College Recruiting

What to wear: Official visits

When dressing for a college visit, you don’t have to get all dressed up like you’re going to a job interview but you shouldn’t look like you’re running to Wal-Mart either. You are here to make an impression, after all. It’s obviously not going to be the most important thing people care about but you would be surprised how often it gets brought up.

The most important piece of advice I can give you is to dress appropriately for the weather. I can’t even begin to tell you how hard we’ve been judging some of these recruits that show up in chinos, t-shirts, sandals, and a windbreaker and then spend the entire practice on the launch freezing their asses off because shocker they didn’t check the weather before they left home and didn’t know that temps were only supposed to be in the 50s. Factor in the fact that it’s cooler on the water, plus wind, rain, etc. and you’re setting yourself up to be pretty miserable. Of course the coaches will offer you survival suits and jackets but don’t expect that to do much for you if you aren’t wearing the appropriate clothes to begin with.

When packing, choose casual, nice clothes that you can wear around campus since you’ll likely be going to a few classes and to practice but avoid wearing stuff that’s going to be out of place, like a dress or jacket and tie.

So, what should you wear? Just keep it simple – jeans, a casual shirt or sweater, and close-toed shoes. Sperry’s are a universally good choice, regardless of the season. Avoid sandals if you’re going to a morning practice and/or it’s after mid-September otherwise your feet will freeze. Top wise, a sweater or pullover of some kind would be good because it’s always cooler on the water, so you’ll definitely want the extra layer of warmth. Even if you don’t wear it the whole time, having it available to throw on while you’re on the launch would be advisable. In addition to all of that, you can never go wrong with a hat or sunglasses. Don’t forget other obvious stuff like coats, rain jackets, gloves, etc. if necessary.

As far as what to wear when you’re not at practice or on campus, you’ll most likely be spending the rest of your time at the house of the athlete(s) you’re staying with so that’s up to you.

Image via //Men’s Journal

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