UMich interview attire

[Kraazy]

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What are you guys planning to wear/have worn for hte first day of MD/PhD interviews at Mich? They said that we can wear "more comfortable" clothing and shoes, but I imagine in the business casual range?

 

[solitude]

What are you guys planning to wear/have worn for hte first day of MD/PhD interviews at Mich? They said that we can wear "more comfortable" clothing and shoes, but I imagine in the business casual range?

They said that, but at my interview everybody wore a suit anyways (although one guy wore a shirt and tie with no jacket). It's a classic Prisoner's Dilemma, so unless you contact the other interviewees and collude, I would just wear the suit.

 

[j-weezy]

pssssh - i just wore my suit jacket because it was cold!

 

[solitude]

pssssh - i just wore my suit jacket because it was cold!

But it was such a beatiful fall day the morning we arrived!

 

[Neuronix]

I would just wear the suit.

I didn't know it was so bad to stand out in our society? I wore khakis and and an ok shirt and shoes to those "casual" interviews and I did just fine.

 

[j-weezy]

I didn't know it was so bad to stand out in our society? I wore khakis and and an ok shirt and shoes to those "casual" interviews and I did just fine.

It's horrible to stand out in a crowd - especially a crowd of interviewees!!!

Personal style is frowned upon - didn't you know? The pre-allo forum is ridiculous: "is a brown suit ok?"

OP: it's fine to wear something more casual...and don't be deterred if the rest of the applicants are in suits - you'll be more comfortable and in keeping with the recommendations of the school!

 

[solitude]

I didn't know it was so bad to stand out in our society?

Of course intrinsically it is not. But if it means you look less professional than everybody else competing for the spots, I wouldn't advise it. I'm sure it's inconsequential in 99/100 cases, but what if you are that 100th case and some old fart on the committee was turned off by your attire and votes to reject? My whole point is that you just never know--why risk it for the sake of making a moral stand against conformity? (and it's not like khakis, a button-down shirt, and loafers is much more comfortable in the first place.)

 

[bubbachuck]

you can always go with the green or blue shirt for that semi-trailblazer look

 

[Mountain Cow]

you can always go with the green or blue shirt for that semi-trailblazer look

Or better yet...a green and white shirt with Spartan insignia 😉

 

[Kraazy]

Hmmm... I don't know.. PhD types tend to be a lot more on the casual side than MDs since they're not really in a position that involves contact with "customers." Hell, I've seen PhD applicants wearing birksenstocks. Birkenstocks! And they got in! It may go either way. Keeping it more casual than the suits might make some of the PhD folk relate to you better, but it may make you seem less professional (and hence less competitive) to others. So I guess it's a compromise either way?

Of course intrinsically it is not. But if it means you look less professional than everybody else competing for the spots, I wouldn't advise it. I'm sure it's inconsequential in 99/100 cases, but what if you are that 100th case and some old fart on the committee was turned off by your attire and votes to reject? My whole point is that you just never know--why risk it for the sake of making a moral stand against conformity? (and it's not like khakis, a button-down shirt, and loafers is much more comfortable in the first place.)

 

[solitude]

Hmmm... I don't know.. PhD types tend to be a lot more on the casual side than MDs since they're not really in a position that involves contact with "customers." Hell, I've seen PhD applicants wearing birksenstocks. Birkenstocks! And they got in! It may go either way. Keeping it more casual than the suits might make some of the PhD folk relate to you better, but it may make you seem less professional (and hence less competitive) to others. So I guess it's a compromise either way?

Yeah I mean we are fretting over a trifle. For what it's worth, though, on my first day of Michigan interviews three of my seven (!) interviewers were MD/PhDs and were wearing a shirt-and-tie; two of them were decked out in suits of their own. It certainly didn't hurt that I was commensurately dressed.

 

[Kraazy]

Yeah I mean we are fretting over a trifle. For what it's worth, though, on my first day of Michigan interviews three of my seven (!) interviewers were MD/PhDs and were wearing a shirt-and-tie; two of them were decked out in suits of their own. It certainly didn't hurt that I was commensurately dressed.

Damn MD/PhDs! You can never guess which side they'll fall on!
But really, 7 interviews??? They sure don't let them slip through the cracks!

 

[Neuronix]

Over the 2 days at UMich the year I interviewed we each had ~14 interviews. I wonder if they've cut down? It was pretty ridiculous

 

[j-weezy]

Over the 2 days at UMich the year I interviewed we each had ~14 interviews. I wonder if they've cut down? It was pretty ridiculous

It's down to about 10 now....I had 6 the first day and 4 the second day - only 2 MD interviews instead of 3 helped a bit....I am rather anti-two day interviews - you're so exhausted after the first day that the next day is just torture, no matter how cool your interviewer is