Parsons vs. FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology) in New York?

[couturekristen]

Hey everyone. I'm planning on applying to Parsons and FIT to attend in fall 2012.
Honestly, which is better? Straight out.

 

[frankievw]

parsons

 

[frankievw]

I'm dropping off my portfolio tomorrow!! I'm excited!

I've decided to drop out of Parsons for a number of reasons...and I'm excited to start at FIT in the spring (that is if I get in of course...I'm assuming I will, considering I got in the first time I applied).

^^ care to expand on those reasons?? I'm applying for fall 2011...

 

[trend_monger]

I know the whole debate is so old (FIT or Parsons?), but does anyone have an explanation as to why FIT has not produced a hot designer in years, while Parsons continues to churn them out like a machine.

 

[trend_monger]

parsons

At least give an explanation of your reasoning. Just saying "Parsons is better than FIT" is not very substantial. Plus, this debate is getting really old, I think.

 

[frankievw]

At least give an explanation of your reasoning. Just saying "Parsons is better than FIT" is not very substantial. Plus, this debate is getting really old, I think.

You are right, I should have explained myself. I recently got back from NYC and toured both Parsons and FIT, and in my opinion, there is no comparison. But it is totally up to the person who is applying. I thought that the Parsons campus was a lot better looking. There were several campuses that had good interior design etc, and FIT was a plain brick building. When I toured Parsons I could feel the artistic vibes in the air and you could clearly see that all the students loved what they were doing. At FIT, students didn't seem very lively or anything, and the tour guide was less than impressive. My tour guide at FIT basically made it sound like it was a cake walk to get in, and you didn't have to do anything. Basically, I just got a really bad vibe from FIT.
hope that helps

 

[trend_monger]

I actually had the exact opposite reaction. I toured Parsons and FIT earlier this year and also attended FIT Summer Live this past summer. I actually got more negative vibes when I was at Parsons. It felt rather sterile and I got the sense that it was really kind of a sink-or-swim environment. You are mostly on your own there. I also got the feeling from the students and the tour guide that it was not a very community-oriented school. When I asked the tour guide what she liked the most about Parsons, she said it was the fact that it was located in NYC. Clearly, that does not say anything about school itself b/c FIT is also located in NYC. I am totally not bashing Parsons in any way- it's obviously a great school for fashion. It's not necessarily great for everyone, though, just like FIT might not be great for everyone. I can speak from experience that FIT is really nice. When I was at FIT Summer Live, the environment was more friendly and the professors who I had were very experienced and helpful. Lastly, Parsons' campus is essentially the city and the school is very shiny and has great facilities. FIT actually has its own campus. It's really important to experience both schools before making a judgment about which one is better for them, so I would highly recommend that people visit both/take classes there.

 

[educo]

Having been a degree student at BOTH schools, I have to say that the facilities at Parsons don't even stand a chance to what is available at FIT. PLUS, as a student, you have access to the museum archives something you have to PAY about $400 per year if you weren't a student. Let's not even talk about the FIT library..it's been rated as the best fashion library in the world.

 

[dior_couture1245]

^^ care to expand on those reasons?? I'm applying for fall 2011...

Well, for one...the money was the biggest issue. It's hard to convince yourself that what you're doing is worth $40,000+ a year. The administration and employees are difficult to deal with, especially when trying to deal with financial issues. I can handle being pushed aside by administrators, etc., but not when I'm paying $40,000+.

Also, the fashion program (although I have actually never experienced it firsthand, but from everything that I have heard from friends still in the program), is abusive...professors give more work than is literally, physically possible to complete. I have a friend who is currently a junior and she told me that because it is impossible to complete everything assigned, she ends up turning everything in half-a$$ed, which she said is depressing and hard to do, because she's not proud of the work she's producing. Also, the school is extremely commercially minded...you basically are trained to design for like a Barney's CoOp level market and that's it.

 

[trend_monger]

But once again, why has Parsons produced so many hot new designers (Jason Wu, Alexander Wang, Vena Cava, Christian Cota, Jen Kao, Proenza Schouler) in the last few years while FIT has not? Does anyone have a possible explanation?

 

[educo]

I agree with Dior, the workload was impossible to keep up with unless you had a connection to a factory to do the sewing for you which i have seen many of my classmates do.

As far as why more "stars' are coming from Parsons than FIT, i would just say that parsons is definitely more design oriented, while FIT is more technically based. I would also say that the students at Parsons are a bit older and more mature crowd than the students i dealt with at FIT. My old prof from FIT commented on how mature I was...

alot of the students at FIT are literally coming from highschool. There is definitely a higher proportion of students in that age bracket there than at parsons.

price also plays a big role as well...if you knew you were paying 40k per year, you'd make sure you got your money's worth, no?

However, having graduated from Parsons, you don't get what you pay for...it really falls down to every individual student.

 

[xing]

^Not from any fashion school, and basing everything from what I've read in this page. I gather that parsons is more sink or swim, the profs aren't the nicest people to say the least. You're on your own pretty much the whole time.
Also the school fees are really very very very high. FIT has a overall nicer environment. People are kinder, the hand hold you more and school fees are lower?

I think Parsons has produce better designers in the last few years because it is so brutal. If really pushes those who have BOTH the talent and the determination to grind it out. It trains you to be really go getter because if you aren't then you aren't going anywhere and you know it. Also, I think that rich kids or kids with connections are more likely to go to parsons(with that price tag...) and i guess a large part of the industry is still about who you know more so than anything else.

 

[Bernice]

What about in terms of fashion marketing/merchandising courses?

 

[frankievw]

What about in terms of fashion marketing/merchandising courses?

Parsons doesn't have an actual "fashion marketing / merchandising" major, whereas FIT does. But Parsons has a major called Design & Management, which I have heard is about 60% business, 40% design.

 

[Bernice]

Parsons doesn't have an actual "fashion marketing / merchandising" major, whereas FIT does. But Parsons has a major called Design & Management, which I have heard is about 60% business, 40% design.

Oh Sorry! I was talking about Parsons AAS degree in Fashion marketing!

 

[dior_couture1245]

Also...please be wary of Parson's "illustrious" alumni...Marc Jacobs, Donna Karan, Tom Ford, Alexander Wang!!! All Parsons fashion students, right?!?!

WRONG.

Marc Jacobs dropped out. Donna Karan dropped out. Tom Ford graduated with a degree in architecture. Alexander Wang dropped out.

It starts to make you wonder why none of these successful individuals actually completed the program.

 

[trend_monger]

They were Parsons students. They just didn't graduate, which doesn't make them alumni. However, there are numerous others who did graduate and are successful, including the designers behind Vena Cava, Cushnie et Ochs, and Ohne Titel. I am pretty sure Alexander Wang dropped out b/c he was way ahead of everyone else and already had the resources to make it on his own.

 

[LagerfeldBoy]

Hey everyone, I'm currently in the midst of applying at different fashion schools and particularly interested in both these schools. Would you guys say that it's harder to get into Parsons than FIT?

 

[trend_monger]

Hey everyone, I'm currently in the midst of applying at different fashion schools and particularly interested in both these schools. Would you guys say that it's harder to get into Parsons than FIT?

It's definitely more difficult to get into FIT. Parsons had an acceptance rate of 62% last year due to the economy, I'm guessing. FIT (as it is a state school) has an acceptance rate of around 40%. But you have to take into account that of that 40%, only a small percentage is for fashion design, since there is no foundation year for fashion.

 

[LagerfeldBoy]

It's definitely more difficult to get into FIT. Parsons had an acceptance rate of 62% last year due to the economy, I'm guessing. FIT (as it is a state school) has an acceptance rate of around 40%. But you have to take into account that of that 40%, only a small percentage is for fashion design, since there is no foundation year for fashion.

Really? Thanks