College is a safe place to learn about yourself and how to coexist with others.  It is the perfect time to develop and display your sense of individuality.  When it comes to your appearance in class, many students wonder what look works best.  Do you have to wear a popular brand name of clothing, cut your dreadlocks, or refrain from wearing a religious headdress?  Your wardrobe in college is not as much of an issue as it was in high school, but here are a few guidelines:

• Your attire should be clean and comfortable.  You should express yourself through your individual look while not distracting your teacher or classmates.  A distracting look may be a super short miniskirt or an extremely tall pink Mohawk.
• All hair including facial hair, dreadlocks, braids, an Afro, or even a Mohawk must be kept neat.
• Do not wear overly sexy or revealing clothes and definitely no bathing suits or beach wear.
• Leave your pajamas and fuzzy slippers in your dorm.  You are a student and you want to be taken seriously by your professor.
• Avoid wearing clothes that have vulgar messages or messages meant to disparage others.

You do not have to look like everyone else so pressuring yourself into conformity is an unnecessary exercise.  Be yourself.  There may be occasions when you need to have dress up clothes (e.g. suit/tie for meals, skirt/blouse or pant suit for females).  You’ll need these clothes for presentations, interviews, social events, etc.

Overall, the professor is not as concerned with your appearance as he/she is with the work you submit and the lessons you learn..