Interview Attire: Modern or Conservative or What?

[NickasaurusRex]

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Hey everyone. I'm curious to see what people have been wearing to interviews... (I think I need to focus on something I can actually control, instead of worrying and wondering about secondaries and interviews and this AMCAS mess!) Just looking for some replies... Thanks, everyone! 😎

 

[Jamier2]

I wore my standard funeral/wedding suit and it worked. I got in. 🙂

 

[Starflyr]

You'll get a bunch of different opinions and I'll probably get flamed, but hey, it worked for me.

Wear what you feel comfortable in. Dress professionally, yes, but be comfortable. If you're interviewing East Coast, go conservative. If you have an interview anywhere else, you have more leeway. I wore black dress pants, a long sleeved, collared shirt (striped, purple or blue, depending on the day), and a black vest with silver paisleys. I also interviewed in Tx in August/early September last year, and it was HOT - so I didnt wear a jacket (Im also female, which makes a difference). The biggest, hugest thing though, is....

WEAR COMFORTABLE SHOES!!!!!

let me say that again:

WEAR COMFORTABLE SHOES!!!!!

Yes, its nice to wear freshly polished dress shoes, but seriously - if you can up the comfort by sacrificing a bit in the way of looks, do it. No sneakers, of course, and still wear "professional" shoes, but so long as your shoes are the correct color, who's going to notice? (I can guaruntee you that admissions officers and interviewers wont give a hoot). Anyways.

Star

 

[NickasaurusRex]

Jamie: Are you a guy or girl? (Sorry to have to ask!) I'm just wondering if it was a suit with a skirt/pants/etc. and what color. We ladies have a ridiculous amount of options here, unlike the guys who (I'll say this quietly) maybe have it (a little) easier than we do. 😉 I'm hoping not to start anything here... unless it's funny, of course. 😉

 

[Jonny-5]

Question: Has anyone brought a bookbag/briefcase/purse with them to to the interview? Thought it might be a good idea for any papers, brochures, etc. Any ideas?

 

[MiamiMarmot]

Dress conservatively: blue or black suit.
In terms of what kind of bag to bring...I just like carrying a leather folder with a legal pad to take notes and stash anything they give me. That's all I have to say about that.

 

[elle]

I brought a briefcase type thing with me, but you don't need one...I brought it because I wanted to bring copies of some of my research and other stuff (wasn't necessary, though I personally was kind of glad to have that information since I got lots of questions.) I would say don't bring a backpack or anything bulky, but that's just my opinion. 🙂 If that was too much mumbo jumbo, my end opinion is - bring a nice bag if you have one and have something you want to bring, but if you don't, there's no need to make an emergency trip to the mall. 🙂

also, I *think* schools usually give you a big folder or packet with all their information, so you should have someplace to put notes no matter what.

 

[Badgerbabe]

Almost everyone was wearing suits at my interview. (One girl wore a sweater set with dress pants.) I was the only girl wearing a skirt suit, which I actually thought made me stand out, at least in a quick glance through the group. Again, I would say go with what you are comfortable with...I felt great in my suit, and it just gave me that added bit of confidence on the big day. I really don't think it matters, but don't dress like you would to go to the bars....if you are smart enough to get this far, you're smart enough to know that anyways!

Good Luck, Shannon

BTW, in case you want specifics, mine was a black suit, with a calf-length skirt and longer jacket. I wore a copper-colored shantung silk blouse. I liked the ability to "modernize" the look with the cut of suit and fabric, while still looking professional.

 

[Scooby Doo]

Birthday suit...
Simple...oh..this only applies to the women..where your birthday suit 🙂
Scooby will wear his birthday suit too!

Damn it's late...scooby needs sleep...
in birthday suit! oh joy!

 

[TwoSteveSquared]

Wear red thong underwear (guy or girl). Tell your interviewer. Rake the acceptances in.

 

[Jamier2]

Originally posted by NickasaurusRex:
•Jamie: Are you a guy or girl?•

One of the guys who have it so easy. 😉

I agree though, all I had to do was decide on a tie. Now that was easy. 🙂

I wore a black suit, as did all the guys except one who wore a tan!! suit. (He did stick out, but not really in a bad way)

 

[fishtolive]

be conservative...but a note about ties...i said to myself, okay, let's pick the ugliest, dorkiest, boringest, worstest tie in the closet and wear it to the interview...the first thing my interviewer says to me is, "nice tie, i have the same exact one!" smooth sailing after that...

 

[kutastha]

Black suits to interviews? 😱

Andrew

 

[KyGrlDr2B]

I agree about the whole worrying-about-what-to-wear deal. It's the only thing I can control and I've actually found myself worrying if I should wear nude or black pantyhose with my suit. LOL
Cause you know--they base everything on pantyhose color.

 

[kutastha]

My thoughts on the dressing issue...

My father has interviewed dozens of people in his time, so he's given me some sage advice on presentation. He told of two guys he interviewed last week. One guy wore a knit tie, square at the bottom that he tied badly, so he stuck the back part of it into his shirt. Another guy had a shirt that was too big in the neck, and his tie bunched up his collar. This was balanced with his white tube socks. These certainly are not determining factors for whether or not someone is qualifiied for a position, but they tell a lot about the person at first glance.

You want to flawlessly present yourself to these people. One bad fashion faux pas can leave a pretty bad impression.

Andrew

 

[JTrojan]

I'm interviewing at Northwestern, and I'm a little concerned about my attire. I have a black suit with a blue silk blouse and a pretty blue caila lily broach with just a little "diamond" in it that I pin to the collar of the suit. I've only had one interview so far, but it was at USC and I felt comfortable there compared with the other interviewees (one girl just had black pants and a pink button up shirt, another wore black pants and a sweater...), but I don't know if Chicago is more conservative and I should skip the broach and blue silk for a more conservative blue pinstripe button up.
Kind of trivial, but I know it will make me feel uncomfortable if everyone else is wearing black suits and white shirts, especially since this is a panel interview.
Or, should I just stop worrying altogether? I mean, the blue silk really does bring out the blue in my eyes... 😎

 

[DieselPetrolGrl]

I agree about the whole worrying-about-what-to-wear deal. It's the only thing I can control and I've actually found myself worrying if I should wear nude or black pantyhose with my suit. LOL
Cause you know--they base everything on pantyhose color.

nude

 

[zeebs32]

i've noticed that EVERYONE wears black suits. not that there's anything wrong with black, but if it's not your personality, then don't wear it! i have a gray suit with like a green herringbone pattern and a bright green shirt. it's still pretty conservative, but much more my style than plain black. also, it seems like a lot of girls wear pink blouses with their black suits. again, i'd say only do it if it's your thing!