Gentlemen, whether you like it or not, style is always a choice, and your style is what determines the quality of your first impressions.

I implore you to resist the urge to throw on those old sweatpants and that oversized hoodie balled up in the corner of the closet as the temperature begins to drop on campus, but I’m not suggesting you need to look like you’re ready to go to the Oscars every day before class.

Keep that tuxedo hung up in the wardrobe, chief. Instead of dressing up every day, consider taking an approach I call “dressing up your dress down.”

Meet me in the middle. Finding a look that isn’t too fancy, but appears clean and well-considered can be the difference between a good day and a great day.

Try wearing a nice pair of jeans (nice meaning dark wash and no rips or holes), a button-down tucked in with the sleeves rolled up just underneath the elbow, top button undone and some comfortable loafers or boots (not Sperrys). The look is significantly better than the gym shorts, graphic tee and clunky tennis shoes. People will notice.

The easiest way to upgrade a wardrobe and improve dress down style is to add items that can go both ways. Such items include solid-colored T-shirts, jeans, khaki pants, sweaters without hoods, old-fashioned sneakers (Chuck Taylors) and blazers or suit jackets.

If you happen to wake up one morning and all you have clean are your jeans, a solid-colored shirt and your suit hanging in the back of the closet, throw the suit jacket over your solid tee and all of a sudden you’ve gone from lazy to sophisticated and relaxed. Substitute the khaki pants for your jeans and you’ve upgraded again.

The best part about these two-way clothing items is that most of them are cheap, and you don’t need to worry about taking your jeans to the dry cleaners after every wear. As long as you don’t wad them up in the corner, you can get several outfits out of a single article of clothing. It doesn’t have to be difficult to look good, and it can be plenty comfortable, too.

Professors will take notice of your improved style as well. Even in a class of 500-plus, a professor will recognize when a student looks ready to learn, which starts with how you look when you walk in the door of that auditorium. Especially in this environment, students won’t have a lot of opportunities to talk to professors one-on-one during class, meaning they limited in how they can impress.

At the end of the semester, if you find yourself headed to your professor’s office to discuss a grade, that professor will remember the young man who came to class ready to learn every day over the one who looked like he rolled out of bed and walked straight to class.

I’m not saying you can get an A in a class just by dressing well. Dressing well just puts you in the right mind to learn and perform at the right level. Imagine your fellow students are grading you as an LSU gentleman. What could you say about the dress of those around you? If you aren’t satisfied with how you look, I challenge you to raise the bar. See how it changes your day and who takes notice.

Even if you don’t experience a change in reaction from other people, you’ll still feel better about yourself, and that is one of the little things in life that you can’t take for granted.

Gentlemen, it’s time to upgrade from swag to class. It’s time to look like men ready to take on the world and win. It’s time to show the women on this campus that we can look good, too. After all, ZZ Top said it best, “Every girl’s crazy ’bout a sharp-dressed man.”