So let's talk dressing up in college. Around this time a lot of people's normal wardrobe goes down the drain. You wear sweats to class, norts (Nike shorts), and your hair is almost always in a bun. Sometimes dressing down for class can be good. Today I am going to tell you why dressing up in college, especially during the final countdown, can be the best thing.

I never really got the dressing down in college memo, even as a freshman. I never quite felt comfortable rocking pajamas or a lazy bun unless I was doing something for spirit (my first year of college my residence hall had a spirit week where we had a different theme each day.) Dressing up in college is so easy and today I am going to share with you a cute outfit and the reasons why you need to dress up.

You need to treat college like a career

In your future career you would never spend the last month before the end of the year or before summer dressing in sweats. It's just not practical. While some say that you should use this last bit of time before you become an official adult to stop dressing up, in my opinion that's just not right. Dressing up will get you in the mindset so the transition from college to the adult world won't be so bad. I am not saying dress up to the nines and wear heels to class (that won't work on most college campuses) but you can dress up and wear flats or a nice pair of boots in the winter time. When I wear dresses I will often wear boots or flats and bring a pair of tennis shoes in my backpack for ultimate comfort. 

Dressing up makes you feel good

I don't know about you, but when I wear a super cute dress or blouse I feel a million times better. I feel put together. I feel like I can take on the world. Dressing up is soothing for me. I find that when I take the time to get up and get dressed that sets the mood for my day. If I look good I feel good and that sets up the day to be a million times more productive than if I were just to be in my sweats all day. This sets up every hour of class to be as productive as my outfit makes me.

Dressing up makes you stand out

We all want to stand out a little more in our classes or with our classmates. Dressing up does just that. Most people around this time of year will be dressing down and wearing sweats to class, but you will be wearing a cute sundress. This will help you look more professional and will set you up to a path of greatness. Just by taking a few minutes in the morning to wear nice clothes, do your hair, maybe put on some makeup (although that's totally not required, I normally don't wear makeup.) Paying attention to what you wear will help you out so much.

The happy guide to dressing up in college

Here are my tips for making sure that you stand out in all the right ways when you dress up in college. 

Wear Your Outfit for a few minutes Before you leave

Okay, so sometimes, you gotta change it up and rock your outfit around the house for a few minutes. I love the dress in these pictures but it's definitely not a dress I see myself wearing to class. This dress is a little shorter and a little tighter than I would generally like my outfits to be so I probably wouldn't feel very comfortable wearing this for long periods of time in an academic setting. Going out for drinks with friends, yes, but definitely not class. So I would say that even if something looks good on you and makes you love it when you put it on, wear it a while around the house before you go. Are you tugging and pulling? Chances are this will not make you feel good about yourself throughout the day so you need to go for something that makes you confident.

Accessorize

My #1 tip to dressing up is to accessorize. You can start so many fun conversations with people around accessories. The other day I wore a pretty tassel necklace from Purple Peridot and someone stopped and asked about my necklace when I was in line for coffee. Accessories can make your outfit and give you an extra boost of confidence too.

Dresses aren't the only way to dress up

You don't have to be pigeonholed to just rocking a dress when you want to dress up. Not only are there various types of dresses, but there are also skirts, dress pants, and endless blouses. I love a good blouse and dress pants combo (mainly because I can get away with rocking my Nike Roshe Runs and still look and feel put together.) Dressing up doesn't have to be super frilly and uncomfortable, it can be just as comfortable as wearing jeans and a t-shirt. 

Don't underestimate the power of a blouse and dark wash skinny jeans either. You can still look as put together with jeans on, it's all about how you rock it. 

Do you dress up in college? What is your go to outfit?