[Closed] Uni pre-offer interview suit or smart casual?

I'd say smart casual, who wears a suit to uni? 😯

I'd say shirt, smart trousers and smart shoes.

I wore a suit. My son wore casual. Nobody wears a suit anymore to University.

I'd say suit, or at least smart trousers, shirt and tie. If he turns up and most of the other candidates are suited, it might put him off his game, even if the interviewers don't give a stuff.

Plenty of people will wear suits to the interviews but I'd be surprised if it made any odds. I never wore one to mine and got offers. Probably best off picking something that he's comfortable in.

I don't know york's culture unfortunately, they are a russell group though and they can frankly be a bit up themselves. Tere we don't do much interviewing as it's mostly good for finding students that are good at interviews and have had the most coaching... but when we do, we don't care what they look like in the slightest. (unless you're for fashion!)

Could be worth getting on Studentrooms and asking- they might have student reps or staff on there but there'll certainly be existing students who can let you know. And it's a forum so nicely anonymous. Or, tbh a phone call can't hurt- there's no university in the country that'll object to "We're not familiar with the interview process so I just had some questions, as a worried parent..." (and can be anonymous too, if you've any concern, but any uni that holds something like that against an applicant isn't somewhere he wants to go)

But, sometimes a suit is like a superhero costume for interviews, some people feel awkward and dressed-by-mum but others it helps the mindset and focus. So the person is important too, you'll be better being more casual but confident rather than suitified and awkward. They want to get a feel for the student not the tailor.

My experience is that no one marks you down for being overdressed, so a suit will not harm.

But, sometimes a suit is like a superhero costume for interviews, some people feel awkward and dressed-by-mum but others it helps the mindset and focus. So the person is important too, you'll be better being casual but confident rather than suitified and awkward.

That's a better way of saying what I meant.

Most courses aren't selective on the basis of the interview, they make offers and select on grades. The interview is more of a 2-way thing, and it's a sorry academic who wears a suit to work, so your lad shouldn't, either.

Some courses are extremely competitive, of course, so if it's obv one of those then a suit won't hurt, dress smart as a minimum.

Suit. Make an effort. Cant hurt.

If he has one, wear it. Conditions him for when he properly interviews for a job.

he can always keep some jeans in the car for immediately after

Wear what you want. It's uni, I think I wore smart casual for my interview, a suit is fine but most won't wear a suit to a uni interview.

I'd rather be overdressed than under for anything that might be formal. But you can't go far wrong with trousers, smart shirt and tie. Allows you to be suitably formal if needed or lose the tie if not. First thing I usually do if I'm in a meeting in a suit is take the jacket off anyway.

FWIW, I interviewed at Strathclyde a couple of years back in a shirt & jeans, with a nice jumper over the shirt so that if I arrived and everyone was wearing a shirt I could whip off the jumper, and if it was more casual I could keep it on and not feel over dressed. Not a suit in sight - I'd lean towards a shirt & chinos/similar. Nobody, and I mean nobody, wears a suit at uni, no academics, no students (unless it's Suit Tuesdays, but that's a different story).

Tell him to wear what's comfy - at most uni interviews you've pretty much already got the position and they're just meeting you to confirm that you're not a total twonk in person/lying through your teeth on your personal statement. That said, my interview was purely a chat with an academic, his might be more of a "chat and competency test" style gig - even then, wear what you'd wear to uni.

I'll never forget my first day on placement last summer.. I was on the railways, and turned up in a suit & tie the first day. Everyone else in the office was in polos/scruffy jeans, and thought I'd come to inspect them 😆

My kid just had her pre offer interview in manchester uni, and shes glad she wore smart casual...so yah smart casual

No such thing as overdressed, only underdressed. I say wear a suit - possibly without a tie. Puts you in the right frame of mind (it does me - formal event, wear formal dress) and shows respect to the interviewers. They may or may not appreciate that sentiment, but what have you got to lose? It's an interview so you need to pull out every weapon in your arsenal. Some people might take a more casual approach as an indication to your approach to work - old fashioned maybe, but why risk it. At the very least very smart casual - no denim (unless it's very smart denim), blazer, smart shirt etc.

I had a pre-interview for cardiff Uni last year and rocked up in a suit and was the only person of the 100 or so I saw in one! most seemed to be in jean and hoodie/jumper.

When I went for my uni interview I the only person in a suit / tie.

At the beginning we were all day together and the interviewer specifically mentioned, in front of all the candidates, how he noted I was the only one so attired and was pleased to see I had made the effort.

The other lads looked pretty sheepish it must be said.

Not saying your lads would be like that but as per others, I'd rather be overdressed than under.

Looked at my post again, honestly I think this might be the best advice I'll ever give anyone on here, but I hid it in a bloated post so here's the important bit. Seriously

worth getting on Studentroom and asking <snip>, a phone call can't hurt- there's no university in the country that'll object to "We're not familiar with the interview process so I just had some questions"

Studentroom is great btw, we recommend it to potential students, it's a great source of info and soother of nerves

I when I was going to interviews in 2014 everyone was in a suit

If he's not comfortable in a suit, or rarely dresses smart, he'll look (and feel) like he's been dressed by his mum.

Although if he is comfortable in one, and often dresses smart, then there's no harm in making the effort.

All these people saying "chinos" - what self respecting 17 year old owns a pair of chinos ? !!

Anyhoo; back in't day when I was at York; it was a fairly casual place. However; I did wear a shirt and tie to interview. 20 years ago this year; jeez how time flies !

Confidence is key - as everybody else has said.

But seriously... Chinos ?

Most of the youngsters at work wear chinos all the time (not as work attire) I think you will find they are quite popular 😉

http://m.topman.com/h5/products?categoryFilter=207169%2C207181

http://www.next.co.uk/shop/gender-men-category-trousers/designfeature-chino

/me is amazed ... They were a middle-aged-mans pant when I were a nipper

Which course? As Northwind says, check out Studentroom.

Fwiw, I interview students and have never once judged a student by what they wear. In addition to grades, I'm looking for bright, keen and interesting.

don't wear the suit, your kid might feel uncomfortable and mess up the interview. University isn't going to discriminate on looks, gender, race etc

Heh. I went to York 17 years ago. I don't think I even owned a suit then.

The only student who routinely wore suits (usually a full three piece get up with watch chain and all) was [url= http://www.taxpayersalliance.com/jonathan_isaby ]this lovely chap[/url], who was chair of the campus young conservatives. He made William Hague look like Johnny Rotten.

****.

Well is it a bad thing if you rock up in a suit when everyone else is causal? At least you'll make an impression and stand out amongst a sea of casually dressed possibly forgetful people. Interviews are all about distinguishing yourself from the other candidates.

I didn't dress up for any of mine (current 4th year student), got all my offers. Accademics really don't care how you dress. To be honest, most unis will invite you to "interview" as an attempt to sell the uni to you and convince you that York really is the place for you, so I don't think it makes much difference. I went to two of my interviews and got five offers so I wouldn't worry about attending all interviews.

WHAT NW said

IMHO - it is unlikely to be the critical factor but dont wear one if it will just make you feel uncomfortable

It may well be the young person first proper interview so they will be nervous anyway

At least you'll make an impression and stand out amongst a sea of casually dressed possibly forgetful people. Interviews are all about distinguishing yourself from the other candidates.

And any interviewer worth their salt would be looking for distinction in what matters not what they are wearing.

looking smart and trying to impress are very different things.

That said... wear a kilt.

Suit. Effort and pride. It's also a interview.

It's marketing himself as much as poss unless he's a known genius.

Suit or not, if he comes across as a drop kick, then he won't get in.

We (firstborn and I) went to York three times last year (general open day, subject specific day and post-offer day), almost no-one in suits, most in clean jeans/leggings and hoodies. This was for Maths, though, and they weren't doing interviews, or reading personal statements, all they cared about were the right grades in the right subjects.

It's maths that he is looking to do (Durham, Edinburgh or York are top three). So info that York didn't interview for maths recently is interesting!
Think he is set on smart casual. From the views above he ought to be OK. Thanks for all your help.

and it's a sorry academic who wears a suit to work

Thats me then.

I like to see people presentable at interviews. Shaven, decent hair, clean clothes, and a suit and tie do no harm. Like they cared enough to make the effort.

There are plenty of academics who wear suits to work. I would wear a suit if I was comfortable in it. When I went at 20, it was to rather casual departments and I didn't bother. When I went back as a mature student at 33, I was completely comfortable in a suit and it was worth making the effort.

FWIW it seemed to be much harder for the girls. Most of them didn't really seem to have any smart casual clothes, just stuff for going out...

Interesting. We went to open days at Bristol, Brum, Durham, York, Exeter, Sheffield and Nottingham. Put Bristol, Birmingham, York, Exeter and Nottingham on UCAS. All offered, no interviews. Picked Nottingham as firm and York as insurance. Got the grades and is happy at Nottingham.

Maths with year studying abroad(Spain). Deciding factors were she wanted a campus style over city centre uni(but close to a city for socialising), a good place to do the exchange year(Madrid), the Maths dept has it's own new buildings at Notts, clubs and socs(sci fi nerd), and the general vibe. Can I be 18 again?

Sons first choice is MMath at Durham, but it needs A*AA and that's IF you get an offer. Durham looks lovely. York is nice too, but as we live in Leeds it might be a tad too close.

Who owns a suit at 17? University balls were a bit of a shock - first year Christmas sales getting a cheap black tie outfit but didn't need anything else until graduation and proper job interviews (actually another 18 months as I temped and travelled).

CHB - Member

Sons first choice is MMath at Durham, but it needs A*AA and that's IF you get an offer.

The applications person sets the grades at an equilibrium point between the number of applicants / capacity of the course / standard of degree. For maths at Durham you have a medium to small number of applicants / large capacity of course / high standard. Predicted grades and self pruning applicants means there are no real time-wasters, so there's no incentive not to make offers to anyone who's not a psychopath (and even then they'd prob make an exception as maths is special - need to accommodate some outlying personality types).

So all of this means that your son is interviewing them as much as they are interviewing him.

Admissions at Durham said that they get approx. 600+ applicants, make around 300 offers for approx. 120 places. They offer and reject end of feb/early march, but then hold a few second reserve offers back for a second wave of offers in may/june.

Yep, there's some tough offers. I think my girl had a bit less pressure as they did all the A level maths in Y12 and all of Further Maths in Y13, so she was able to go to open days with an A* in the bag already, gave her a bit of confidence she would belong. Having the unit results from the first year is apparently a good predictor for the admissions tutors to base offers on.

I like to see people presentable at interviews. [b]Shaven, decent hair[/b], clean clothes, and a suit and tie do no harm. Like they cared enough to make the effort

unless there is a health and safety issue you have no legal basis for that comment. A persons hair, facial or head, is a choice of expression and protected under the ECHR

Except being well groomed for important events is pretty indicative of a number of key traits. Having spent a decade or more in universities I'd say you can tell a lot about students by their attire but it's not the whole story, of course.

I did suit for interview, as did all but one of the people I saw being interviewed on that day. M
The staff did suits for interview, and generally did shirt and trousers on normal days, some with tie. Guess it depends on the uni and course though.

Being well dressed has a subliminal effect on people. It's like clean windows, you don't notice them, but they leave you with a good impression. Important thing is that he looks comfortable in the clothes he wears. Better to wear well fitting tidy casual clothes than a badly fitting cheap suit. If he's not used to wearing a suit, have him wear it all day for a week so he gets used to how it feels. Make sure he can tie the tie properly by himself so that it doesn't look like it was tied by a child.

I understand the people saying "you can't be overdressed" by it depends on the kid. If he's going to sit there being preoccupied thinking "dressed by mum I hate this suit dressed by mum I hate this suit no one else is wearing a suit I hate this place dressed by mum", then he's less likely to do well. Otoh if he's not bothered either way, it's no big deal.

I would do the opposite of whatever my advice is: no uni that interviewed me face me an offer!

600 apps for 120 places is pretty good, isn't it? I mean, 150 of those apps might be total no-hopers, another 100 will get in somewhere else they prefer...so you've got a 50/50 chance (ish).

unless there is a health and safety issue you have no legal basis for that comment. A persons hair, facial or head, is a choice of expression and protected under the ECHR

Not all forms of expression are protected by the ECHR. "My hair is long because I'm a Rasta" would be; "my hair has ketchup in it because I'm a lazy slob and I couldn't gas about this interview" isn't.

Otoh the state of the applicant's hair would not be very relevant to the application, I would have thought

Phone them, and ask?

If not, (to my surprise) Uni interviews seem to be sartorially relaxed these days - even at Oxbridge.

Gone are the good old days 😉 of wearing country rugby tie and the only real question was "what position do you play?". You have to be interested in the subject these days - with relevant reading and extended essay!!!!!!

Good lick for the interview.

So all of this means that your son is interviewing them as much as they are interviewing him.

This. Went to 6 open days last year, now doing the past offer visits. So different to my day, the universities are desperate to get you. (All about money now I guess).
Just look smart. Show you've thought about it.

My Son has just gone through 3 Russel Group interviews in smart casual, Chinos, smart fleece top and clean trainers.

Even did Oxford in the above.

The only time I wore a suit to uni was for my PhD interview which is more like a job interview. So long as your clothes are clean they have no bearing on the ability to get in. I wore jeans and a T shirt when I went up for a interview for my undergrad degree at Glasgow

Smart casual and comfortable. My stepson went to a medicine interview in a hoody and jeans (he only told us afterwards). And he got in.
I had a lunch with a prof at Merton College last year and felt overdressed in a summer jacket and chinos.
People who worry too much about their appearance may be inadvertently sending out the message that they are lacking in confidence in other departments.

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As long as you look confident in yourself, it doesn't matter what you wear.

No such thing as overdressed, only underdressed. I say wear a suit - possibly without a tie. Puts you in the right frame of mind

This. But...

Smart jeans, shirt (or plain dark t-shirt if you want that 'media' appearance *wink) and a blazer with good shoes (Chukkas, etc) if you have the wardrobe. Well cut, well thought out smart casual is way better than a badly fitting suit in my experience.

Anyone can put on a suit. Not anyone can put together a good smart casual look. Difference.

The only student who routinely wore suits (usually a full three piece get up with watch chain and all) was this lovely chap, who was chair of the campus young conservatives. He made William Hague look like Johnny Rotten.

Was it his dad's suit? He's still trying to grow into it!

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And Johnnie is quite a dapper chappie these days...

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Always smart, doesn't mean a suit. You can never be overdressed.

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Some kind of hint Singletrack?

As someone that went to York and had to interview for it (admittedly a while ago now) I didn't wear a suit. Just be clean, ironed and presentable - look like he made an effort not rolled out of bed.

As others have said, clean and presentable but probably not a suit, unless he already owns a suit and feels comfortable in it. Shoes, shirt and trousers will be fine.

I'll try to remember to ask some of my A2 students what they wore to interviews, and report back. For some reason, they've never asked me for fashion advice.

Was it his dad's suit? He's still trying to grow into it

I interviewed for physics at Bath, Bristol, Leeds and Exeter and wore a hoody and jeans. Still got offers at all of them.

Call and ask? But caution thst you're taking advice from someone who looks like "the accused" when wearing a suit.

Also be cautious taking life effecting advice from a forum!!!

I wore a shirt, pair of jeans and smart shoes to my interview (which turned out to be more of an informal chat) at Leeds in 2014 and got in. Girlfriend, who is currently at York, said she can't remember anyone wearing a suit to her round of interviews. That was the theater department though.

@mintimperial - I remember Mr Isaby - he was in Wentworth halls; the same as me ... do I know you ? 😉

Email from York confirms "relaxed" dress code, so Dinosaur Onesie it is then!

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