Visit to Yale for Admissions: Need Clothing Advice

[LabelKing]

Originally Posted by Teger

On second thought, I agree with LabelKing. Go as overboard as possible. Wear a Run DMC esque clock necklace
I love how all these threads always implore the person to dress as conservatively as possible.

 

[SirSuturesALot]

Originally Posted by rach2jlc

You guys have it all wrong. My hint, if you REALLY want to get into Yale: Wear the traditional dress of the Native American tribe of which you are close to, if not the last, surviving member. If you can't come up with an authentic sounding name, I'll make one up now: the Shushuwanahashawahaa tribe of southern Indiana. If your admissions counselor/interviewer tries to call you on making that tribe up for the purposes of admission, break down into tears and say that this is what the White Man has done from the beginning... tried to erase the beautiful, 1800 year history of the Shushuwanahashawahaa tribe! And now YALE, your dream college, is doing it too!!!
LOL!

 

[dopamine]

Originally Posted by wmmk

If you wear a repp tie, just make sure it isn't either orange & black or crimson & white.

QFT

 

[literasyme]

Originally Posted by voxsartoria

If you are applying to a top graduate program, how you dress will mean nothing.

Scores, grades, letters and your prior schooling will determine everything. The competitive nature of these programs focuses faculty on obtaining the best students possible to be competitive with other programs. There is little black magic to this process, it is all almost robotically objective. The only thing that professors take more seriously than choosing graduate students is how to replicate their own ranks.

So, my advice would be not to try to reinvent yourself at the moment. Be yourself, whatever that is, and hope for the best. It's like jumping out of a plane...you're at the stage where you have to let the forces of nature work.

+100

If you're applying for grad school in the humanities or social sciences, this event will be close to meaningless, as your written application will be the main determining factor. But even if the meet-and-greet carries a little weight, the way you dress will be almost immaterial.

The notion that grad students at Yale (or Harvard, or Princeton, or elsewhere) walk around in J. Press is hilarious -- I'm not even sure too many undergrads dress like that these days. In grad school, there is no dress code: it's about the work, not the outfit. If you want to look like one of your future advisors, wear khakis and a tweed or cord jacket, perhaps a v-neck underneath, and no tie. But even if you do that, it won't have a tangible effect on your chances.

 

[Pylon]

Originally Posted by plhoang

Blue suit, white shirt, no tie, black shoes. You don't want to look like every other undergrad on his way back from a Whiffenpoofs rehearsal, and you don't want to go overboard. You are, after all, trying to set yourself apart and be memorable in a good way. New Haven really isn't that scary, especially given that it's a lot nicer today than it was when I was there (Y'94).
Interesting advice - looking the part, not going overboard but also not blending in to look like just another random guy in the khakis and a blazer uniform. Thanks for the advice. What program did you graduate from?

Originally Posted by Concordia

What program, and what are you doing professionally now? Don't make the mistake (not that it will be a killer) of dressing down just to make a point. If you wear a suit to work now and are applying to SOM, wear the suit. Probably for the law school also. Elsewhere, a plain, serviceable suit won't kill you if you lay off the contrast collars and the bling. Look like someone who's smart, who is serious about the program, and who won't make them look bad.
Concordia: The International Relations program; Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. I'm working in Public Relations and communications for a non-profit agency now, with a BA in History and in French. Thanks for the advice.

Originally Posted by rach2jlc

You guys have it all wrong. My hint, if you REALLY want to get into Yale: {truncated humorous tirade here} Necktie is optional; the Shushuwanahashawahaa were always a casual dressing bunch.
Thanks for interjecting the humor, Rach2jlc, haha.

Originally Posted by voxsartoria

If you are applying to a top graduate program, how you dress will mean nothing. Scores, grades, letters and your prior schooling will determine everything. The competitive nature of these programs focuses faculty on obtaining the best students possible to be competitive with other programs. There is little black magic to this process, it is all almost robotically objective. The only thing that professors take more seriously than choosing graduate students is how to replicate their own ranks.
I realize that there is probably very little if any difference that will come from my clothing choices. But nonetheless, I'd rather not feel uncomfortable being "that guy" all day over-dressed for the occassion in the grey herringbone suit while the rest of the students, staff and other prospective students are comfortable and casual in sweaters and slacks; the same goes for the inverse. It's just a nice ability to leave a positive impression on those you meet (professors or admissions officers) rather than no impression or a negative one. Clothing plays into the total package of making an impression, in my opinion. I'm more aiming for avoiding being uncomfortably mis-dressed than for dreaming of an outfit which will somehow magically secure me what my credentials will not. I'm well aware of the focus I need to pour into all the real aspects of my application package.

Originally Posted by wmmk

If you wear a repp tie, just make sure it isn't either orange & black or crimson & white.
Hah! Darn, I'll have to put that Princeton tie away, then.

Thanks for the responses and ideas so far!

 

[wiru]

i wouldn't wear a tie or a suit. imo it would be oddly overdressed. a blazer / odd jacket would be fine. wool pants if you don't want to wear khakis.

if this is for a phd, while you're on campus make sure to meet with any potential advisers. contact them before you go and ask to set up a meeting. making a good impression on these people could actually affect your chances, especially if your transcript doesn't reflect your actual ability. and it's a good opportunity to find out if they're total d-bags, in which case you want to reconsider going to yale at all.

rach2jlc's advice is also something to keep in mind

 

[emptym]

I agree that the event will have little to no effect on admissions. But if you can meet w/ a professor or two w/ whom you'd most like to work, that could be important. Ask if it's possible. I'd come up w/ some good questions for profs. Your essay is very imp. and should answer three questions. 1. What do I want to study? 2. Why is this particular program the best place for me to study this particular topic? 3. Why am I prepared to study this here? The first one should be pretty specific. Don't worry, you will not be held to it. The second one should be specific too. Name centers, libraries, consortiums, professors, their specialties... The third one will highlight your prior training in languages, etc. That said, I'd wear cotton twill or corduroy pants, a dress shirt, a sweater maybe, and/or a jacket maybe, probably no tie. Good luck. Oh, and say the prayer of St. Francis.

 

[rach2jlc]

Originally Posted by Pylon

Thanks for interjecting the humor, Rach2jlc, haha.

You're welcome. Anyway, my point in trying to be a little funny was just to put a humorous angle on what Voxsartoria said, as he is right. The main thing they are looking for, unless you have a compelling personal story (like I mentioned!!!) is the sheer quality of your admissions packet and your work until now.

Be yourself and your merits should/will/must speak for themselves. These programs are incredibly selective and you'd probably be shocked and awed by some of the achievements of your peers looking to get into these programs.

In any case, best of luck!

 

[beny]

OT: Aren't Tufts/Fletcher, Hopkins/SAIS, Columbia/SIPA pretty much dominant in IR? And then there's also Woodrow Wilson, Kennedy, Georgetown SFS, etc. which are all also decent programs... haven't heard anything about Yale's program though; is it comparable to SOM - riding on the Yale name, but yet nothing special?

 

[redgrail]

...zing...

 

[LaoHu]

Dressing like Charles Gibson's friends in this photo would NOT be a good idea:

 

[plhoang]

Pylon - I was an undergrad. History (military history focus) and poli sci (IR) major. Subconcentration in molecular biophysics and biochemistry - that is, I did the major's requirements less the senior project. Good departments.

 

[philosophe]

Originally Posted by voxsartoria

If you are applying to a top graduate program, how you dress will mean nothing.

Scores, grades, letters and your prior schooling will determine everything. The competitive nature of these programs focuses faculty on obtaining the best students possible to be competitive with other programs. There is little black magic to this process, it is all almost robotically objective. The only thing that professors take more seriously than choosing graduate students is how to replicate their own ranks.

So, my advice would be not to try to reinvent yourself at the moment. Be yourself, whatever that is, and hope for the best. It's like jumping out of a plane...you're at the stage where you have to let the forces of nature work.

It is very different than undergraduate admissions, and both undergraduate and graduate admissions differ from admissions to professional programs.


- B

I serve on a grad admissions committee, and vox is dead-on.

 

[plhoang]

Originally Posted by beny

OT: Aren't Tufts/Fletcher, Hopkins/SAIS, Columbia/SIPA pretty much dominant in IR? And then there's also Woodrow Wilson, Kennedy, Georgetown SFS, etc. which are all also decent programs... haven't heard anything about Yale's program though; is it comparable to SOM - riding on the Yale name, but yet nothing special?

Different animals. Kennedy school and such are geared towards public servant careers i.e. diplomatic service, state department, etc.

I assumed the poster is pursuing an academic IR track, for which there few programs of Yale's quality. In my day, his potential PI's would have been people like Brad Westerfield, Gaddis Smith, Don Kagan, and LtGen William Odom, among many others. The advantage of the academic track is that it doesn't preclude you from going govvie, whereas Kennedy School for the most part takes you off the classic tenure track.

Take what I'm saying with a grain of salt, given that I did a minor amount of govvie stuff but never came close to academia after Yale other than teaching some b-school classes.

 

[redgrail]

The fact that he's even saying "IR" means there is a 90% likelihood he's talking about the MA program. AFAIK, Yale does not offer an IR doctorate - most universities don't. If OP is truly on the "academic track", an MA will not help in the slightest. If he's looking for government work, the programs beny mentions vastly outperform Yale.