With the amount of Penn State apparel sold downtown, it’s no wonder so many students are seen wearing it to class. On any day of the week, you’ll pass countless people in Happy Valley pairing a Penn State sweatshirt or t-shirt with leggings, jeans or athletic shorts. Have you ever wondered how people dress at other colleges? VALLEY asked students at other schools to describe their go-to campus clothing.
For students of Point Park University located in the heart of Pittsburgh, their “campus” is the bustling city streets. Point Park freshman Sara Wisniewski explains:
For me, going to an arts school means constantly seeing kids wearing leotards with no pants and crazy stage makeup!
Unlike here at Penn State where the typical fashion is more comfy than sophisticated, Sara says, “People here typically dress in a very artistic manner with their own unique styles, instead of constantly rocking their school’s logo like big schools seem to do.”
Just an hour from State College, in a small town called Loretto, is Saint Francis University, a private Catholic school with only 2,000 undergraduate students enrolled. Caroline Winz, a Saint Francis freshman, says, “The fashion here is very similar to how it was when I was in high school! Some people dress very nicely when going to class, while others typically always dress down. On the weekends, many people go to church and dress very fancy.”
When asked if students at the school ever wear SFU merch, Winz responded, “Definitely. There are so many athletes here, and they basically always have Saint Francis gear on.”
If you complained about the cold weather walking to class at Penn State this winter, try going to school at the University of Minnesota where it dipped to minus 28 degrees Fahrenheit with wind chills as frigid as 53 below! Penn State alum Kathleen Lauser, a graduate student at the University of Minnesota, described how wearing the school’s colors of maroon and gold is very popular. On game days, students wear maroon and gold overalls, or what they call “Gopheralls,” as Lauser explained.
As one could guess, a lot of the fashion in MN is influenced by the chilly weather. Lauser said people wear very warm, yet stylish winter hats.
“Although on super cold days people are in full balaclavas (ski masks) or neck gaiters (tight neck scarves),” she added.
Layering with flannels is another thing to help students keep warm and is considered a “Midwest trend.” Lauser said:
People here get excited about warm weather and probably start wearing lighter coats and shorts at lower temps than other universities do. It was like 45 degrees here this weekend, and people were very happy to take off their jackets!
VALLEY doubts students in California schools think 45 degrees is warm! Kaitlyn Huey from California State University Fullerton, located in Southern California, says girls walk across their sunny campus in cami tank tops, jean shorts and slip-on Vans while the guys wear t-shirts, sweat shorts and Old Skool Vans.
At Loyola Marymount University, a private university in Los Angeles, Kamilah Roca Datzer explains that girls tend to wear crop tops, high-rise sweatpants, mom jeans, gold rim glasses and “lots and lots of scrunchies!” For the guys, the fashion tends to be checkered slip-on Vans, Adidas joggers, Rainbow (the brand, not the color) flip flops and ripped jeans.
At the University of Washington, just 10 minutes from downtown Seattle, Lexi Zerbe told VALLEY that people wear “black rain booties and hunters, sweatshirts, leggings, mom jeans and Birkenstock shoes.” Considering the downpours in Seattle, rain gear must be a staple in their wardrobe.
Did any of these schools’ fashion inspire you to change up your look? Let us know!
