i am in my senior year now and currently working on my senior thesis, but i know i am also counting down the days to the moment i graduate! i really don’t mind the hard work; i know i have to get used to it because this is how it is in the industry, and while a lot of people get by by making connections, the truth is a lot of these people aren’t really working. the real people behind the scenes are usually overworked, poor and just getting by, but hanging in there all the same because they can’t imagine doing anything else.

my friends and i were joking that when we graduate, we’re going to use the parsons name as much as we can if it will even get us a job (doubt it, in fact, apparently a lot of avant garde companies are not interested in parsons students, particularly because of this annoying cookie-cutter program they force down our throats.). we were joking that the moment we even made it on our own two feet that we would scratch the parsons name from our resumes forever.

having said that, i have been to another school before parsons, called bunka fashion college in tokyo. bunka and parsons are both very known fashion colleges and they are both different. i don’t regret anything, and i just want to be clear that the only reason why parsons is so @^!(*$!@#^@ (don’t want to swear on someone else’s blog), is because of the way it is run. you pay so much money for a world-class education and you are met with idiots who are running the school. 99% of the stress is probably from there. the fact that we do not get anything out of them, the fact that we have no facilities, no room to do anything, no nothing.

our teachers, however, are fantastic. they are probably as stressed as we are. i hope they are at least paid well. i’ve been lucky because i’ve had really amazing teachers so far. some of my friends haven’t been lucky, but i have learnt a great deal from my teachers.

rob>>
i completely understand what your daughter is going through. is she going to the fashion program from sophomore year? if she is going to other programs, the work load will be completely lighter after foundation year. if it is the fashion program, then it will be a test for her and if she really wants to do this, she will finish it. i think it’s great that you are reading around the web to find out more about her school though! :) it is true that we get no sleep and it’s no use being in new york city because we might as well be in the himalayas. i’ve moved to nyc for 2 years now and i hardly know the place. in fact, i now hate new york because i equate it to school. it’s quite a pity, and perhaps when i graduate i’ll take a tourist route and discover new york for the first time. my only friends here are mostly friends from school; i did not grow up in america, and whatever friends i made when i first came here, i promptly lost because i never had the time to meet up with them. so all my friends are only those from the fashion program! they are the only ones who would understand if i had to stand them up because i had work to do, or because i just had to sleep!

I have visited Parsons in the past and it is great to hear your opinion about your school.

Our students here also have an immense amount of work to do to achieve their dreams. We are a two year college.

Its helpful to hear different opinions from different people about Parsons. I will be attending this Fall and am super excited and am aware of the workload. Maybe our experience wont be the same considering sleep doesnt exist in the US Marine corps. Ive had many sleepless nights in Iraq so I might not whine as much as others. Ive been a Marine for 7 years and know I will do well at Parsons considering I want so bad to do well because Im paying most out of pocket. This is something that I always thought of doing, just didnt have the luxury of having my parents pay for me to go to Parsons. Thats why I had to do what I had to do and serve our country to get some education benefits. But good luck to you and once again its nice to hear different experiences.

With unfortunately little guidance regarding my major choice on Parsons’ side, I ended up in the Fashion Design program for one semester and wasn’t prepared for the sheer amount of work, study skills, and time management skills that I’d need to get through it. I have a ton of respect for those who stick with it, it can be brutal.

I mistook my love for drawing people and beautiful clothes as a desire to pursue fashion, when what I was really passionate about was illustration.

My advice to high school students:
Honestly assess what drives you, your priorities, and your work ethic. Think about how you can best achieve your goals through schooling. You can work in the fashion world through so many outlets, without needing to to give up your dreams, by choosing a different pathway in.

It all comes down to perserverence, determination and 110% belief in what you’re doing.. fashion school or no fashion school.

Thanks Gilda for sharing, this will be a big help to future fashion students!

alica>> thank you so much! i’ve heard a lot about the AAS program though i’m not sure what really goes on there. i wonder if it’s the same thing. at least you don’t have to think about other liberal arts classes i guess!! the last thing i want to do when i’m so tired is write a 10 page paper on culture. haha!