Interview Clothes

[faultfree]

Just wondering how people usually dress for the interviews? Specifically females, is a pant suit overdressed? Skirt or pants? Blouse or nice sweater? Any help would be great to help narrow down my options. Also for girls with long hair do you think hair up or down looks more professional? Thanks and good luck everyone!

[dreizehn]

I think when choosing what to wear for your interview there are two main things to go for: Be professional and be comfortable.

• Dress PROFESSIONALLY: OK, that doesn't really narrow it down for you, but that's kind of the point; one can look professional in a wide range of outfits, and what I've seen on interview day does indeed vary greatly. Speaking from my experience with the interviews:
  
  
  • GIRLS - An actual girl might be able to give you some more direct tips, but seeing as no one else has responded yet I can at least tell you that at my interview I saw girls in pantsuits, as well as pants or a skirt worn with a blouse with or without a jacket or sweater, and from heels to flat dress shoes. So for your questions specifically:
    • Is a pant suit overdressed?
      
    • Skirt or pants?
      
    • Blouse or nice sweater?
      
    • For girls with long hair, up or down?
      

[/u] girls is that if you are prone to playing with your hair, tying it back or up might be a good idea so you don't play with it accidentally (which would be distracting during the interview)[/ul]
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[/li][li] GUYS - I think we're basically summed up as dress shoes, nice pants (i.e., no jeans), belt, and a dress shirt, and then whether you want to add a tie and/or a jacket is up to personal choice and what you'll be comfortable in... which is my flawless segue into point #2...
[/li][/ul]

[/li][li] Wear something that you will be COMFORTABLE in: You're going to be going through nearly an hour and a half of interviews, and I'm sure a decent number of you will be nervous, stressed, etc., so don't make it worse on yourself by wearing something you're going to be miserable in. If it's not comfortable, you will probably be distracted by it, and that might result in fidgeting as a result (again, distracting for both you and the interviewers). So, if you feel like you're being strangled when wearing a tie, leave it behind. I you can't stand wearing a skirt, wear a pair of dress pants. If you're comfortable you'll be able to relax (at least a bit), and you will be able to think better.

[/li][li] Just a few other related things I'm going to add:

• If you tend to sweat a lot when you get nervous/stressed or just in general, keep that in mind when choosing what to wear; the interview process is well over an hour and you don't want to be a sweaty mess by the end of it (plus, giant pit stains are going on the list of things that would be distracting).
  
• The building is air conditioned so it is a comfortable temperature inside (I personally tend to overheat easily, but found the temperature fine and was comfortable in the suit and tie I wore to my interview).
  
• If you're worried about messing up your clothes on the way or are driving in from out-of-town the day of (like I had to), you can always just change into your interview clothes in the bathrooms in the building.
  

[/li][/ul]
With all that said, I think it's really important to keep in mind that you're being interviewed for vet school, not a fashion academy, so don't stress about what you're wearing too much...there's enough other things you're probably stressed about already, and you're not going to be refused admission just because someone thinks your skirt went out of fashion last fall or you're not wearing a tie.

Best of luck with the admissions process and hope to see you in September!