A McDonough School of Business (MSB) student, a School of Foreign Service (SFS) student, a College of Arts & Sciences (CAS) student and a School of Health (SOH) student walk into a bar (Leo’s). But which is which? I can’t be the only one who is subconsciously profiling the people I see on my walk to class or at the farmers’ market, trying to narrow down which school they belong to. Each school has a very specific niche, and I do believe a good chunk of the student body conforms to the same stereotype. Whether subconsciously or not, it is happening! So, let’s talk about each school’s fashion and how to typecast the person in front of you in line!
Before reviewing the styles of the schools, I’m going to establish the default outfit(s). This outfit is universal, and when a student wears this, it isn’t as easy to categorize them. This can be any type of polo with some sort of baggy-ish pants and some type of sneaker. Or, it can look like classic jeans, a cardigan and a spunky shoe.
While the MSB and the SFS are comparable in terms of how their student bodies dress, the MSB is the most obvious. Beginning with the masculine style, I would argue there are two categories: those who prefer wearing a silly little suit every day and those who prefer to wear strictly athleisure. The suit is a dead giveaway because no one else is doing it — it’s sort of their “it-boy” outfit. Whenever I see a guy in a suit, I want to walk up to him and ask, “Hey! Are you in the MSB?” Because, duh. The second category is those who love their athleisure. I don’t have anything against athleisure, but I do have a huge issue with pairing it with flip flops. Every. Single. Day. But nonetheless, I place athleisure in this category because, wow, there are a lot of athletes in the MSB. And if I had to bet money, I guarantee I could guess their desired profession on the first try!
Moving on to women’s style, there are once again two categories: those who rock business casual and those who have a little pep. The business casual usually follows: some sort of dress pants, accompanied by a fun ballet flat or kitten heel, followed by a sweater of some sort. The sweater is sometimes festive, with a pop of color, or sometimes it can be tame. Those who dress with a little pep usually wear a type of jean with either a colorful sweater, some rendition of a white top, or both! Most likely, they have some sort of hair accessory involved, for that little cherry on top.
The SFS encompasses two opposite ends of the spectrum. This includes the indie students, the international students and the rare species that are both! Starting with the masculine style, the indie fellas usually wear some sort of niche or quirky, likely thrifted t-shirt, paired with, say it with me, baggy pants, and of course, a pair of sneakers. Doing a complete 180, the international students are most likely wearing some sort of outfit that doesn’t necessarily look nice or comfortable but is most likely expensive, and it wouldn’t be complete without their Golden Gooses. They really do love their Golden Goose shoes.
As for the ladies, I’d say the poster girl of the SFS is an international student who can most likely be seen wearing some sort of pea coat, a fun top or sweater and jeans, with either an eccentric ballet flat or again, Golden Goose sneakers. And it wouldn’t be an SFS student without the array of designer jewelry and the designer bag to really say, “Look at me, I am in the SFS!” One thing about the SFS is that there will always be someone in your class wearing a garment containing the words “SFS” on it. And remember, if they have an accent, you don’t need to ask any more questions.
Moving on to the CAS, it can be harder to identify, only because there really isn’t any huge standard to lean into. These students are all over the place. Beginning with the feminine style, they either carry their school supplies in a Longchamp or a backpack (bonus points for the athlete backpack). They start with jeans or leggings and pair them with either a colorful top or a sweatshirt. The shoes can be all over the place, but the women of Georgetown do love their colorful shoes. As for the masculine approach, they usually wear some sort of jeans and a t-shirt, and sometimes sneakers, sometimes flip-flops. Maybe they’ll even get a little crazy and wear a polo!
Finishing with the students of the SOH and School of Nursing (SON) (who, I’m sorry, have to be grouped together because do y’all even exist?), their ambiguity makes them harder to identify. If I had to narrow it down, I wouldn’t say there is any specific masculine or feminine style, but more of a general style. And I say this while knowing one singular person in the SON and no one in the SOH. Regardless, I’d say they are very quirky in how they dress. It feels as if they are just along for the ride, and they bring their distinctive personalities and their festive clothes and just embrace it. And of course, they are the only ones with a physical key card.
So, an MSB student, an SFS student, a CAS student, an SOH student and a SON student walk into a bar (Leo’s). One of them is wearing trousers, one of them looks pretty comfy, and the other is dressed neatly, but resting on their shoulder is a $4000 school bag. Oops! Almost missed the last students, but they appear to be using a physical key card. Which school they are in is almost more obvious than you think.
And if you’re reading this, and you’re wearing Rainbow flip flops, while it is less than 60 degrees out, please take them off!