They have their pros and cons. I wore a uniform to a public school (Australia) and it definitely meant that I had one less thing to worry about every day: being judged by what I wore. As an adolescent that meant a lot, and getting the freedom to wear whatever as an adult has meant that:

1. I got to learn what's appropriate before I got that freedom and

2. I had the maturity to not care what others thought about how I dressed.