Your appearance affects how people feel about you more than you might imagine. “Dress to impress” is a popular saying for quite a few reasons. For young adults in college, how you dress can have more of an impact than you know.

In many college campuses, the culture and atmosphere regarding the style of dress is very laid back. Rolling out of the dorm room and into a classroom in sweats and a tee are common; and there is nothing wrong with that occasionally.

However, if you look like you have made an effort with what you are wearing, it will also be perceived that you care about your classes and you are making an effort there as well. Dressing down doesn’t mean that you aren’t a good student or are not trying, but it can definitely give that impression. We all know how impressions matter.

Why Impressions Matter

We are not talking about business suits and ties here and we are not talking about a fashion model either. Just a put together style that gives the appearance that you are organized, you care about your appearance. Find ideas for young, hip, college style attire. This will make it easy to look like you have made an effort and show that attending class and college in general is important to you. Something that makes you stand-out to your class mates and your professors as someone to be taken seriously.

Why does that make a difference? Have you ever chosen a partner to do a group project with? Think about how you would choose the best partner not knowing who anyone is and not knowing their grades or academic level. Think about the professor and how many students have passed through his or her class.

Which ones do you think professors choose to help or offer extra credit special assignments to?

Other Tips for Succeeding in College (College Hacks)

College life is not easy and it definitely takes some getting used to. Therefore, it is important to learn from others and find tips or college hacks to help you out. Here are some excellent tips that you can pass on to incoming freshmen when you are an alumni:

• Visit Your Professors During Their Office Hours. This is an important tip that will be useful to you for every class, every year. On the first day of class when your professors hand you the syllabus and the calendar or agenda, they also list their office hours. As you will see when you go to visit them during office hours, other students never go. They never take advantage of meeting face to face and one-on-one with the professor. This will give you a leg up if you have any questions about a lecture, want to know some specifics about what to study, and are a great way to stand out and be remembered. Being remembered by a professor can lead to extra credit, internships, and letters of recommendation for grad school or a job. Plus, they will know you made an effort, not only by dressing like their class was important, but by caring enough to also make an effort to connect with them and respect their teachings.

• Join College Groups and Organizations. Besides making friends and being social in college, these types of groups help you learn how to network, which is important for succeeding not only throughout your college life, but also in your career.

• Use Organization and Efficiency Apps to Help Organize Your College Life. For many, college is the first taste of independence and the first time living on your own. Make sure to organize all of your new found responsibilities, chores, classes, projects, and more with efficiency apps that allow you to set up a calendar and reminders right to your smartphone or tablet.

• Never Rely on Technology. This applies especially for last minute projects. If you have to print out a paper that is due or a project, never wait until the last minute to print. All too often Murphy’s Law strikes when a project is do in minutes and your computer won’t print, or you are out of paper, or the computer lab printers are out of order. Ask your professors if they will accept digital or emailed assignments so that this never becomes a problem and reduces paper waste and clutter at the same time.

• Start Building Your Social Network While in College. Building your social network while in college is an excellent way to jumpstart your online reputation. Just as dressing to impress during college makes a good impression, setting up your social network and online reputation while in college will help you land a career. Nowadays one of the first things that an employer does after or even before an interview, is Google you. If nothing shows up, it is not too impressive. If a long list of results show up including things like your LinkedIn profile describing what type of a student or worker you are, your Twitter profile showing links to articles of interest and retweets of industry professionals, and Facebook showing tasteful photos of you at group events for a professional group you belong to related to your industry, that makes a great impression.

It’s Your Style and Your Future

Dressing casually and looking put-together just make sense for college students. College is about making decisions and gaining independence. It is also a stepping stone to your career and much is riding on having a successful jump start into it. Follow our guidelines and college hacks and you will be on your way to a stylish and successful future.