<p>I really agree that while jeans and t-shirts are obviously not appropriate, the admission officers are not making notes about the clothes the kids are wearing. I’ve seen boys who wear suits with ease and others who clearly feel suffocated in a tie. This is probably a regional thing too–until eight grade, my kid never had a reason to put on a tie, never mind a suit. I think he did wear a shirt and tie for his interviews, but not a blazer, even at schools that required them. He was dressed up enough to mentally feel the weight of the occasion without feeling physically uncomfortable. If I had thought he’d be uncomfortable in a tie, we would have gone with a polo shirt or a dress shirt under a sweater and he’d have been just fine. (Now, incidentally, he loves the whole coat and tie thing, which completely throws his father for a loop)</p>