They like you on paper. Now it’s time to show them how awesome you are in person.
Congratulations on scoring an interview invite to a dental school!
Getting an invitation to interview is a huge step toward reaching your goal of becoming a dentist. You’ve already put in the hard work of getting a high GPA and DAT score. Now, you just have to demonstrate that you are the perfect fit for being a dental student at their school.
The dental school interview provides an opportunity for you to make a good impression on your potential future professors, peers, and colleagues. What you wear is a huge factor in the impression you make and so dressing your best is paramount.
When my first interview invite landed in my email inbox, I was on cloud nine for a few hours until it hit me: what on earth should I wear? Because the dental school interview environment is conservative, it’s necessary to dress in business professional. This means wearing:
- a colored (usually black, navy, dark gray, or brown) skirt or pant suit
- a button down shirt or blouse/shell
- nude panty hose
- matching dress flats or heels (not super high)
- minimal make-up and perfume
- neat fingernails
- a professional hairstyle (neat and combed or pulled back)
- simple jewelry
If you need inspiration for your interview attire, keep reading to see the exact outfit that I wore to my dental school interviews.
My suit is comfortable and I felt confident in it. 
*Coffee sold separately* lol.
The Outfit
I opted to wear a skirt suit because my first interview was at the end of September, when average daytime temperatures are still hot in my area. (Apparently, skirt suits are considered more professional than pant suits, but it’s 2019; if you prefer pants, wear them). Because most interviews include a tour of the campus, I thought that a skirt would keep me cooler when walking than long pants. This ended up not being the case since I had to wear panty hose anyway, which covered my legs. So, I recommend deciding on a skirt versus pants based simply on what you feel most comfortable and confident wearing for six hours.
Because I’m not a fan of leisurely shopping, I decided to look for a suit at Express since it specializes in women’s professional wear. I appreciated walking into the store, finding what I needed, and walking out 30 minutes later. If you’re more patient than I am, check nearby thrift stores and shops like TJ Maxx or Ross. There, you’ll probably be able to find higher-quality pieces for less money. If you can’t stand shopping like me, though, I recommend going to a one-stop shop like Express and just getting what you need quickly.
From interview to interview, I mixed up the blouse I wore under my jacket, always making sure that it didn’t have a low neckline and wasn’t too tight. Right before graduating from college, my grandma took me shopping at Ann Taylor Loft to get some work-appropriate shirts and I recommend similar stores for finding interview-appropriate blouses. The one I’m wearing in these photos is one of three that I got with my grandma. On the one hand, the material of this shirt in particular is nice because it doesn’t easily wrinkle, but on the other hand, it isn’t breathable. That was a bit of a problem because I got nervous (and sweaty) on interview day. So, my advice would be go with a breathable material, like cotton.
The Accessories
I’m not one to accessorize, so I didn’t wear anything extra to interviews. I made sure to wear comfortable shoes that I could walk in (remember the tour you go on?) and a padfolio. I didn’t want to feel uncomfortable by wearing jewelry when I don’t typically accessorize. I also thought the padfolio polished off my professional look.
I got my padfolio from a former employer. It came in handy! 
My shoes are from DSW. They’re comfortable because of the block heel.
The Most Important Part
It’s important to feel confident in whatever you’re wearing on the big day because that’s how you’ll best show the school who you are. Just as I opted to not accessorize because that’s simply what I like, don’t dress in a way that makes you uncomfortable. If you’re creative and fashionable, add a small bit of your own flare to your outfit (just keep it in the realm of business professional). Be true to yourself, practice your questions and answers, and go show the interviewers the amazing future dental student and dentist that you are.