What Do You Wear To An Official College Visit?

Official visits are an extremely exciting part of the recruiting process. If you get invited on an official visit, you’ve made it to the later stages of recruitment where you’re being seriously considered for an offer. As exciting as this event is, it can be intimidating as you will be meeting coaches and players and being evaluated in person through a variety of situations.

An important part of your preparation for an official visit is knowing what to wear. The key is to dress nicely and look presentable, showing respect to the various members of the program that you will be seeing on your visit. Men should wear a shirt with a collar and nice pair of pants like khakis, and women should pair a conservative top with full length bottoms or wear a nice dress.

With this in mind, there is some freedom in your dress – you don’t want to go overboard with something like a suit, but you definitely don’t want to dress too casually in something like sweatpants. Our recommendation is to find middle ground, and lean towards overdressing when in doubt. You’ll also need to know what other clothes to bring on your visit as you will likely be put in a variety of environments and activities. The goal with your official visit attire is to make a good impression and show that you’re respectful and humble with regard to the opportunity as a whole, and we’ll provide more detail on all of this below.

Arriving On Campus: What To Wear To The Official Visit

Official visits usually cover an entire weekend and include an overnight stay. Like we said before, you’ll probably want to bring a handful of different outfits to be prepared for the different activities that you’ll engage in.

However, the outfit that you arrive on campus with is arguably the most important. It’s part of the first impression that you’ll be making on various members of the program. You’ll want to be well-dressed as it shows the coaches that you’re humbled to be there and are taking your visit seriously. So, what does this look like?

Guys: What To Wear To Campus

Recommendations: Like we said before, you’ll want to dress sharply and err on the side of caution when you’re unsure of what to wear, because in this situation it’s safer to be overdressed than underdressed. Aside from your dress, it’s also recommended that you’re clean-shaven and that your hair is neatly combed.

Pants – nice jeans, khakis, or slacks are appropriate. Remember to wear a belt! Stay conservative with colors and stick to things like khaki, grey, or black. Shirts & Jackets - collared shirt, polo, and button downs are all appropriate. Also, it’s always a nice touch to tuck in your shirt. Depending on the weather, you may need some kind of jacket over your shirt. Some good options are a sweater, a quarter-zip or any nice pullover, or a vest – there are many possibilities here, as long as it meets the standards of the rest of your outfit . Shoes - loafers, Sperrys or anything similar works well, or even nicer dress shoes. This might depend on the outfit you choose, but a nice shoe can be a good compliment for these types of business-casual outfits. Remember to wear socks that match your outfit and are conservative in color.

Things To Avoid: Your dress on an official visit is important because it can leave a bad impression if you aren’t weary of the types of clothing that might reflect carelessness or lack of respect. You should avoid sweatpants, hoodies, baseball caps, sandals and anything else in this ultra-casual category. Also avoid wearing shirts/pants with holes or excessive designs and logos. Lastly, try to avoid overdressing with things like suits, blazers, or ties – while you’ll look very nice you might come off as a bit too intense or serious.

Like we’ve said, the key is to just find the middle ground, be conservative, and make sure that your outfit displays respect to those whom you meet. It’s not supposed to be complicated so try not to overthink it, just follow the general guidelines above and you should be in good shape.

Girls: What To Wear To Campus

Recommendations: The same advice applies to women on recruiting official visits. The goal is to just be presentable and respectful. There is plenty of freedom in what you can wear arriving on campus, but these suggestions are a good starting point.

Pants – skirt, casual dress, nice jeans, or slacks are all acceptable options. Remember a belt if needed and stay conservative with colors and designs. Shirts & Jackets - collared shirt, polo, button down, blouse or even a nice t-shirt with nice pants. If needed, some nice options for jackets are a sweater, fleece, windbreaker, vest, etc. – same idea as above, there are tons of options, just make sure that it’s within the same style and manner as the rest of the outfit. Shoes - loafers, moccasins, boots, or any nice shoe that goes well with the outfit you choose.

Things To Avoid: You’ll want to avoid anything too casual that might make you seem underdressed, while also being cautious of going overboard. Don’t wear things like sweatpants, hoodies, hats, sneakers, etc. Make sure that your skirt is on the longer side if you choose to wear one. Try to avoid wearing high heels (for walking purposes). Lastly, you don’t need anything too serious like an elegant dress or business suit, and similarly try to avoid wearing too much jewelry.

Remember that these are just some recommendations and guidelines to follow. There are plenty of other options, but stick to the rule of finding middle ground between casual and super-formal, and it’s always safer to overdress when in doubt.

The outfit that you wear when you arrive on campus is really important because it will make a good first impression and get things started on the right foot with various people that you’ll meet when you arrive.

Other Clothes To Pack

Now that you’re familiar with some recommendations of things to wear to the official visit when you first arrive, you’re probably wondering what you’ll need to pack for the entire weekend. Official visits can include a range of activities and events such as tours, attending games, going to dinner, and even socializing. The purpose of the visit is to give you a well-rounded experience of the school and the athletic program, so you’ll want to know what else you might need to wear during your time there.

School Apparel: This is absolutely not mandatory, but if you have any attire of the school you’re visiting, bring it with you! Wearing a team hat/shirt/jersey/etc. could be a nice way of showing pride and excitement while attending a home game on your visit (this is a very common activity on official visits).

Workout Clothes/Sports Gear: Your official visit might include some kind of workout or training session with the athletic program. You should pack sneakers and an outfit for this to be prepared. You might even need your sports gear if you’ll be participating in something more involved, but this is something you can ask about beforehand.

Dinner Outfit: Many recruits are taken out to nice restaurants or steakhouses on official visits. The same guidelines for what to wear to the visit can be followed for an outfit to a nice dinner, so it could be a good idea to just pack an additional nice outfit for something like this.

Socializing & Hanging Out: Like we mentioned before, an official visit is usually an entire weekend and includes an overnight stay on campus. Part of the experience usually involves socializing with players and friends, hanging out, and having some fun! You should pack accordingly, bringing an outfit that you might wear when hanging out with some friends and something comfortable and casual for going to bed at night.

Not every official visit is the same or includes the same activities, but it’s helpful to be aware of what you might expect and let this guide you in knowing what to wear and bring on your visit.

Things To Keep In Mind

Why It’s Important: Remember that an official visit is an evaluation in a lot of ways. Not only are you feeling out the program and the school as a whole, but the coaches and players will be evaluating you on a more personal level to determine if you’re the right fit for their team. Every coach appreciates players who carry respect and humility, and a great way to show this is dressing nicely and reflecting that you’re taking the opportunity seriously.