Last week, students throughout the university were pondering how they could start their semester off right, and what outfits they should wear to progress toward becoming the person they want to be.
Some students prefer to dress extremely well, while others prefer to wear clothes they find comfortable.
“To a point, (dressing up) can matter, but I also think you should just be able to express yourself and wear what you want to wear,” Olivia Lawrence, a senior studying biological sciences, said. “In high school, I tried to look nice and I wore a nice shirt or a dress, but in college, I just kind of wear whatever I really want to.”
The premise of dressing comfortably seems to be shared among many university students across the country. In 2013, Quang Ngo, a graduate of the University of Arkansas, conducted a survey to determine how students react to formal and casual attire during first impressions. In his research, he found that business formal attire gathered negative reactions, while business casual and casual attire gathered positive reactions from both male and female students.
This is the case for Nick Mamula, a junior studying business analytics, MIS and pre-law. Despite business majors’ reputations for dressing up for classes, Mamula said he felt his major dressed as comfortably as anyone else.
“I’d probably (recommend) something comfortable that you can walk around in,” Mamula said. “Athens is a lot of walking, and it’s hot right now.”
Mamula said someone’s outfit can help his first impression of them.
“If I align with their style and I would wear what they are wearing, I’d (remember them more) and want to find the same clothing,” Mamula said.
Byrnadeen Farraye, a research associate in Ohio University’s sports medicine department, said she didn’t judge students for their first-day outfits, but certain outfits can help students stand out.
“I wouldn’t say it matters on my perception of them, I would say it’s more of a remembrance,” Farraye said. “If somebody has an interesting outfit, I might have a tendency to remember them a bit more.”
Mamula said he values his opinions on style, which helps him choose his own first-day outfit.
“I pay attention a lot to my style, and I think it’s a great way of expressing yourself,” Mamula said.
Farraye said she appreciates students like Mamula who view style as a means of communication.
“I like to see people for who they are, and so if they want to express themselves through their outfits, I think that I really tend to respond to that,” Farraye said.
