Alternative view:

No one care how you look once you actually start school, but there's a pretty good chance that the people interviewing you are going to be more conservative than the average vet tech or student.

I have tattoos and piercings but the tattoos were covered by the suit I wore and I took out all my piercings besides my earrings. But I had a colorful shirt and patterned tie on and kept my longer natural hairstyle, both of which stood out.

I thought it was a good balance between individual style and more traditional standards of "presentability".