The perfect outfit for a college campus

[ElDave]



One of my closest friends here (hes the prime minister of Greece's grandson) looked at me and asked if I was sick.  I was a little confused when he asked me this so I laughed and told him I'm fine, why does he ask?  He responded by telling me to go inside and change out of my ****** clothing and dress like I care.  He (and most of the other students in this program) taught me within the first week to dress for school like I'd dress for a job.  I learned that after I started "dressing up" for class, my grades and my attitude greatly improved.  

This is one of your closest friends? You realize this makes you sound like you have no self-esteem, right?

If one of my "closest friends" ever told me that about going to class, I'd quickly respond with something that rhymes with, "muck moo."

If dressing up for class helps you, do it. Don't do it because some asshole who's never known anything other than privelege told you to.

 

[TimelesStyle]



Is American's campus that different from Georgetown and GW?

No, it's filled with those who could not get into the former two (and I did a semester-long program at AU, I know this quite well).

 

[Aaron01]



No, it's filled with those who could not get into the former two (and I did a semester-long program at AU, I know this quite well).

You should ask for a refund.

 

[mcbrown]



As I mentioned, this university is very international.  I'd say close to 40% of the students here are international (and all international people pay the $60k in cash in full a year) so everyone is quite wealthy.  My story is interesting because when I came here as a freshman I was in a program that was only open to 100 students in the freshman class.  The program was a cash only program of the best students excepted (we had some perks, most of us worked on the hill for credit as a freshman, etc.).

Fun for you. I'm sure the world trembles at the power and might of this ultra-exclusive program at American University. Nothing says "We select only the best and the brightest, and are not at all geared towards the douchey wastrel children of minor despots" like the phrase cash only.

I learned that after I started "dressing up" for class, my grades and my attitude greatly improved.

When I went to college it was silly stuff like "studying", "hard work" and "original thought" that helped with one's grades. I will be sure to teach my children that they are better served by thinking carefully about their shoes.

Since then on warmer days I typically wear a RL button down with chinos and a blazer (close to 3 times a week) and penny loafers.  One colder days I'll wear jeans or cords with a button down, a sweater, a tweed jacket and a pair of AE stands.  On days I'm presenting, or meeting with a professor for lunch or for academic/future planning I wear either a suit and tie, or a SC and tie.

Excellent, I'm glad someone finally provided a thoughtful answer to the OP's question! Now who was the OP again? Someone tell him that he should PM this TauKappaEpsilon guy, because TauKappaEpsilon has clearly all the answers to the questions the OP is asking.

I'm working on going to law school and to me, being professional (dressing, acting, speaking, etc.) is very important.  I'm not the best student but I've never been rejected from a job/internship/college after an interview.  I've learned that the way in which one presents himself is one of the most important things (granted he isn't a complete idiot).

I hereby grant you the validation you so desperately seek.

 

[CDHagg]

I personally thought that this was a hypothetical question, concerning the hypothetical, perfect college student.

+1 to the guy who said that it depends on the culture of the particular university.

 

[atlrus]

Have you seen how Jobs dressed presenting his product in front of millions of people? And a recent article estimated Apple's worth more than that of Greece. Tell that to your "friend" next time he gives you sartorial advice...

 

[Klobber]



As I mentioned, this university is very international.  I'd say close to 40% of the students here are international (and all international people pay the $60k in cash in full a year) so everyone is quite wealthy.  My story is interesting because when I came here as a freshman I was in a program that was only open to 100 students in the freshman class.  The program was a cash only program of the best students excepted (we had some perks, most of us worked on the hill for credit as a freshman, etc.).  The first two days of class I was dressing like I did when I was in my public highschool.  A white tshirt and a pair of beat up jeans, maybe a hoodie if it was cold inside the classroom.  One of my closest friends here (hes the prime minister of Greece's grandson) looked at me and asked if I was sick. I was a little confused when he asked me this so I laughed and told him I'm fine, why does he ask? He responded by telling me to go inside and change out of my ****** clothing and dress like I care.  He (and most of the other students in this program) taught me within the first week to dress for school like I'd dress for a job.  I learned that after I started "dressing up" for class, my grades and my attitude greatly improved.  

Bolded part = . I was not there to suss out the tone of conversation, but he does not sound like much of a friend if the depth of friendship depends entirely on physical aesthetics or your willingness to conform to his standards. A materialistic friendship like this lasts as long as a turd in a fly infested garden. Call him a colleague or acquaintance, but I would hesitate to call him a friend.

Regarding your dress sense, the old saying is when in Rome.... If you are attending a super square, super conservative college, then I guess you will be dressing up a bit. In this case, I suggest you consider going to a different university. These are your prime years of youth, you dont get them back. If you sit around with buddies playing chess or having facebook sessions on your own in dorm, you will seriously regret going to a square university. Work hard and play hard is the mantra of University, not work hard and suck up to a bunch of boring old farts with nothing better to do than feel for canvassing in their high dollar suits.

 

[Flyswatter]

I'm a college student. This thread made me laugh out loud.

 

[TauKappaEpsilon]

Fun for you. I'm sure the world trembles at the power and might of this ultra-exclusive program at American University. Nothing says "We select only the best and the brightest, and are not at all geared towards the douchey wastrel children of minor despots" like the phrase cash only.
When I went to college it was silly stuff like "studying", "hard work" and "original thought" that helped with one's grades. I will be sure to teach my children that they are better served by thinking carefully about their shoes.
Excellent, I'm glad someone finally provided a thoughtful answer to the OP's question! Now who was the OP again? Someone tell him that he should PM this TauKappaEpsilon guy, because TauKappaEpsilon has clearly all the answers to the questions the OP is asking.
I hereby grant you the validation you so desperately seek.

Was this really necessary? I posted a simple question asking what people on here think is appropriate to wear on a college campus. I waited for many responses before adding my input. I only added my own opinions because I received several PM's asking me what I think, so I thought to post here instead of in separate PMs.

I dont quite understand why you're so insulted by some of the wording I chose earlier, but it clearly hit a soar spot for you. "Cash only" was a phrase I used. I put that in there to explain the type of clothing I see on the campus. Cash only infers that most people here have the money to buy nice clothing so seeing 18 year old boys walking around in EG shoes isnt out of the ordinary.

Again, I'm sorry for somehow insulting you but I'd hope, for your sake, you refrain from posting anything that isnt relevant to a specific thread, or to SF as a whole. You must be pretty new here and not understand how SF works yet, but you'll learn (with guidance from myself and other members). There is quite a lot of criticizing here (especially in the WAYWT threads) but they are all constructive criticism and the people criticizing will give praise when praise is deserved. You need to learn how to deal with your problems, when such problems arise. You clearly had some kind of problem with me posting what I posted and were unnecessarily sarcastic and rude about how you responded. You could've PMd me directly to work out what ever problem you had with me.

My understanding is that the majority of SF are not young kids (I'm probably in the youngest age group on here). With that being said, almost everyone here, in MC, are professionals. The response that I read from you is anything but professional. You sound terribly immature and most of all, you sound like someone who has never and will never fully understand what the term professional means.

An underlying reason that I currently dress the way I do in college is because of this idea of professionalism. In this world people must behave a certain way to be given any respect by other groups of people, whether those are peers, employers, friends, or even family. mcbrown, when you go off on these tangents you show everyone around you that you dont know how to conduct yourself as a responsible and professional person. I know this is just an online clothing forum, but it shows a lot about your character. You've shown me (and possibly other SF members) that you have a lack of regard for what you say and for what people will think of you. I doubt you've made it this far into my post, but by the slim chance that you have, you are probably thinking about telling me that you dont care what people think of you. That is a complete lie. If you didnt care how people thought of you, you wouldnt be on this forum.

To everyone else in this thread: I apologize for this post

 

[dredwings19]

Don't apologize to anyone bro. You asked a perfectly good question, and my answer to it would be wear what you like. Im in College myself and I wore dress pants, shirt and tie last week was I dressed better then probably 95% of the people there? Yes. But that doesn't mean that you can't wear it hell you could probably wear a suit if you want to. It all comes down to what you feel comfortable wearing and what you fancy. Ultimately people won't care what you wear.

 

[Elegantly Wasted]



Are you an American?! Man up and tell the foreigners to sod off. Especially the Greeks. Other than the Ancients they have no business giving advice to anyone.

In other words: born a redneck, always a redneck. Why should the OP try to dress like a civilized person? And he still has the guts to mention it on THIS forum??!!!

 

[Superfluous]

I tried to stay out of this silly thread, but I have to chime in. Are you supposed to wear one supposed perfect outfit everyday?

 

[t2russo]

Kid is in TKE, give him a break

Jokes aside, I go to a west coast school and I rock an OCBD, nice denim or chinos, and leather shoes five days a week. Mind you I'm in my third year here, I don't have a babyface, and I actually have meetings and duties outside of class where I would look like an asshat if I showed up in a brotank/gymshorts/nikes like the majority of the greeks or plaid/superskinnies/vans like the gdi's. I never wear a tie to class, and I usually go with a casual jacket instead of a sportcoat, but I don't shy away from wearing one if I goddamn feel like it. I've reiterated this in several other threads about college dress, but the key is to not put on a costume, but to actually put on an outfit. Don't let what you are wearing be the primary characteristic of what people know you by.

 

[stevent]

I posted sweatpants and comfy tee combo earlier which I still hold by for half the time. If I'm out the night before, I'll probably keep it comfy the next day, even if class doesn't start until the afternoon. For certain professors I will always dress up a bit more. So probably 1-2 days a weeks in sweats and 2-3 days in better clothes. But max is a OCBD with chino/jeans, knit and peacoat. Footwear is Alden Indys or Desert Boots or if necessary a pair of bluchers. Spring summer move to Quoddys and Sperrys. I never wear a blazer unless it's a tailgate or I have something more formal in greek life or social life, because you look like a tool in most cases. Some periods I may have to go in a suit or at least business casual, and then it is like everyone else on this forum. I'd never just wear a blazer to class unless it was something like Engineered garments or something meant to be a bit more casual.

To the OP though, unless you are used to wearing blazers everyday, it will just look weird on you for a while as it won't drape properly and you will fidget adjust in it quite a bit. Once you get used to it and it becomes more your style, then you'll feel more natural in it. At school I'm fine dressed in whatever, but at home, I'd never leave the house without a collar on. So part of it is where I am, but I'd never dress up just cause some pompous European guy does. You sound like my freshman year roomate who wore all designer clothes, but it never looked right on him.

 

[Omar1223]

Just wear things that fit and thats all that matters. In the spring and summer it can be jeans, a plain tshirt and loafers or even sneakers. the tees can be solid ones from american apparel. there is one on M. street.

OP, you obvs have a solid understanding and know what you are doing to an extent. i think if you incorporate some casual elements into your wardrobe, you will do great. im saying this as a guy who went to GW and had my best friend go to georgetown so i spent a ton of time at that campus too.