Originally Posted by Dave Martin
At the same time though, the judgement that one persons smarter haircut constitutes a better work ethic, a tie indicates professionalism, or a suit ahead of smart-casual shows greater committment are in my opinion counter productive and quite possibly over-opinionated judgement calls.
Maybe so, but it might show that someone has bothered to research the standards expected in the profession and made an effort to fit in. It might seem strange but demonstrating an ability to conform to certain standards could indicate to a prospective employer that you will not turn out to be a maverick. And the sooner this attitude is instilled in students at an early stage the better it is for the student in the long term. Very often people do not recognise what is actually a good thing for them. Hindsight is wonderful though!