Dress Code Argument

Serena Blount

EN 102-002

28 November 2011

Definition: College – An institution for vocational, technical, or professional instruction often a part of a university. According to most students, college is a place to find yourself and be free of parental oversight. In a literal sense, colleges and universities are training grounds to help prepare students for the field that they choose to pursue. Even at liberal arts colleges, which aim to provide students with a well rounded education, students choose a course of study and expect to be prepared for whatever endeavors they undertake upon graduation.

In the collegiate system of the United States private schools are seen by many as institutions that best groom students for post graduate life. According to U.S News, twenty three of the top twenty five universities are private. In an effort to best prepare students for their careers public colleges and universities should do everything possible to help close the gap between public and private schools. An efficient and cost effective way that public schools can begin to close the gap on private schools is to require upper level students to dress accordingly to their field of study. Some might call it a uniform or a dress code, but it is a simple method that could dramtically impact the educational experience of the students.

The impact of a dress code on a college campus would be dynamic. One possible immediate advantage of implementing a dress code could be the mental transformation of students and how they view themselves. The students would begin to see themselves is a different light. For example, undergraduates in the business school would see the personal transformation from teenagers wearing the latest popular fashions to young men and women dressed in professional attire.

As a result of the change in dress code in conjunction with their newfound mentality, the students will also realize that they are closer to graduation than they may have previously...