The Way Your Style Changes From Freshman to Senior Year

By Alexia Gonzalez on January 30, 2015

College is a time for experimentation (don’t get any ideas, ladies!), especially when it comes to the realm of fashion. This is a stage in your life when it’s deemed acceptable to attempt new things in order to grasp a sense of your unique and maturing personal style.

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Not to mention, leaving your parental comfort zone can allow you to experiment with fashions that may have previously felt forbidden by your surrounding family.

This new push into independence will inspire you to step up your sartorial game in order to stand out and feel your most confident in an entirely new environment.

We were all in the same situation at one time or another, thus the ‘coming to class dressed to impress’ move is totally okay and understandable in a college setting – just be sure not to overdo it.

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However, as time goes on, and class schedules become more arduous, the novelty of dressing up on a daily basis begins to wear thin. When you have to encounter a dreadful 8 a.m. calculus or British literature class three times a week, the last thing that you’re going to want to do is wake up an hour earlier to get all glammed up.

The more that you advance into your college career, the more appealing that hoodie is going to seem when you roll out of bed half an hour later than you should.

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This is why during those mixed lecture classes that you may encounter, you’ll notice a variety of fashion amongst female students, making it obvious which year of school each person is most likely in.

This is not a generalization for all college gals.  Some fashion conscious senior girls may still dress up like they did as freshmen, and that is completely acceptable (and inspiring), so more power to them!

It’s not a problem if you’re the kind of girl that would not be caught dead wearing sweatpants, a messy bun, and gym shoes to class unless you’re heading to the rec center. Just be aware that college fashion is like a beautiful and diverse rainbow, so don’t be afraid to stick to your own unique color, no one’s judging ya!

Freshmen Freshness

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Think of this: It’s your first year in college (finally!) and you are on your own for the first time, feeling a newfound sense of power and independence that you want to exude in every way physically possible. You join new groups, rush for a sorority, start hitting the gym more frequently; whatever it is, you are finding yourself and growing in an entirely new way.

This is a crucial time to make new friends and meet new people who will remain in your life for the next four years. So you obviously want to dress to impress. Freshmen girls are the most daring of the collegiate bunch, rocking the latest trends and experimenting with scandalous styles and silhouettes.

Image Via http://fashion.ekstrax.com

My advice: go for it girl! Strut your stuff in that mini leather skirt and that crop top. You’re only young once and now is the time to take advantage of your youthful physique. But always be sure to keep things classy and tasteful; you want to maintain a flawless reputation along with that awesome wardrobe.

Sophomore Un-Slump

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Your second year tends to be more of a time of trend setting versus skin exposure. This is when girls trade in their panty-esque denim shorts for a stylish pencil skirt, or when less cleavage and more collarbone is revealed.

At this point, girls are growing into their personal sense of style and opting for more mature trends, more along the lines of runway collection and less Miley Cyrus inspired.

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You are starting to grow into your own and realizing that fashion is more a reflection of yourself and not just an alluring getup with the purpose of making you the center of attention.

Junior Jungle

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By your third year in college, the idea of getting experimental with your wardrobe may begin to seem a little daunting. This is when you start to sacrifice aesthetic for comfort. Heels get a little lower and eventually become replaced with booties or wedges.

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Navels seem to make their way back under blouses and palazzo pants go into the back of your closet until those summer beach days. Face it; you are growing up and are starting to comprehend the importance of possessing a respectable and clean-cut wardrobe in place of platform sneakers and trendy tops.

Senioritis

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Your last year in college might as well be synonymous with yoga pants and long sleeve t-shirts. At this point your biggest concern is getting to class, doing your work, and going to sleep, so needless to say your classroom style is going to be more about comfort and convenience and less about how cute you look.

You are finally most concerned about putting more effort into your studies than into your outfit.

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The best part of your senior year wardrobe is that you’ve compiled a closet full of versatile fashions that will fit any potential post-collegiate occasion (or mood).

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