Inspired by the stumbling ladies in heels and male graduates who sported tube socks with shorts, Dartmouth Week did an informal count to measure the most popular shoe choices for Dartmouth High's graduation ceremony. Here’s what we found:

Method

A tally was taken as students walked across the stage. Shoes were categorized first by men's or women's, and then by the style (as defined below).

Women’s shoes defined:

Wedges: any type of shoe that is heightened throughout the entire foot (including sole and heel)

Sandals: any flat shoes with an open toe

*Heels: any shoe that is only heightened under the heel; must be less than four inches high

*4”: any shoe that is only heightened under the heel; must be four inches or higher

Flats: any flat shoes with a closed toe

*Heels were not measured with a ruler, but eyeballed from the first row of bleachers. If height was not obvious, final call was defined by the wobbliness of the wearer.

Men’s shoes defined:

Casual: mostly includes sneakers, boat shoes, and anything paired with an uncomfortable amount of tube sock

Observation:

Of the 201 students surveyed, 119 were women and 82 were men. Forty women wore wedges, 41 wore sandals, 1 wore boots, 22 wore heels smaller than four inches, 3 wore sneakers, 7 wore heels four-inches high, and 5 wore flats.

Thirty-seven male graduates wore dress shoes, 44 wore casual shoes, and 1 wore boots.

Measurement

Women:

Wedges: 33.6%

Sandals: 34.5%

Boots: .8%

Heels: 18.5%

Sneakers: 2.5%

4”: 5.9%

Flats: 4.2%

Men:

Dress: 45.1%

Casual: 53.7%

Boots: 1.2%

Please see the graphs below.

Conclusion

Dartmouth High graduates preferred casual footwear for the indoor ceremony. Women wore mostly sandals and wedges, while most men wore either sneakers or boat shoes.

Errors

In future experiments, we would tally every student’s shoe choice for a more accurate survey. Also, we would further specify men’s footwear to dress, boots, sneakers, visible tube socks, and boat shoes.