation is usually reversed where there's more leeway given to women's attire since it is much more varied than men's. I guess I just picked the wrong school.

Long story short, my school is very picky about appearance (to a fault) and we wear lots of suits. The OP should ask students at his or hers school, since the answer clearly seems to be school specific ranging from "don't need one at all" to "need at least a couple".

Not sure if you've reached M3/M4, but most girls on the wards simply wear a pair of slacks, those run-of-the-mill ballet slippers, and a nice t-shirt under their white coat. It's like they don't even have to try.