Blue shirt at interview?

[aardvark14]

I was wondering if people thought it would be appropriate for a male to wear a blue shirt rather than the traditional white one with a suit at an interview. Is blue too casual?

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[maestro1625]

mine was light blue...

2 for 2 on the interviews...

 

[afterthought]

It would be absurd to worry about such a thing... if one were to hypothetically do so.

😉

 

[Ridcully]

White and light blue are both very traditional and equally acceptable for interviews.

 

[TMP-SMX]

I wore a medium to dark blue shirt. Don't you have more things to worry about?

And yes... I was accepted less than a week after my interview, so maybe they liked it? 👍

 

[JDovers]

Let's not break the guy here. I wore blue to both my interviews, and at both of them I was maybe one of two guys not wearing white.

But yeah, I was accepted at both places. Probably because of the blue shirt.

 

[Dr2Bee]

White, light blue, and light gray are fine.

 

[ChessMess]

how about all black!

Johnny Ca$h Med School!

 

[Musashi450]

When I did my interviews, it was actually borderline hilarious to see how many of the males were wearing some shade of a lighter blue (myself included). It truly is a fairly trivial thing but something I too worried about none the less. Medicine itself is very traditional so as long as your not walking in without shoes in a basketball jersey your probably gonna be fine. Personally I had a suit from Express that I still really like.

Again in the grand scheme of things, this is small taters. Dont stress, research the school, and make sure you prepare a list of questions (THAT IS SCHOOL SPECIFIC!) and you'll do fine. Honestly the best advise I ever received about the whole medical school application process is that the school is looking for students that match with their program. You may be surprised to find that, the more you want a particular school, the more they will want you. This really does hold true. Good luck

 

[NotThatOne]

I was wondering if people thought it would be appropriate for a male to wear a blue shirt rather than the traditional white one with a suit at an interview. Is blue too casual?

I wear blue to all of my interviews. I didn't see that many people wear white. I actually thought it was weird that they wear white 🙂

 

[docbens]

I alternated between blue and pink. The three schools that I have been accepted to I wore the pink shirt. No acceptances from any schools that I wore the blue shirt to the interview. But hey correlation does not equal causation right? If I could do it over again, I would still wear blue, just because I don't like white.

 

[Depakote]

I've been going with a light yellow shirt and a blue tie (good combo) when possible.

so far lots of love from the DO schools, we'll see about MD when the results come in...

 

[Hurricane95]

I wore blue last year, and I was the only guy at all my interviews who was NOT wearing a white one...I was accepted, no problem. If anything the blue shirt probably jogged their memory and was more original than boring 'ol white.

 

[drc243]

I wore a purple and white striped shirt with a purple tie to my penn state interview and I got compliments for wearing NYU colors (not my intention) from the person giving the info session. So i believe it does not matter what you were as long as its presentable, matches, and gives you confidence. However, all should wear a suit. I went on an interview at upstate and there was one guy who didnt wear a suit and wore a some type of timberland shirt with cargo khakis, i found that really wierd.
Buttom line you can wear something that makes you stand out, just dont look like a fool.

Peace out,
Dave

 

[airshad8]

White and light blue are both very traditional and equally acceptable for interviews.

Your stats are nuts! Good stuff.

 

[kidthor]

What?! He seriously wore that?! Wow!

I went on an interview at upstate and there was one guy who didnt wear a suit and wore a some type of timberland shirt with cargo khakis, i found that really wierd.

PS - I have always worn a blue shirt, so I think it's just fine.

 

[etf]

i rocked a light blue shirt with herringbone pattern, and a gold tie with light blue accents. was 0-5 for interviews. at least i was the nicest dressed. but then again, i'd trade in my expertly tailored black coat for a cheap white one any day.

 

[alwaysaangel]

Heavens no!!! Men must only wear white shirts and women must only wear black suits!!!

 

[Chuckwalla]

Pink shirt+popped collar = interview success

 

[maestro1625]

Pink shirt+popped collar = interview success

dont forget the plad shorts...

 

[RokChalkJayhawk]

Wore blue at both. Got accepted at one, still haven't heard from the other.

 

[GujuMD]

what about blue shirt for a female underneath a black suit?

 

[cubbbie]

what about blue shirt for a female underneath a black suit?

My blue shirt thus far has done nothing for me, so I'm switching to white with stripes. Hopefully that'll take me places.

 

[juleswinfield]

I covered all my bases and wore a blue shirt with white stripes and white collar and french cuffs. That way I had the best of both worlds.

Seriously, like Trent told Mikey in Swingers, "you're like this big bear man....with these claws and these teeth...all you have to do is kill the bunny...." Guys, go out to a men's store/department store and ask the sales associate in the store to help you pick out a shirt/tie combo. Ladies, do the equivalent for your outfit - minus the tie. If you feel money in your interview outfit then you will project confidence. And confidence = acceptance letter.

c/o 2011 Tulane.

 

[Sartre79]

Premeds are such fragile creatures

 

[tdd340]

Don't even think about it if your interview is in a red state

 

[the12thmd]

Don't even think about it if your interview is in a red state

I've worn blue everywhere, and I've been accepted everywhere I've interviewed. (Texan)

 

[vtucci]

I was wondering if people thought it would be appropriate for a male to wear a blue shirt rather than the traditional white one with a suit at an interview. Is blue too casual?

No- oxford blue is very professional and a nice change from all the students who think that professional= navy blue, white shirt and red tie.

Ladies- you can wear any color under a black suit-- even red. It wil not hurt you when wearing a classic suit. I wore a hot pink shirt under a black (with tiny white and pink dots) suit top and black pencil skirt with leather boots (it was January). It was very put together. I was a lawyer and have about 20 suits. I had a number of interviewers thank me for being an individual- they could remember who I was as opposed to the endless masses wearing navy blue or black with a white shirt and pearls (we actually joked about this).

You can also wear gray, chocolate brown, maroon or hunter green, dark teal- any conservative color suit. For ladies, I would recommend a suit with a skirt instead of pants, esp. if you are interviewing in more conservative places of the country (i.e., the South).

For heaven sake, if you insist on wearing the blue/black suit with the white shirt-- please wear a nice silk scarf with some kind of pattern around your neck or really nice earrings etc.

 

[LatinoMasFino]

I wore a tied died dress shirt and got into harvard. I have a 22 MCAT, no lie.

 

[FutureDoc2011]

i've worn yellow w/ light blue tie, pink with light blue tie (i think i looked like an easter egg)...but i'm currently 2/3 at interviews and anxiously waiting to hear back from VCU on the 15th - hopefully i'll be 3/3 with non-traditional colors!

 

[PugMD]

My first application year I wore a light blue shirt and ended up with 2 for 2 endless wait-lists. This year, changed to a traditional white with a grey tie and have 1 acceptance under the belt. In reality, I'm sure they could care less about your attire as long as you don't look like a complete idiot.

 

[45408]

blue would be completely inappropriate. Rejection City here you come.

 

[ClockworkDoc]

I always wear my power blue to interviews...So far it hasn't worked for me.

 

[MonkeyNuts!]

I wore blue. With a silver tie.

 

[Dane07MD]

I really don't think color matters as long as it stays fairly conservative. Put the energy your spending worrying, into putting together an outfit that looks good regardless of color.

 

[Heimerfink]

I usually wear a white shirt for no good reason. Most places, you'll find a nice mix of blues and whites, but I remember at Michigan, I felt like I was weird for wearing a white shirt. Every dude in that room had blue on.

Maybe some people go with the school colors for shirt color?

 

[Grundlebug]

Do you really need this much instruction and hand-holding?

Since you are applying to medical school I must assume you are at least 21 years of age. Use a little of your newly attained adult wisdom to make a call on what is appropriate to wear with a suit to an interview.

I know this process can turn us all into shivering, nervous wrecks desperately searching for validation and approval, but c'mon! your shirt color is not critical. Can you really imagine an adcom saying, "yeah, so-and-so was a great candidate, he interviewed well, and his numbers are solid, but man...he wore a blue shirt with his suit"?

Be an adult about it. Dress yourself.

 

[GoodDoctor]

Do you really need this much instruction and hand-holding?

Since you are applying to medical school I must assume you are at least 21 years of age. Use a little of your newly attained adult wisdom to make a call on what is appropriate to wear with a suit to an interview.

I know this process can turn us all into shivering, nervous wrecks desperately searching for validation and approval, but c'mon! your shirt color is not critical. Can you really imagine an adcom saying, "yeah, so-and-so was a great candidate, he interviewed well, and his numbers are solid, but man...he wore a blue shirt with his suit"?

Be an adult about it. Dress yourself.

Being a "grown up" does not automatically give you fashion sense or knowledge of appropriate interview attire. Some people at the age of 21+ have never worn a suit (besides maybe a tux for prom). Do you really think the OP was asking "will a blue shirt destroy my med school chances?" or rather was he asking what is considered "appropriate" attire, what is considered "too casual"?

What's wrong with asking? Where would you look this up as easily as asking on SDN? I've never seen suggestions on a Med School web site. I went to a job interview where I was the only person wearing a suit, and felt a bit out of place, and took off my suit jacket (even the interviewers were all dressed in slacks and polo shirts). How do you think the guy felt who wore khakis and a polo to a Med School interview when everyone else wore a suit?

I try to never dress myself (although I do feed myself and change my own diapers 😀 ). I've been laughed at on more than one date for my clothing choice. I set out three different outfit choices for a shadowing experience to have my gay friends pick the best one. I've never seen a more silent, incredulous room of gay folk.

 

[Grundlebug]

Fair enough.