Dress Well Test Well

Title: Dress Well Test Well

General Information about Item:

  • Superstition
  • Language: English
  • Origin: Dartmouth Skiway
  • Informant: Jamie Dinulos
  • Date Collected: February 25, 2018

Informant Data:

  • The informant is from Seattle Washington and now lives in Hanover New Hampshire, he is 20 years old and a Sophomore at Dartmouth College. Jamie enjoys spending time with friends and is on the Dartmouth Ski Patrol.   

Contextual Data:

  • Social Context: The informant went to Hanover High School which encourages students to dress well. The informant grew up with the motto of “dress for success” and has incorporated that motto into his test taking.
  • Cultural Context: Living in the affluent location of Hanover New Hampshire, the informant believes that the way in which an individual dresses is very important to the way they perform. By dressing well during a test the informant believes that he will have the confidence to do well on the test.

Item:

  • Ever since the informant was in high school, he dresses in his nicest clothes before each test. He calls this, “dress well, test well”. The informant said that all of his friends in high school would follow this tradition and they still all dress well before big tests in college. The most notable example is when the informant dressed in a full suit before he took the SAT.

Informant’s Comments:

  • Dressing well makes you feel good, so you are better off for an exam mentally.

Collector’s Comments:

  • Dressing well has been something I have seen multiple people do for an exam. I think it is a more common type of test taking folklore.

Collector’s Name: Matt Moniz

Tags/Keywords:

  • Superstition
  • Dress
  • Clothes
  • Test