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My goatee is close to two inches long. I don't want to shave it for orientation. Will this make a bad impression on someone? I'm not sure whom, but I'm assuming someone to be on the safe side.

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Orientation? As in meeting your peers? Who cares. If you don't want to shave it off, and it's genuinely a reflection of your personality, and you've received objective feedback stating that it looks good on you, keep it.

For interviews? Get rid of it.

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dood wrote:yeah but do it carefully so u can krazy glue it back on after interviews

Funny. Thanks for the great advice.

I am in the same situation. My goatee looks like complete shit but I have always wanted a beard and it is the best I can do. My facial hair is not very dense so in order for it to even look remotely OK I have to grow it long. Therefore it ends up scraggly. People have told me they think I look better with the goatee despite its ugliness because when clean shaven I look like I am 12 years old. It also hides a remnant of a double chin I am working on getting rid of.

I know I will shave for interviews.

I haven't shaved in weeks. Orientation starts in 5 days. I don't really plan on shaving.

Note: I lack any sore of "grizzly gene" that may exist, so it actually isn't ridiculous looking. Certainly not 2 inches...

traehekat wrote:I haven't shaved in weeks. Orientation starts in 5 days. I don't really plan on shaving.

Note: I lack any sore of "grizzly gene" that may exist, so it actually isn't ridiculous looking. Certainly not 2 inches...

Lol. My facial hair grows like a weed only in my chin and lower-lip area. My cheeks and frontal neck area don't grow as wildly, lol.

I'm not shaving. I may get a haircut, though.

I grew a goatee close to ten years ago because I thought they were "cool." As you can probably guess, I was young, stupid, and misguided. Fortunately, I finally came to my senses and shaved it off. Years later, I made my first honest attempt at a real beard (beards are, in fact, cool). It wasn't especially great, but I can tell you that it would have looked a lot worse if I hadn't grown the goatee first, as the hair on my chin was at least full and pronounced where the rest of my face was thin and scraggly. I've gone through two fully bearded phases in total, the second being better than the first, and I think my early experience with the goatee has at least provided an anchor for these efforts. So shave the goatee, FRWL, and don't worry about it: it will provide a solid foundation for a full beard later, if you still want one.

I could grow a beard that'd make Moses jealous in 2 months. That said, I shave and trim once to twice a day.

I would braid the goatee for orientation. duh.

ResolutePear wrote:I could grow a beard that'd make Moses jealous in 2 months. That said, I shave and trim once to twice a day.

I would braid the goatee for orientation. duh.

I love your posts. I'm a big fan!

my humble opinion. shave that shit. people are gonna think of you in a certain light off the bat.... you're gonna be the guy with the goatee. it sucks but its the reality of our species. grow it back right after, by then people will have their first impression of you set. personally i grow and shave my beard in cycles cause i get sick of looking at the same face in the mirror for years on end. a freshly shaven face could be refreshing... or in the case of an unfortunate few, make you realize how ugly you are.

Think about what looks best on you. If you need a comparison look at nematoad's 'tar.

nematoad wrote:my humble opinion. shave that shit. people are gonna think of you in a certain light off the bat.... you're gonna be the guy with the goatee. it sucks but its the reality of our species. grow it back right after, by then people will have their first impression of you set. personally i grow and shave my beard in cycles cause i get sick of looking at the same face in the mirror for years on end. a freshly shaven face could be refreshing... or in the case of an unfortunate few, make you realize how ugly you are.

Lose all the facial hair. It's unprofessional from a old-school, conservative viewpoint. You should get used to not having facial hair. If you need to eliminate a double chin, get a tan, clear up your complexion, etc., now is the time to get started. In particular, features like a two-inch goatee, beard, fu manchu, or mutton chops will not help your career.

chrisokc wrote:

nematoad wrote:my humble opinion. shave that shit. people are gonna think of you in a certain light off the bat.... you're gonna be the guy with the goatee. it sucks but its the reality of our species. grow it back right after, by then people will have their first impression of you set. personally i grow and shave my beard in cycles cause i get sick of looking at the same face in the mirror for years on end. a freshly shaven face could be refreshing... or in the case of an unfortunate few, make you realize how ugly you are.

Lose all the facial hair. It's unprofessional from a old-school, conservative viewpoint. You should get used to not having facial hair. If you need to eliminate a double chin, get a tan, clear up your complexion, etc., now is the time to get started. In particular, features like a two-inch goatee, beard, fu manchu, or mutton chops will not help your career.

Bullshit.

As a 1L, I went on 3 interviews (including big law) with facial hair. I have it because I look and feel better with it. I agree that certain features aren't professional, but a neatly trimmed beard and mustache are nothing to worry about, assuming you don't look life a pedophile or weirdo (i.e. don't rock the fu manchu or soul patch).

As for the people who will judge you off the bat, I say f_ck em'. You probably don't want to be friends with judgmental little pricks like that anyway. Do you really want friends who'll paint you in a negative light because you have facial hair?!? They sound like a BLAST to spend your free time with...

(side rant, it's a good sign at how screwed up our justice system is when aspiring judges and lawyers judge people based on physical appearance)

You know what works for you, so careful before listening to these clowns.

Do people dress up for orientation? Do I have to wear slacks? Or can i get away with a nice shirt and jeans? Or better yet, can I go t-shirt? Polo? Flip-flops?!?!?!?!

I'm sure it varies school-to-school but what have been everyone's past experience?

jdhonest wrote:

chrisokc wrote:

nematoad wrote:my humble opinion. shave that shit. people are gonna think of you in a certain light off the bat.... you're gonna be the guy with the goatee. it sucks but its the reality of our species. grow it back right after, by then people will have their first impression of you set. personally i grow and shave my beard in cycles cause i get sick of looking at the same face in the mirror for years on end. a freshly shaven face could be refreshing... or in the case of an unfortunate few, make you realize how ugly you are.

Lose all the facial hair. It's unprofessional from a old-school, conservative viewpoint. You should get used to not having facial hair. If you need to eliminate a double chin, get a tan, clear up your complexion, etc., now is the time to get started. In particular, features like a two-inch goatee, beard, fu manchu, or mutton chops will not help your career.

Bullshit.

As a 1L, I went on 3 interviews (including big law) with facial hair. I have it because I look and feel better with it. I agree that certain features aren't professional, but a neatly trimmed beard and mustache are nothing to worry about, assuming you don't look life a pedophile or weirdo (i.e. don't rock the fu manchu or soul patch).

As for the people who will judge you off the bat, I say f_ck em'. You probably don't want to be friends with judgmental little pricks like that anyway. Do you really want friends who'll paint you in a negative light because you have facial hair?!? They sound like a BLAST to spend your free time with...

(side rant, it's a good sign at how screwed up our justice system is when aspiring judges and lawyers judge people based on physical appearance)

You know what works for you, so careful before listening to these clowns.

Whether right or wrong, there are a lot of older men who will judge you negatively based on facial hair. In my opinion, it is not worth risking a bad first impression just to keep a goatee. I never said anything about shaving in order to make friends. Also, if you're under 40, I urge you to seek as many opinions as possible before you show up anywhere with a mustache of any kind. If you are holding on to the goatee in an effort to "grow yourself a chin", lose some weight.

There's way too much facial hair in this forum.

chrisokc wrote:

nematoad wrote:my humble opinion. shave that shit. people are gonna think of you in a certain light off the bat.... you're gonna be the guy with the goatee. it sucks but its the reality of our species. grow it back right after, by then people will have their first impression of you set. personally i grow and shave my beard in cycles cause i get sick of looking at the same face in the mirror for years on end. a freshly shaven face could be refreshing... or in the case of an unfortunate few, make you realize how ugly you are.

Lose all the facial hair. It's unprofessional from a old-school, conservative viewpoint. You should get used to not having facial hair. If you need to eliminate a double chin, get a tan, clear up your complexion, etc., now is the time to get started. In particular, features like a two-inch goatee, beard, fu manchu, or mutton chops will not help your career.

TITCR if you are a huge douche.

chrisokc wrote:Lose all the facial hair. It's unprofessional from a old-school, conservative viewpoint. You should get used to not having facial hair. If you need to eliminate a double chin, get a tan, clear up your complexion, etc., now is the time to get started. In particular, features like a two-inch goatee, beard, fu manchu, or mutton chops will not help your career.

This is a perfect reason to grow a long motherfucker. Be different. This profession, and most of law school, is filled with tight asses. It's incredibly deflating and can be a wet blanket on your life if you let it. If you want to make lots of money from old white guys and get invited to the best country club in the city, by all means, shave it all off. But if you're preparing now to be a stereotypical tight-ass lawyer, well, I guess that would just make me find a rope and sturdy shower head.

But in reality it's no big deal right now. For jobs, depending on them, it may need to go. But that's a ways off. And who cares what law students think about you? They're law students. It's far better to be unique for a good reason than to just float around like every other unremarkable asshole.

bilbobaggins wrote:

chrisokc wrote:

nematoad wrote:my humble opinion. shave that shit. people are gonna think of you in a certain light off the bat.... you're gonna be the guy with the goatee. it sucks but its the reality of our species. grow it back right after, by then people will have their first impression of you set. personally i grow and shave my beard in cycles cause i get sick of looking at the same face in the mirror for years on end. a freshly shaven face could be refreshing... or in the case of an unfortunate few, make you realize how ugly you are.

Lose all the facial hair. It's unprofessional from a old-school, conservative viewpoint. You should get used to not having facial hair. If you need to eliminate a double chin, get a tan, clear up your complexion, etc., now is the time to get started. In particular, features like a two-inch goatee, beard, fu manchu, or mutton chops will not help your career.

TITCR if you are a huge douche.

The use of Internet acronyms or the term douche is indicative of a huge shit head.

chrisokc wrote:

bilbobaggins wrote:

chrisokc wrote:

nematoad wrote:my humble opinion. shave that shit. people are gonna think of you in a certain light off the bat.... you're gonna be the guy with the goatee. it sucks but its the reality of our species. grow it back right after, by then people will have their first impression of you set. personally i grow and shave my beard in cycles cause i get sick of looking at the same face in the mirror for years on end. a freshly shaven face could be refreshing... or in the case of an unfortunate few, make you realize how ugly you are.

Lose all the facial hair. It's unprofessional from a old-school, conservative viewpoint. You should get used to not having facial hair. If you need to eliminate a double chin, get a tan, clear up your complexion, etc., now is the time to get started. In particular, features like a two-inch goatee, beard, fu manchu, or mutton chops will not help your career.

TITCR if you are a huge douche.

The use of Internet acronyms or the term douche is indicative of a huge shit head.

I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings, but you sound like a huge douche. I've highlighted the worst parts for you.

Why does dood insist on posting, and then immediately retracting his posts?

And I'd say keep it if it looks good and you don't have any networking/alumni events. I know we have a very personal, small alumni dinner during orientation, and I intend to try to make a good first impression with people like that.

OP - keep in mind that your audience here is largely comprised of relatively young kids, inexperienced in the workplace, with heads full of ideas of individuality gained through years of beer bongs and liberal arts. In the workplace, you are trying to impress yourself upon the sensibilities of someone else, doesn't matter how good you feel about it. With orientation however and law school in general you should judge for yourself how you want these people to perceive you. Ever gonna ask a professor for a recommendation or a job? A possibility that your peers in school are gonna be able to help you out in that respect in the future? Think about that when making your decision, and decide accordingly.

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