Alright, got a meeting about summer work with Physics Dept, Need advice

[colin.mcenroe]

Hello,

I posted a week or so ago about getting set up with some undergrad work for the summer in the physics department. I got a reply from a professor researching nuclear physics within 2 hours of sending off an e-mail! He said he would like to meet on friday. How should I present myself? Should I dress casually, or more like a job interview? Not really sure what I should do! Thanks for any advice on this!

Colin

 

[Sojourner01]

You definitely can't hurt your chances treating it like a job interview. Academics however don't tend to be particularly bothered about dress code, though there are exceptions. Smart casual I'd say. Ties optional.

 

[t!m]

I agree with Sojourner - smart casual. I was actually coming from class when I first met with the professor I now work with, so I was just in jeans and a nice shirt. I'd say just avoid ratty clothing - no holes, stains, etc. You can dress like that once you become a professor. I would also suggest browsing his website/research interests/publications. This way, you'll have already familiarized yourself with some of his work, should he start explaining some of it to you or offering you a choice of project. Good luck!

 

[arunma]

I'll second (or rather third) what the others have said. When I met a professor about starting on my undergrad senior thesis, I just wore what I always wear to class. As a matter of fact I think I might have been wearing shorts that day. Obviously you need to look presentable, but if you generally dress decently, then you don't need to go out of your way to dress up.

I would, however, strongly recommend that you read a paper or two written by this professor (you can look these up on Google Scholar and various other search engines), so that you'll be able to demonstrate competence in his area of research. That's generally how you impress people in academics.

 

[colin.mcenroe]

Excellent, thank you guys for the advice. I was sort of figuring that "smart" casual was the way to go. I will definitely check into this professor's publications. Thank you all!

Colin