For high school students getting ready to go to college, one major concern is what to wear to class. It is important to fit in and be comfortable, especially when starting a new chapter of life. When determining what types of clothes to buy with their college money before heading off to school, the student should first note what the climate is. Doing a quick check on the weather guides for that city will help in choosing what types of clothes should be chosen for the fall semester. Going shopping for school clothes can be fun, especially when Mom and Dad are paying for it or if there are fun coupons online to pick and choose.

Formal

Some schools do not require students to dress up, but they do so voluntarily. Checking out a prospective student visitation weekend is a good way to see whether students typically dress in suits and skirts or less formal attire. Although a dress code is rare for most colleges and universities, it is best to verify in the student handbook whether this is the case. In some cases, basic colors are required rather than actual uniforms. Men may be required to wear suit coats and ties with dress pants and dress shoes. Women could be requested to wear skirts or dress pants. Although this policy is unusual, it is important to be appropriately dressed when arriving on campus.

Casual

Most college students wear casual attire to class. Since casual means different things to different people, this means anything goes. Different groups or cliques may find certain types of clothing more appealing, stylish or comfortable. For example, some students regularly wear sweats and workout gear. Jeans are also popular and in style, especially skinny style jeans with calf-high boots. Ankle-high, calf-high and knee-high boots are all in style. Students dress up or down in blue jeans, with T-shirts, dress shirts, stylish tops and other trendy clothing. They tend to buy clothes from LL Bean, the Gap, Macy’s and Victoria’s Secret.

Climate

In warmer climates, college students tend to wear more dressy casual clothes, such as light dresses and cotton pants. Winter clothes tend to cover people up more, and students like to bundle up in cold classrooms on cold, rainy and blustery days. Sweaters and sweatshirts are the norm, with pea coats and parkas worn overtop outdoors between classes. During the cooler spring and fall, button up shirts are worn with warm pants or jeans to keep the legs warm. Knee-high boots worn outside skinny jeans are the current trend for college students to wear to class.