The long anticipated exam week has finally reached the corner of every student’s calendar. As studying becomes more of a priority, students begin to focus more on cramming in material for exams and less on their appearance. For many students, the need for comfort during their lengthy studying sessions fuels their choice of clothing and overcomes their desire to dress presentably.
“I just get lazier,” Crystal Tsang , a junior in business administration, said. “Usually, I would wear a t-shirt, or shorts, or sweatpants… but make it look decent. During exam week… I feel like it doesn’t matter because what matters most is studying for the exam.”
For some students, the importance of studying leads to decisions that go beyond simply dressing in more comfortable clothing. Friends of these studious classmates notice drastic differences in how their friends present themselves. Rather than a slight change in clothing, the need for studying may just make students almost unrecognizable.
“Usually, they look very put together when it’s not exam time,” Kim Vu, a freshman in business administration, said about some of her friends. “But when it’s exam time, they look like poop. They don’t put on makeup and their hair is tied up, they’re wearing comfy shoes with sweatpants and a T-shirt… I don’t know how they smell, but I’m pretty sure they don’t smell like people.”
As their normally scheduled grooming habits come second to preparing for exams, these students’ levels of hygiene becomes questionable. Just how extreme would one go in neglecting their hygiene to prepare for their finals?
“The most extreme that I have gone was staying up really late studying, I falling asleep for like one or two hours and then going to take my final in the same clothes,” Ryan Hylton , a sophomore in business administration, said. ”But I have sat by people who you can tell have not showered.”
However, not all students feel like neglecting their sense of style during this time of the year.
“In my case, I dress usual, no different from any other day,” Vidush Rajendran , a senior in industrial engineering, said. ”Always take time to yourself, even if you know you are going to fail the exam. Since I dress the way I normally do, it makes me feel comfortable. It feels like I’m just going to class rather than having exam anxiety overload.”
A difference in how students dress during exam time can also be noticed by differentiating the students by their majors.
“I know a lot of friends that are in design and textiles that are usually the more fashionable ones,” Tsang said. “And I think during exam time they would dress lazy, but still stylish–like their sweatpants or yoga pants still match.”
The difference in how students dress during finals week can also be seen through the differentiation of genders.
“There’s not really a difference in what guys wear,” Vu said. “But for girls there’s a difference. It’s like going from glamour to mess.”
Students who are still conscious of being presentable during exam week have agreed that sweatpants, yoga pants, and even pajama pants can be visually appealing and at the same time provide the ultimate non-restricting comfort. Loose fit jackets such as zip-up hoodies and pullovers are also highly recommended by the masses due to strong air conditioning during the warmer months of the school year.
As for footwear, the choice of shoe should not matter, but keeping your feet warm is a must.
“Regardless of what kind of shoe I’m wearing, I’ll take a pair of fuzzy socks to the library,” Adrienne Frye, a senior in international studies, said. “So my feet won’t freeze.”
Whether you’re a workaholic who neglects hygiene for the benefit of getting high grades, or a fashion-conscious individual who wouldn’t be caught dead in the same clothes you wore the previous day, students have agreed on comfort as one of the factors to successful studying. Regardless of your passion for style, wearing clothes in a relaxed fit is sure to assist in exam performance by making students less distracted over their appearance and more focused on finals.
