So ladies. You’ve started applying for internships. Maybe you’ve even secured a fantastic winter internship (Wintermship? Can we make that a “thing?” Please?). Somewhere in this process it’s probably dawned on you that jeggings and Bean boots might not be appropriate attire for the office. I know what you must be thinking. “But I just spent my birthday money/allowance/entire Crossroads paycheck on tickets to see Passion Pit! How will I afford a business casual wardrobe?” And more, existentially, “What is business casual, really? Do I really need to set foot in an Ann Taylor? All that mauve makes me uncomfortable.”

Don’t worry. Even though you’ve made a grave mistake (Passion Pit is terrible live. You’ll regret it. Also, Ann Taylor is under-appreciated. Give a sister a chance.) we’ve got you covered. Check out this article from HelloGiggles (which just might become your new favorite website if it isn’t already) for tips on how to dress all business casual-y on a college kid budget:

http://hellogiggles.com/business-casual-on-a-budget

By Frances Cole Jones

For those of you scratching your heads (Sorry, I’m in a punning kind of mood) at the title—and the topic—of this piece, here’s a newsflash: many, many people spend as much (or more) time thinking about how they’re going to wear their hair at their presentation as they do thinking about what they’re going to say at their presentation.

(And while I will admit the preponderance of these conversations tend to be with women, I have had in-depth hair conversations with my male clients, too.)

My trouble is that I can think of few people in the world less qualified to talk about hair than myself. Mine mystifies me, which is why I outsourced the whole project to my wonderful stylist, Dickey, and why I sat down with him recently to get the answers to some of your most pressing questions:

Read the rest of this entry »

The question comes up every year.  Here are some tips:

There are strong opinions out there (consultants and applicants) that stress the importance of following standard protocol, which calls for a dark suit (skirt or pants for women). On the other hand, I’ve heard from some medical school deans that a pair of formal trousers and a nice shirt or sweater would be fine. But others say they worry how an applicant who does not wear a suit would feel on interview day surrounded by other applicants, all of whom will be in dark suits.

Mrs. Wickland Googled “attire for medical school interview;” there are a couple of very helpful websites, one from www.ivyleagueadmission.com/medinterview.html

And another from chemistry.about.com/…/medicalschools/…/medical-school-interviews.htm written by Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D. <http://chemistry.about.com/bio/Anne-Marie-Helmenstine-Ph-D-7815.htm> Here is an excerpt that speaks directly to concern about expenses:

Let’s further define the dress code. You don’t want to stand out in a crowd based on your appearance. The goal is to convey professionalism. If you don’t own a navy, black, or gray suit (men or women) then buy one! Medical school costs thousands of dollars. You have already invested some expense in applications. Consider your interview clothes to be one more expense. Ignore the advice that neat and clean is sufficient. It isn’t. If you are still hesitating, then it may help to know that once you are accepted professional clothes will be required for clinical and hospital settings.

All that being said, as long as you know what to expect, you should do what feels comfortable to you and appropriate to the setting.