Finding a Fashion Course
There are a lot of things to consider if you’ve decided to start studying fashion (or any course, really!) There are a lot of fashion schools and colleges out there, so here are a few things you need to think about before you dive in!
Career Outlook
What are you wanting to study, and why? Are you only curious about fashion, or are you wanting to make it into your career? This is a good thing to know before you start applying, it will give you a good idea on what type of course you should take. When I chose my fashion school, I had already completed two undergraduate degrees and a postgraduate degree, and was looking to do a 180 with my career. I really hate the term “mature age student”, but that’s the perspective I was coming from – someone who had been involved in fashion (modelling) for about a year before wanting to make it into my official career. If you’ve just finished school, then don’t feel pressured to know exactly who you want to be and what you want to do – even if you’re “just curious” about getting into the fashion industry, it’s worth asking yourself what it is about the industry that attracts you, and go from there. A good tip is to go onto job websites and read different job descriptions in fashion-related jobs and decide which one sounds most interesting to you, and the amount of pay you would receive in that position!
College Reputation
Some people don’t mind about the reputation of their school, and that’s perfectly fine. But it is worth looking into reviews on the school online, or asking around about its reputation. It might even be worth getting in touch with alumni and speak to them about their experiences while studying, and their experience as a graduate in the “real world” after they’ve finished their course. When I was looking at fashion schools, I researched on Instagram and LinkedIn about where graduates had ended up after they graduated, and that gave me ideas about where my career could potentially go after I graduated. Also, pay attention to how responsive the school is to your enquires – one of the main reasons I chose my fashion school is that the admin girls were very quick to respond, communicated everything clearly, and would even give me a call to check up on how I was going with my application (and pushing through my scholarship application at the last minute!)
Course Details
There are so many different types of courses that it can get really confusing. Take a moment to read the course outlines on the school’s website. Are you looking to study full-time or part-time? Are you going to be working long hours while you study? What will you actually learn during the course? Is the course online, face-to-face, or blended? What are the fee payments, is it subsidised by the government or is it a private college? What level of education do you need to get your dream job? These are just a few things you need to consider before you apply, and it’s good to remember to ask these questions to the fashion school, who should be able to point you in the right direction.
Scholarships
The financial burden of studying can be difficult. It’s good to consider whether the school has scholarships available, how much of the tuition the scholarship covers, application dates, the amount of interviews you have to do, how many scholarships they award, if you need to create a portfolio to apply, and if a scholarship is even an avenue that you want to pursue.
These are just general questions that are useful to consider when looking for a fashion school to apply to. I hope this has given you some direction, because I know from experience it can be overwhelming trying to decide! Good luck!