My fellow students, enjoy your sleepy and sloppy lifestyle while you can, because unless you want to be as homeless in just a few short years as you look now, you are going to need to start dressing like a grown-up – and pronto.

In an interview with Diversions, Clinton Kelly, one of the hosts of TLC’s What Not To Wear and an expert on men’s fashion, warns, “Dressing like a kid is fine when you’re in high school, but as soon as you start going into a place that’s professional, you need to step it up a notch.”

In any internship or profession, intelligence is without a doubt the most important attribute you can possess. However, “a way to stand out in a crowd is to do a good job, but also to dress really well. Employers don’t hire kids to do jobs, they hire adults,” Kelly said.

And even if you’re not delving into a professional environment yet, perfecting your own personal style is something you should think about before you have to.

Based on his experience with guests on What Not to Wear, “young people are so casual now,” a phenomenon that is not always the best choice in a learning environment, Kelly said. “Low-cut jeans showing your butt crack to half of your, I don’t know, economics class, is inappropriate. And loungewear is for lounging around the house, not for going outside.”

Back in Kelly’s college days, “the world was a very different place,” he said. “It was not this casual. The most casual it got was a sweatshirt and jeans.

“But me, I had this ridiculous sweater collection,” Kelly added with a laugh. “My dad had to come to my dorm for me and build more shelves for all my sweaters.”

As Kelly explains during the makeovers on What Not to Wear, the way an individual dresses – whether he or she would like to admit it – reflects their personality. Even if you’re beautiful on the inside (yes, I’m sure you are), if you look a certain way, most people will judge you based on that.

“When you look grungy, people are going to assume you don’t have anything important to say,” Kelly said. “And when you look like a meathead, people are going to assume you have meathead thoughts. That’s just the way it is.”

But there are other faux pas that Kelly spots with the current college attitude on fashion. For example, overpowering logos (Abercrombie, anyone?) that sprawl across chests, butts and wherever else clothing companies can think to plaster them are a no-no.

“When you wear those, you do realize that you have just been marketed to and now you’re advertising for a company that you have no financial stake in, right?” Kelly said.

Being too trendy for your own good is another trap that college students tend to fall into.

“Think about your own style a little bit!” Kelly said. “It’s fun to follow a trend, but make sure that trend fits with your life.”

Kelly’s most important word to college students is to make sure the things you wear fit your body – especially for guys.

“Any guy, no matter what his budget is, no matter how much time he has, can always pay attention to fit,” Kelly said. “Fit is everything. If you don’t have fit, you don’t have style,” he proclaimed.

Although we’re on a college budget, Kelly said spending some extra dollars on an outfit won’t really break your piggy bank.

“Banana Republic and Club Monaco are great options,” he added. “If you’re totally fine with spending 100 bucks on drinks in one night – yeah, I remember when I was in college – spending a little money on clothes should be no big deal.”

So, if you’re ready to stand out from the pack for any reason – whether it’s for a job or simply for yourself – remember Kelly’s words of fashion wisdom. Think about fit, think about your style and most importantly, Kelly said, “think for yourself.”

Contact reporter Courtney Pomeroy at cpomeroy@umd.edu.