Life in Academia

[duration]

Eh, sidetracking here.
PTWilliams - By any chance, are you Australian? I instantly identified the maker of the shirt, as I had a bunch of their t-shirts and loudshirts...

Going back to the topic. I recall that at my college, the humanities professors seemed to have dressed better. Business and accounting professors cared less, with one derivatives lecturer togged out in a beach shirt and khaki shorts combo in almost every class.

 

[Trotsky1940]

I teach Political Science and getting the look is, for me, part of the fun. I am late to the trad party but assure you that I will be wearing white bucs in the fall with khakis and a nice tweed jacket I just picked up. As it gets cooler out here I will go back towards my wools and vests. I don't do it to impress anybody, I do it because I enjoy it.

That being said...

If you dress the part, you will at least look like you know what you are doing. When I am even marginally dressed up I get called sir more, treated with more respect and people pay attention to me. It's odd, but it really is true. So in my vest, coat, tie and khakis I tend to have slightly more control over my classroom than when I was a young Adjunct dressed in polos and jeans. If you told me this five years ago I would have thought you were full of bullshit.

Also, I take lots of pride in what I do and my profession as a whole. Sure the "classic professor look" is cliche' at times but I love it!
Many of my colleagues either agree with me or just don't care. They don't have to. This profession allows you to maintain a certain air of professional eccentricity about your dress. I exploit that to the fullest.

 

[L'Incandescent]

Originally Posted by OttoSkadelig

but both points of view are right... it's the difference between first impressions and long-term impressions. many people WILL judge you to be a self-centered (at best) and possibly shallow or even odd (at worst) person if you are dressed in an over-the-top manner.

I think this is right. If someone's dress is "over the top," that will get the person noticed and probably in a bad way. But I also think that as long as you don't cross that threshold, people will not make judgments about you that affect your career. In other words, there is in my experience a very wide range of acceptable dress in academia.

 

[jabreal00]

I am a physician. I can say unequivocally that most doctors, especially older ones and those in academics could careless about being stylish. Most wear the standard pleated slacks, bellowing oxford button up shirts and standard casual black or brown shoes.

Some younger physicians care about fit and style but it's few.

 

[slappy]

I studied solid state physics and optoelectronics in grad school. Pretty much no one cared at all about how they dressed except some students who came over from Europe. As for the non hard sciences like biology etc.. that was different. But the real nerdy sciences like EE, physics etc.. the dress code was basically whatever was lying on your floor that morning. I saw a guy who would walk around the physics building with a big wooden cane that was in fact just a stick he found, and would wear what looked to be something out of lord of the rings. I also liked the guy who thought he dressed well and had a fedora on every time I saw him, the same fedora. He would wear a blazer that didnt fit him even remotely along with horrible looking dress shoes and pants that were either remarkably big or remarkably small.

Of course back then I didn't care too much about clothes either but I dressed average I guess. I did have a professor from France who looked immaculate however.

 

[voxsartoria]

Don't most of you wear mortarboards?

And those robe things?

- B

 

[BBC]

Originally Posted by voxsartoria

Don't most of you wear mortarboards?

And those robe things?

- B

Mortarboards - how unfashionable. Only medieval caps for me.

 

[Publius]

Originally Posted by Professor Chaos

But if that simpleton is your department head, or a student evaluating your teaching, what do you do?
That doesn't sound like a place I want to work. ;-)

 

[mjc]

Originally Posted by Professor Chaos

But if that simpleton is your department head, or a student evaluating your teaching, what do you do?

Relax, I'd say

You'll have lots of tempests-in-teacups to deal with in academia. Get used to it!

- Mike

 

[Master Squirrel]

I have the distinction of being a high profile recruiter/adviser. I pretty much am called to dress up and down for the occasion. About once or twice a year I have to wear black tie.

In winter I am mostly in tweed. Blue or maroon blazer also are regular features.

 

[Usul]

Originally Posted by slappy

I studied solid state physics and optoelectronics in grad school. Pretty much no one cared at all about how they dressed except some students who came over from Europe. As for the non hard sciences like biology etc.. that was different. But the real nerdy sciences like EE, physics etc.. the dress code was basically whatever was lying on your floor that morning. I saw a guy who would walk around the physics building with a big wooden cane that was in fact just a stick he found, and would wear what looked to be something out of lord of the rings. I also liked the guy who thought he dressed well and had a fedora on every time I saw him, the same fedora. He would wear a blazer that didnt fit him even remotely along with horrible looking dress shoes and pants that were either remarkably big or remarkably small.

Of course back then I didn't care too much about clothes either but I dressed average I guess. I did have a professor from France who looked immaculate however.

Did you ask him if it was just stick he found? Was he tenured?

 

[slappy]

Well it was clearly a stick one could find in the woods or a big park. That said I cant rule out the possibility that he purchased it. He was a grad student, I talked to him once, seemed pretty annoying.

 

[unjung]

Originally Posted by Ryan Graber

As a student... colleges on campus.

You remind me of a kid I knew and hated in college.

 

[vincerich]

Originally Posted by Trotsky1940

I teach Political Science and getting the look is, for me, part of the fun. I am late to the trad party but assure you that I will be wearing white bucs in the fall with khakis and a nice tweed jacket I just picked up. As it gets cooler out here I will go back towards my wools and vests. I don't do it to impress anybody, I do it because I enjoy it[/i].

That being said...

If you dress the part, you will at least look like you know what you are doing. When I am even marginally dressed up I get called sir more, treated with more respect and people pay attention to me. It's odd, but it really is true. So in my vest, coat, tie and khakis I tend to have slightly more control over my classroom than when I was a young Adjunct dressed in polos and jeans. If you told me this five years ago I would have thought you were full of bullshit.

Also, I take lots of pride in what I do and my profession as a whole. Sure the "classic professor look" is cliche' at times but I love it!
Many of my colleagues either agree with me or just don't care. They don't have to. This profession allows you to maintain a certain air of professional eccentricity about your dress. I exploit that to the fullest.



1) Riiiight. You do it to appease the misguided minions of the forum (or whatever article familiarized you with "trad").

2) As a political scientist, you should already have already been in the know about the importance of keeping up appearances and playing "the game."

 

[Marcus Brody]

Originally Posted by Bull

My Islamic Studies professor in college, John Voll, wore a Harris Tweed coat every day with an OCBD and simple tie (often a regimental). He looked fantastic - classic professor look. Never out of style, always appropriate: http://explore.georgetown.edu/people/vollj/
I had Prof. Voll for two semesters of African History. A great guy who absolutely looked the part of "professor" as it was in my young mind. I'm in grad school now and most of my professors dress reasonably well. The best dressed guy in our department from a traditional professorial perspective (J. Press, tweed blazers, whole cuts, etc) is about to leave for an administrative role as he winds up his career, so I'm in the market for a new academic sartorial role model. ha In the reverse of the original question, as a student my wardrobe has become a bit of a fascination for some of my professors. I wear some tweed jackets or wool felt suits on occasion as I like them. These professors really took to them so now if I show up in something more standard for the grad students around here they act disappointed and ask me why I'm not dressed up. Which is fine, but now I feel pressure to dress up so I'm not disappointing people. Oh well. I guess as a grad student anything that gets you into your advisors' good graces and lets you enjoy yourself isn't too bad.