By Angel Zetino

Fashion/Social Media Editor

College is a springboard to many opportunities, and first impressions are everything. Students meet professors who can open doors in their careers.

Hanging around on campus can be a great way to grow a network of professional connections, so if you want professional connections, you should probably dress professionally.

Comfort is not everything

College students are always on the move, and some may think  looking professional in class is not that important.

Rhonda Bitner, a technical writing professor at Brookhaven, said college students have many things on their plate and don’t have time to worry about their daily outfits.

Dana Yun, a Brookhaven College student, said, “Most mornings I am trying to beat time, so looking good is not my priority, especially when I will be just sitting in class.”

But among other benefits, looking presentable can boost your self-esteem. According to The Atlantic, some studies have shown that a simple change in the way you dress – donning formal attire when you would normally dress casually – can change the way you approach problems by boosting your capacity for abstract thinking.

Who Cares?

Most college campuses don’t have uniforms or a very strict dress code and allow students to wear just about whatever they want. Still, wearing clothes that are presentable makes a big difference.

Your peers will notice if you put effort into what you’re wearing, which can help you surround yourself with other students who will take the class seriously, especially in group projects, according to collegeraptor.com.

Professors may also judge the effort a student will put into a course by the effort they put into presenting themselves in class.

Adam Clawson, program services coordinator at the Brookhaven Career Development Center, said, “You never know if your neighbor, your classmate, your professor or someone else who you run into on campus may have [the] ability to help you in a big way when it comes to your professional career.”

What to Wear

There are do’s and don’ts. The clothes you sleep in are don’ts. Instead of helping you pay attention to your studies, they will hinder your ability to learn. Dressing for an interview is a great way to dress for school. “The saying is, ‘Always dress for the job you want, not the job you have,’” Clawson said.