Do you naturally have a flair for fashion? Are you always complemented on your amazing sense of style? When you sit and think about your dream job, can you see yourself working in the fashion industry? If so, have you ever stopped to consider going to school for fashion design? Although it is definitely a competitive field, it is also a career path that can be quite rewarding if you’re willing to do the work that is required.
So, if fashion design school is indeed something that you think you might be interested in, before you start sending in your applications, we wanted to provide you with five things that you should consider first:
Do some research on schools. No matter what the industry might be, there are certain schools that have a great reputation for a certain kind of curriculum. For instance currently, Harvard, Stanford and John Hopkins are considered to be top medical schools. And, according to the fashion website Fashionista, Parsons, Pratt and Otis College of Art and Design are considered to be some of the best fashion design schools. Depending on where you want to live, how much tuition you can afford to pay and the kind of program that you want to get into, that will help you to select the school that is best for you. (You can go to Fashionista and put “The Top 20 Fashion Schools in the US” for a list of other reputable fashion schools.)
Think about what you want to specialize in. Something else that you should think about is what you want to specialize in. For instance, some people want to literally be fashion designers while others are more interested in marketing, merchandising or retail. Having this kind of clarity will also help you to pick the college that is best for you.
Look into the instructors. A school is only as good as its instructors so as you’re contemplating which institution to attend, look on the school’s website roster to see the names of the instructors who teach there. Thanks to search engines like Google and Bing, you can easily read up on a lot of the teachers’ bios.
Check out the graduates’ portfolios. Most reputable fashion colleges are going to be proud of their graduates who went out to do really great things. So, look on the schools’ websites to also check out some of the portfolios of individuals who previously went to them. It’s important that you make the time to look at those because it will help you to see if that particular school is providing you with the level of education that you’re interested in receiving.
Ask about financial aid. There aren’t a whole lot of us who just happen to have several thousand dollars lying around. That’s why once you have narrowed down the names of the schools that you are strongly considering, you should then contact the administration office to see if they offer financial aid. Once you find one that does, you will be well on your way to attending the fashion college that will prepare you for the fashion design career of your dreams. Good luck!