I am taking my undergraduate researchers to the Very Big Conference this spring. And boy, are they excited.
One of them is so excited that she is asking her parents for "conference clothes" for Christmas.
When she told me this, my first thought was aw, aren't my undergrads great?
As I smiled at my undergrad, another question wiggled its way to the front of my brain: crap! What am I going to tell her to buy?
Obviously, I'm not going to recommend that she buy a skirt. But should she wear a suit at the conference? Or just some business casual wear?
Is the dress code different for male undergrads?
Clearly conference dress varies wildly among faculty. Some follow a business casual code, while others are more the jeans and polo type.
So what about undergrads? Do you care what your undergrads wear to conferences? What do you think of undergrads who show up in a suit? Does the dress of students at all reflect upon their faculty member?
12 comments:
My conferences are way casual. Most people wear jeans, although a fair number wear khakis or the like. If a faculty showed up dressed business casual and had undergrads in tow who were wearing suits, I would think the professor was really mean for telling them to overdress. So I guess I would tell them to dress how you plan to dress.
The first conference I ever attended was the day after I finished undergrad. My advisor told me to wear business casual or better. It turns out that she is typically one of the most dressed up people at our conferences. I felt completely overdressed and awkward at the meeting!
My conferences, unlike EGF's are business dress. It's actually kind of annoying. And the undergrads are the best dressed of all of them.
I don't know that undergrad clothes would reflect on you unless the conference is small? (At mine, I don't think I'd remember someone's undergradS)
Erring on the side of overdressed is a good idea for very young people. I think that makes them feel more like they belong among all those scary "grownups"! :)
Pant suits for women don't look too formal, especially if they are not black. And it's a good idea to have a pant suit in one's wardrobe anyway.
So I'd tell her to get a well-fitted suit, perhaps in gray.
A full on suit might be a bit much unless they are presenting something. I'd say aim for slightly above average and go with something business casual.
With regard to men, at my conferences the women definitely dress up more than the men. So in a way the dress code is different.
Funny, since I've seen lately is that undergrads and grads are probably the most "well dressed"... at interviews. then again, they have the least amount of papers and "other factors working for them".
I'd go for either "dull but good looking skirt and a cardigan set" (read : deepsouth church going cloethes not offending anyone)or a suit, w or wo skirt in grey/non black.
'I've found that being "over dressed" can always be explained as being trying to be correct on the good side of error, whereas the "underdressed" means you just didn't care as much.
however, all this is from a field where MD wear suits or odd slacks and blazers or women wear nice dresses w heels (as tt profs). I'd never go to an interview wo a suit, although I have nice one wit hpinstripes and skrit that I like. and I don't pair it with a white shirt. oh no, that looks like wierd (waiting tables?) sorry to say.. the heels are less than 2 inches.. sinceI was told max 2 inches to look serious before you're a certain age/impact.
clearly I think about this too much ;)
None of the conferences I have been to are formal; the only suits I see are either BigPharma or speakers. Assuming your undergrads may be presenting a poster but not actually giving a talk, unless you know ahead of time that the conference is particularly formal, I would avoid suits for undergrads. I would also tell them to avoid jeans; while I see lots of individual very under-dressed, I personally find it unprofessional.
I always go for a dress or skirt paired with a sweater or cardigan (climate dependent), and fun flats or low heels. A pair of black trousers would be fine, but no need to do a whole matching suit, at least at any of the nine conferences I have attended in the past three years.
The conferences I usually attend range from VERY casual to business casual. Recently I've been to a couple conferences that were attended primarily by undergrads and junior grad students, and most were dressed at least business casual.
I'd say a safe bet for a male or female student would be nice slacks and an ironed button up shirt with a collar. Especially if the student is presenting. Oh, and don't forget comfortable shoes!
I ALWAYS err on the side of "too formal" - business casual or better. I think this is even more important when talking about someone who's at the beginning stages (rather than middle/end) of their career. You never know who you're going to talk to at a conference...
Nevertheless, the beauty of a suit is that you can always take off the jacket if you feel too overdressed! There's no real way to rescue a look that's too casual - and underdressing is WAY more awkward.
every conference I have ever been at is very informal: jeans, flip-flops, T-shirt. I would never advice a grad student to buy clothes special for a conference. sometimes when folks are presenting they will wear a nicer shirt (not always). It is rare (but kinda cute) when n00bs dress up for their talk/poster. But that is just my field.
Do students know what "business casual" means? I'm not sure that I do, but I do know that about the only time I didn't wear a decent shirt and slacks was ... when I was an undergrad!
You might have them come to school in their "meeting" clothes and see what you have to deal with.
I only know about physics, but my nuclear chem friends seemed to dress the same way we do. The only thing I would add is that (1) a sport coat or the women's suit equivalent is better than a coat or jacket if the weather is dry but cool since it has more pockets and (2) it is probably still true that women need to dress a bit more professionally than men. But only a bit. You aren't going to Trump Tower.
The other detail depends on climate, but a foldup umbrella in the briefcase or backpack is a plus, and you NEVER put anything needed for your talk in checked baggage.
Finally, old school chemists always wore bow ties at work (regular ones would end up in the chemicals and everyone wore ties in the olden days), so guys might go in that direction to stand out in a lab rat sort of way.
Hmm, in astro/planetary as a female I've almost always worn a black pencil skirt and some kind of reasonable top except last winter where I was wearing wool trousers, a button up shirt and a long sleeve cashmere sweater over that. I've never really felt too overdressed for the astronomers. . . but I often do for the planetary scientists.
Last year I roomed with our lab undergrad. . . she seemed to get business casual pretty well, but she made the mistake of carrying too much crap with her gigantic purse/laptop bag and the lugging around of her laptop all the time.
I honestly wouldn't recommend a suit though. . . .I think they're too much for conferences in my field and also miserable to fit properly even if you do have a good tailor.
Perhaps you can share with her what you’ll bring along to wear for the conference proceedings. Matching advisor’s “dressed” up level is usually a safe bet. My PI tends to have a collared shirt with slacks/black jeans, so our students dress at least as nice as he does. My attire tends toward a nice blouse with or without cardigan and black skirt/black tights or black pants. But, it’s always good to bring along casual clothes for sightseeing too.
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