American / United States Fashion Schools

[lilsweetie]

are there any tfs-ers that went or no someone who went to Florida State University for Fashion Merchandising degree.. these are my plans and i would love to hear from someone who's been in the program.

i know its not a "fashion school" persay, but, a fashion program.

[edit: i saw that you're a fellow floridian, schocktart, i've heard pretty good things about the program at fsu. where are you planning on going to school? have you checked out FIU?]

xoxo, lauren

I go to UF and i have like 6 friends who are in the program at FSU. I mean it's def not one of the best places to go for fashion merchandising (like parsons or FIT) but its still a pretty good university

 

[vintageamour]

good to know. my parents won't drop the cash for me to go up to NYC, and i'm still going to get a "college experience". i know i'll have to work harder to be recognized but i think i can handle it.. i hope:-X

 

[eliza s.]

So, how was it?

Sorry for the delayed response... I was very impressed with what they had to offer. They have dorms located all over the city. Which is important to me even though I would be going for a grad program, because I don't know the area that well. But they gaurantee dorm space. So even if there is no more availability, they've even gone so far as to rent out entire floors of hotels. But the facilities were great. They have rooms and rooms of sewing tables, sewing machines, knitting machines. All of that is obviously at FIT and Parsons as well. But the Academy just seemed so much less focused on being commercial and much more focused on the heart of design and art. Don't get me wrong, I love FIT and Parsons and have great respect for both schools. But I just felt that there was something special and much more personal at the Academy. I was especially impressed with their grad program. The final year is spent entirely working on a thesis project (one final colleciton). You can go wherever necessary to work on the project. If my final collection was inspired by old-world couture and I wanted to live in Paris for the year, I could definitely do that. Also, as grad students finish the program, a certain amount of them are selected to show in New York's Fashion Week. Very nice.

 

[sj08]

I know that FIT has a huge demand for the Fashion Merch Major and It is super competitive but does anyone know how competitive it is for the Advertising and Marketing Communications Major? I am applying for Fall 2007 and it is my absolute first choice so I was just wondering if anyone knew or was in it.

Thanks

 

[pout306]

sj08, I don't know what the criteria is to get in for that program, but i applied to the Fashion Merch program 2 weeks ago (I don't like to be negative but I know the chances of me getting in aren't high), but if for your program you only need an essay, make sure it's AMAZING. I took so much time to write it and got So many people to help me edit it becuase I know that is EXTREMELY important

 

[sj08]

sj08, I don't know what the criteria is to get in for that program, but i applied to the Fashion Merch program 2 weeks ago (I don't like to be negative but I know the chances of me getting in aren't high), but if for your program you only need an essay, make sure it's AMAZING. I took so much time to write it and got So many people to help me edit it becuase I know that is EXTREMELY important

Thank you, and I sincerely hope that you get in!

 

[debbiep]

School Question

I am looking at going to school for Fashion Merchandising and I am having a hard time choosing a school and determing what kind of reputation the schools have. I have searched this forum for the schools and nothing comes up but I appreciate any feedback!!

I am considering:

Stephens College - Columbia, MO
Kent State University- Kent, OH
Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH
Buffalo State College, SUNY- Buffalo, NY

I have also thought about FIDM but I don't see that they offer a Bachelors degree and that is something that I really want. I would appreciate any feedback about the schools above! I want to know what the program, school, fellow students, alumni, etc are like.

Thansk in advance for any feedback!!

 

[MFstephen]

Brooks in Long Beach - anyone know if it's worth my time?

Looking around at schools I found this one, is it worth going to?

 

[BetteT]

Re: Brooks College in Long Beach ... (not to be confused with Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara which is an excellent photography school and not associated, at all.)

Uh ... I've heard that it's little more than a trade school/ "career college" sort of thing. Sort of like the ones that advertise on TV ... you know, things like dental assistiong, medical office work, Bryman School, DeVry ... not exactly high level training. I met one of their "teachers" once and she wasn't very qualified at all. Check into it more thoroughly ... I'm not positive about this, but I really think it's one of those things that don't really prepare you for the real world.

Otis and FIDM in are better ... if you must do school in L.A.

 

[J'aime_la_mode]

does anyone have anything to say about massart?

 

[rangerrick14]

Jay from Project Runway went there I think.

 

[rangerrick14]

Hey guys, how hard is it to get into FIT design department in transfer as a freshman? See I wanted to go to Parsons or Pratt but I can't afford it. So I'm going to a Local Univ. U of A in Arkansas; It's a really good school but its fashion department isn't part of the art or design department and I feel it will do more harm than good to try and learn fashion from there they focus on the rag trade type of thing not the artistic conceptual stuff Iwant to do. So I'm going to be an Art History major. And transfer out after a year or two. Are the transfer requirements hard? Do I need sewing experience to transfer in as a Freshmen?

 

[reese06]

Re: Brooks College in Long Beach ... (not to be confused with Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara which is an excellent photography school and not associated, at all.)

Uh ... I've heard that it's little more than a trade school/ "career college" sort of thing. Sort of like the ones that advertise on TV ... you know, things like dental assistiong, medical office work, Bryman School, DeVry ... not exactly high level training. I met one of their "teachers" once and she wasn't very qualified at all. Check into it more thoroughly ... I'm not positive about this, but I really think it's one of those things that don't really prepare you for the real world.

Otis and FIDM in are better ... if you must do school in L.A.

These schools are more like trade schools and they do advertise on TV but I wouldn't say that they don't prepare you for the real world. I knew someone that went to one of these schools in Nashville, TN, where I live at the moment and she actually got an internship with Roberto Cavalli. And FIDM is actually more a trade school too. Also, I'm sure it would be nice if we could all go to FIDM, Parsons, or FIT but design school is also what you make of it.

 

[jiji7]

FIT Fashion Styling non-credit certificate- Anyone have info?

I am looking to take the Styling I and Styling II courses.

Has anyone taken these courses? I am interested, but I am worried that they are non credit. I have been told I wouldn't be taken seriously. Part of the reason I want to take them is to gain some insight and also to use FIT resources for getting internships.

I also plan on taking some credited marketing courses with these non credit courses.

Any advice or info would be greatly appreciated.

I am going to be calling FIT tomorrow to get some info, but I want to see what people here have to say as well.

Thanks

 

[The_Jones]

we're in the same boat. I want to take the image consulting non-credit course. I was worried about the credits But i was informed they offer CEU's which is useful in the consulting industry.

anyone got any more info???

 

[BetteT]

Are you wanting to become a stylist ... or is this just something that you feel will broaden your skills in the fashion world. What is your goal in this biz?

If you are primarily interested in being a freelance stylist ... be aware that a certificate means nothing. In fact, showing a certificate to a client who knows the biz will immediatly peg you as a newbie so it's actually a negative.

Most stylists have never taken any courses in styling ... they have developed their eye and their business on their own. People who hire stylitsts are interested in the work youv'e done, your actual experience and seeing a well develped portfolio (this takes about 2 years on the average just to get a minimal level portfolio) .

Not to say that you won't learn anything about styling by taking courses ... you will learn your way around a photoshoot, how to pull wardrobe, how to negotiate plus get samples of pull letters, invoices, inventory lists, etc. And, most importantly ... hopefully you will learn what you must do to build the business and where to start. But 90% of the preparation will occur in the years after you get out of school.

So you must decide if it's worth the money or not ..... I think that if it can help you make contacts to get internships in a magazine or a design house, it might be worth it. Work experience is the most valuable thing in the fashion world ... so internships are almost priceless.

 

[jiji7]

Thanks for responding Bette

My career goal is to become either a fashion editor or Market editor. Basically, I want to decide on the conceptual story and gather the right clothing and accessories for editorials in fashion mags.

I think you are right in that the courses will give me some direction in the process, but of course not the eye I would need. Which is fine with me. I know that part is all on my inate fashion sense.

My primary goal in doing these courses is to be able to use FIT's resources to get an internship. I have been told time and again to do internships while in school but where I am now has no connections like what I am looking for. Which is why I will be moving to NYC after graduation to finally get started. I am not interested in Fashion Design or Fashion Marketing Degrees so I wanted to find a program in a well known school so I can get to their resources.

I am at this point just wondering if I will be able to use those resources eventhough I am taking courses without credit. I really hope so!

 

[BetteT]

Smart! I would go right to the horse's mouth and contact the school directly and ask them that question. I'm sure they'd be able to answer it easily enough.

For what you want to do, the internship is way more important than the classes. So if you don't have a chance of interning through the school (or any school) ... the next thing I'd do is see if I could get a job at any magazine (fashion or not)... even the mail room or as a receptionist, just to get your foot in the door. Experience in the magazine world is what you need ... so get it anyway you can. You can ad the "fashion" later.

 

[jiji7]

^ Thanks for your help

I called FIT today and was told that on completion of the styling certificate, I can meet with a career counselor at school. Which is great!

And while I take the classes, I found many listings on craigslist for assistants positions that don't require my time to be for credits at school.

 

[jiji7]

Oh and I also found out that my college loans can still be deferred while I take the styling courses. That's even better news!