This is a journey, not a sprint.
It’s important to develop relationships with profs; internships and experiences etc are extremely important.
Do not underestimate the value of post-graduation experiences when interviewing for competitive graduate programs.
Right, my son had the suit we bought him for prom but has never worn it since, through his undergraduate and two graduate degrees. Depends on the field, I guess.
D19 only ever wore her smart clothes for her internships. She never needed it for anything at college.
It stinks not being able to buy off the rack knowing that the suit will probably not fit in a few years, and will get trashed at formals. My daughter’s boyfriend is about 6’1”, broad shoulders, small waist, muscled legs (they both body build), he just bought a new suit, total stretch, doesn’t wrinkle, looks great (he’s finishing up chiropractic school). My 22 year old only has a blazer, I’m holding out as long as possible.
Maybe people are just more picky nowadays? I rowed crew in college, and never owned anything other than off the rack suits (at a time when you dressed up a lot for both dinners and work) plus some of my father’s jackets. I just used a belt that is admittedly a bit looser nowadays. But I can still just about fit in my college tuxedo for reunions 30+ years later (and that tux was inherited from my father). And my S borrows my old dress suits and shoes when he needs something for formal events in college since I rarely wear them for work anymore.
One of my sons is built like a football linebacker and is 6’3". His arms and legs are super muscular. I found that off the rack things (pants) were either made for tall skinny types (so, long enough but not wide enough) or short fat people (wide enough but not long). Now that he shops for himself he has found things online that work. And pants with give/stretch have been a gamechanger!
She is a sophomore, so not job-seeking yet but paid summer internship seeking: national labs, NSF funded Reus, private industry lab internships are among the ones that ask for it. These opportunities have all been for basic sciences(chem, phys, bio) and engineering majors.
Obesity prevalence among middle age men (the usual target market for suits and dress shirts) is significantly higher now than when you were in college. Changes in the cut of suits and dress shirts to accommodate greater levels of obesity today mean that they are now worse in terms of fit for many college age men.