What should I wear to my interview?
Interview fashion is one of the most frequently-asked questions I get as a tutor of both college and prep school hopefuls. I’m not sure whether it’s because many of my students are used to worrying about clothing choices or because they just want every detail of the admissions process to be perfect, but I get so many questions about the interview that it seems prudent to write down a few answers here.
Silly fashion shows aside, my advice about interview attire is very simple: be yourself, and show respect.
If you are a goth, feel free to wear your black nail polish and black-and-white makeup, and even keep your piercings in if you don’t think it will be too distracting. But don’t wear a shirt with an offensive image or phrase on it, and try not to wear anything ripped. If you wear Elizabethan dresses to school, great — try to pick one without cleavage for the interview. Whatever you do, don’t run out and buy an outfit from Ralph Lauren or Old Navy because you think that’s what the interviewer wants to see. The interviewer wants to see you. At the same time, it doesn’t hurt to make it clear that goths, like everyone else, take school admissions seriously.
On the other hand, if your entire wardrobe is Ralph Lauren, then by all means, wear that. Perhaps choose the slacks or the respectful skirt over the jeans. What would you wear to an awards ceremony, or what will you wear to your first meeting with your academic advisor? Dress up, but don’t wear a tux unless you plan to wear that when you go to your teacher’s/professor’s office hours.
That’s it — that’s as much time as it’s worth to spend thinking about what you wear to the interview. The rest of your time should be spent considering what to say. Interviewers are far more concerned with whether you come across as lucid, intelligent, and thoughtful. They want to know whether you’ll make a positive contribution to the school, so focus on your ideas and opinions rather than how you’re going to do your hair.
One last thing: if you have to deny who you are or who you want to be to do well in the interview, it’s probably not the school for you. You may have heard that before — that’s because it’s true. Going to a school that isn’t a good fit for you is, quite possibly, a prescription for misery. So use the interview to ask questions as well. Ask about campus life, student study habits, class selection, popular majors, and roommate selection. And if the interview is going very well, you might even ask about what other students like to wear.