Here are some tips for selecting schools, based on an analysis comparing each school to all others across dozens of factors:
Schools Concentrating On Fashion Designers
- Focus: For schools with a focus on this career area, look at Portland Community College and Chemeketa Community College.
Fastest Response From Schools
- Request Info: For the fastest information for prospective students, look at the Spotlight schools on this page.
Student Body
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Portland Community College and Chemeketa Community College.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Chemeketa Community College, Portland Community College, and Linn-Benton Community College.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Linfield, Linn-Benton Community College, and Chemeketa Community College.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Linfield.
Excellence
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at Linfield.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
Oregon State University • Corvallis, OR
Studying Apparel Design (completion in 2005)
• 9/13/2011
"For all the challenges that the school was up against in providing a fashion program in a historically agricultural school, I think they did an amazing job! Corvallis is a wonderful place to go to school."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | It depends on what kind of experience the person is looking for. I feel much more grounded and that I understand more industries and lifestyles that help me design and relate to all kinds of people. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | It is not easy to say, since I came from a very small program. But I have had employers ask me about the program and tell me they were impressed with what I had learned. |
| Program Quality | 7 | I am very proud of the high expectations that the faculty at Oregon State had for the Apparel Program. I was disappointed that it was not easier to change the requirements within the program when it was clear old technologies were no longer applicable when Adobe classes were what we need. |
| Instruction | 8 | OSU, had a very generalized program that encouraged students to explore different opportunities and specialties. The faculty was always reminding us to not just do our homework, but to create opportunities and our own fashion shows. |
| How Difficult | 7 | The program was challenging but not overwhelming unless one went above and beyond. Being at a large state/Pac10 school was not always easy, the program felt like an after-thought at times. I feel that my education was more well-rounded than other specialized programs. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The mix is because in Oregon you are very removed from the fashion industry (besides the outdoors-sportswear brands) which left me doing a lot of reading about the history/current fashion. There was plenty of lab classes (pattern-making, sewing, draping, drawing). | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 6 | They were not extremely flexible, but I don't see that as a bad thing. Everyone I went to school with was able to take their classes in time for graduation. With a small program and tight budgets it is hard to cater to individual needs. |
| Academic Facilities | 6 | I voted the facilities as average because we did not easily have access to all the computer programs that the faculty wished they could have provided. But the faculty was very supportive and would help as much as they could. |
| Social Life | 10 | I received a well-rounded education that still provided me with specialized knowledge and skills to get a job in my chosen field. Looking back, I also appreciate the diverse fields that my friends at the university were studying. |
| Placement Services | 6 | The only job placement /career assistance I experienced was as a student. They were more counselors and mentors than advisers since I had decided that I did not want to stay in Oregon. I went on to find internships in LA and New York. |
| Alumni Network | 6 | It is hard for me to answer this because I have not contacted the official alumni network. But the unofficial network of friends that I have from the program has been great. We have tried to help each other out over the years. |
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