College students are notorious for their laziness, and a sloppy wardrobe of sweats tags along with the stereotype. It’ s no secret college students dress differently from high school students, so when transitioning from the sometimes-strict dress codes of high school, how do you know what to wear to class?

At Iowa State you will find most students following the pack. On any given day a wide array of black North Face jackets, jeans, ISU sweatshirts and Ugg boots fill classrooms.

In early morning classes it is more acceptable — practically expected — that students show up looking like they just rolled out of bed.

Jeffrey Blevins, associate professor of journalism and mass communication, said he notices more sweats and baseball caps in his 8 a.m. class as opposed to later in the day in other classes.

“The funny thing is, the first few weeks of classes you almost won’t see any students in sweats, but as the semester continues fewer students come to class, and they begin arriving later,” Blevins said.

The typical college student rolls out of bed at the last minute, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are lazy when it comes to school.

Blevins doesn’t see a correlation between student attire and grades. He said it’s hard to tell just by looking at a student what they’re life is like.

“They might have a really active social life, or have a job that requires them to work late nights,” Blevins said.

Blevins said he has equal respect for students wearing sweats to class just as much as he does for students who regularly look nice.

“I just appreciate the fact that they are there at 8 a.m., I’m much more interested in what they have to contribute to class than what they are wearing,” Blevins said.

Blevins said he doesn’t think students who regularly roll out of bed 10 minutes before class will have trouble transitioning into the job world. “College is a transitioning phase,” Blevins said. “The rules are just different when you’re here, and that’s OK.”

Blevins said he can relate to the students sitting in class half asleep in a baseball cap, because that’s how he was as an undergraduate.

So, don’ t be afraid to relax your college wardrobe. The most important thing is to find a happy balance between looking lazy and being over-dressed for 8 a.m. Remember, college is a transitioning phase, it doesn’t matter as much what you wear as long as you are comfortable in your own style.