Plan on rolling out of bed minutes before your 9 am class in the fall wearing the same t-shirt and sweatpants get-up you wore to bed? Think again. First impressions and physical appearance are known to be crucially influential in the business world, but many college students believe that getting the last few minutes of sleep is more important than the way they present themselves to class. Also, they hold that if they are more comfortable, the overall learning experience will benefit from such distractions as painful footwear, constrictive suits, or the like.

I, on the other hand, have always thought that arriving to class in So Low's and a hoodie was not ideal. I, of course, have done it, but usually en route to the gym, not because I just did not want to get dressed that day. Students often forget that there needs to be a divide between the academic environment and the relaxed, and more casual, environment of dorm life. This disassociation is crucial in order to form the proper mindset to focus on, say, Marxist theory. When dressed in ultra-casual sweats, students tend to lazily slouch in their seats, pulling their hoodie up over their head and obstructing their eyes and ears, thinking about which bar they will grace with their presence that evening. I am not suggesting all students wake up hours early in order to primp and polish. Pulling on sweats takes the same amount of time as getting dressed in a blouse, blazer, and slim denim with ballet flats, but the latter appears way more polished and a professor is much more likely to take you, and your intellect, seriously. Similarly, it certainly takes the same time for a guy to put together a sweater, and denim as it does to wear what he wore to basketball practice the day before. It seems as though students are itching to display the “I’m so hip and relaxed and could care less about what you think” vibe as opposed to presenting themselves in an orderly and groomed manner, which would reek of collegiate pretensions. NYU graduate, Elina Kazanskaya, seems to agree, suggesting, “I guess you’re more prone to pay attention,” which of course would directly contradict with the anti-scholars aura and essence.

Illinois State University College of Business implemented a business casual dress code for students, and after many complaints, they decided to adjust the rules to be a little more adaptable, still citing sneakers, flip flops, baseball caps, shorts, t-shirts, and pajamas as inappropriate wear in the classroom. The professors may deduct up to 10% of a student's final grade due to a lack of professionalism which encompasses the conduct, behavior, and physical appearance of the student as well as his or her punctuality. Dr. Timothy Longfellow, the department chair, says the dress code was placed, "to enhance the overall professionalism of our students." But many students responded negatively to this code, complaining that it infringed upon their rights of individuality and sent out a message of conformity and repression. Despite the fact that the students are attending a business school, they seem reluctant to prepare for their future as a man/woman-in-a-suit. While I understand, and completely agree, that suits may not be the most comfortable attire, the code will facilitate students and prepare them as they simulate real world professionalism and conduct.

Rutgers graduate Amanda Glickman believes that since her own professors did not always display a fashionable and entirely professional exterior, it is not mandatory to reciprocate for their benefit. She asserts that most professors do not really notice what their students are wearing, but rather they focus on the work and what is being said in class. Substance over style seems to be her mantra, but why not have both? Most of the professors I spoke with seemed to believe that style had almost no relation to the performance of the student in the class, saying they typically noticed the student's general look as a way to familiarize themselves with the student, but unless the student's look drastically changed overnight, they would never comment on the dress or style of a student, as it had no relation to his or her performance in the class. Steven Cohan, a Professor of English and Film Studies at Syracuse University, even finds the opposite of the rough and tumble look to be true in signifying the students dedication to class, saying there is no link between a student's haphazard appearance and his or her dedication and work in the class. "Often I notice students are dressed poorly (untidy etc.) on the day a paper is due, so it signifies the opposite of doing poorly with his or her work!" Another Professor I spoke with, Robert Kubey of Rutgers University, agreed that a student's dress is entirely personal and, as a professional, he does not, "let it affect anything with regard to grading and so on."

Liat Ben-Moshe, a sociology and disability studies doctoral student, admits to occasionally being biased when it comes to a student's fashion choices, but never in a negative sense, and never in terms of grading. there are levels of comfort. Students should be able to find comfort in Ben-Moshe's realistic expectations of student's day-to-day lives and schedules, "I expect students to act like studnets, this is their primary job and they should dress the part. if people are athletically inclined they are more then welcome to come to class wearing sweats and the like. I just don't like the pajama trend because it makes me feel people come to class to sleep..."

So go ahead and wear a track suit to class if it means you will be more comfortable and prone to participate in discussion. And while I always thought that perhaps my professor's were silently judging me from their lofty perch at the front of the classroom, I can relax knowing that it really is substance and trumps style. Phew.