Here are some tips for selecting schools, based on an analysis comparing each school to all others across dozens of factors:
Schools Concentrating On Hairdressers And Cosmetologists
- Focus: For schools with a focus on this career area, look at Santa Monica College, Pasadena City College, Riverside Community College, and Citrus College.
Fastest Response From Schools
- Request Info: For the fastest information for prospective students, look at the Spotlight schools on this page.
Student Body
- Part-Time: For schools emphasizing part-time studies, consider MTI College.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider San Diego City College and East San Gabriel Valley Regional Occupational Program.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Lassen Community College, Gavilan, Laney, and College of San Mateo.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Santa Monica College, Laney, Santa Barbara City College, and Pasadena City College.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Lassen Community College.
Spotlight Schools Search
Spotlight California Schools Related to This Career
Milan Institute of Cosmetology
- Locations: Concord, Fairfield, La Quinta, Visalia
- Programs: 3 relevant programs; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Diploma
- Locations: Anaheim, Bakersfield, Bell, Burbank, Castro Valley, Cathedral City, Chico, City of Industry, Concord, El Cajon, Fresno, Hayward, Hemet, Huntington Beach, Inglewood, Lake Forest, Livermore, Lomita, Los Angeles, Moreno Valley, Ontario, Palmdale, Paramount, Redding, Reseda, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Seaside, Simi Valley, Stockton, Victorville, Whittier
- Programs: 11 relevant programs; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Certificate
- Locations: Bakersfield, Clovis
- Programs: 2 relevant programs; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Diploma
- Locations: Alameda
- Programs: One relevant program; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Certificate
- Locations: Corona, San Bernardino
- Programs: 2 relevant programs; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Certificate
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Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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John Peri's Beauty College • Lomita, CA
Studying Hair/Cosmetology/Nails (completion in 2003)
• 8/13/2011
"I was somewhat satisfied with the school. It taught me the basics I needed to know. The school was a little expensive for me, though."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | If you love hair and it's your passion, I recommend it to you. Once you're done with school you should network to find a job right away to pay off the student loans. |
| Program Reputation | 6 | Many women go into this program to open their own salons or work at prestigious salons. Some don't end up at the places they want to be. The major is the same for all students entering the beauty college. |
| Program Quality | 6 | The school is adequate in what they teach you. It was an 8 month program. We learned many techniques, such as highlighting, hair styling, massaging, pedicures, make-up, etc. |
| Instruction | 7 | The school's teacher was very thorough when she taught us hair. She would walk around and critique what we did, and tell us if we were doing a good job. |
| How Difficult | 6 | It was difficult to learn colors and formulas for dying hair. We had to use a workbook and we had practicums and quizzes every week. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The school was very hands-on because it was a beauty college. There was some book work and quizzes. They held classes after the salon closed. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | The school is flexible. It had day and night programs. You could have a second job, and go to school if you wanted. It all depended on the hours you finished to get your license. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | Each student had to purchase a mannequin head to practice cut and coloring. Some students practiced hair up-dos and styles on each other. Others did nails or dyed each other's hair for practice. |
| Social Life | 4 | Some students kept to themselves if they wanted to focus on their studies. Other students socialized and made friends. |
| Placement Services | 5 | They do provide some support in finding jobs. You have to do most of the searching if you want to work at a particular salon. You have to network. |
| Alumni Network | 4 | There really isn't an alumni support network. The school changed it's name to Marinello after I graduated. |
The Cosmetology Institute - Paul Mitchell Partner School • Temecula, CA
Studying Cosmetology (completion in 2009)
• 8/22/2011
"I learned what I needed to learn, but I feel like it wasn't the education I thought it would be from a Paul Mitchell school. Then again, it's only a partner school. The cost was high for the education I received and I could have gone to a community college or a cheaper program and learned the same things."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | Again, the cost is way too high for the education you receive. I would recommend prospective students go to a cheaper program or a Paul Mitchell school, not partner school. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | Their reputation around here is pretty mixed. A lot of students agree with my thoughts on them and some don't. I think the big name Paul Mitchell is the only reason why anyone would want to go there. |
| Program Quality | 5 | The school was much more expensive than most and I feel like I was only paying for the Paul Mitchell name, not to learn anything more advanced. Teachers at the school weren't as helpful or attentive to students as they should have been. |
| Instruction | 5 | Instructors didn't go in depth or help students individually often. They worked with us as a group and monitored our work but didn't go out of their way to assist us one on one, nor did they seem all that interested in our individual learning. |
| How Difficult | 3 | Cosmetology comes naturally to me so I had an easy time learning. I have been practicing all my life so it wasn't difficult for me. The only things I struggled with were hot rollers and acrylic nails. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | It was mostly hands on because it is a cosmetology program. I did have a book that I referred to for help, but for the most part we had hands on experience. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | They offered different class times. Their schedule was accommodating for me because I had a job. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | They had a clean and organized learning environment. I had all the tools I needed at my station. |
| Social Life | 7 | They did organize some fun events and little competitions, like dress-up days. I didn't really fit in with other classmates so I wasn't extremely social there. |
| Placement Services | 3 | Little to no help with job placement. They didn't follow up with me or even offer to help me with a resume or find a job. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | Like I explained earlier they weren't all that helpful. They want to get you signed up and enrolled but once you're a student I felt like they stopped caring after they got your money. Not much job placement support. |
Lawrence School Of Cosmetology • Hanford, CA
Studying Cosmetology (completion in 2004)
• 10/2/2011
"I loved the school and the friends I made there. I wouldn't have had the success in my career that I had if I had not gone to that school."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I would definitely recommend others to that school, and have. People I have sent to that school completed the course and successfully graduated and became licensed. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | The school is still busy, and has always had good instructors. I know two of the instructors working there now and they are very experienced and knowledgeable. |
| Program Quality | 8 | My instructors were very experienced and knowledgeable. The school provided a state board prep course for students who were close to graduating, which was so helpful. |
| Instruction | 10 | My instructors were not only knowledgeable but also experienced. They knew the curriculum, and they had real life experiences relating to it. |
| How Difficult | 5 | Cosmetology is not very challenging. If you commit your time and attention, you will be successful. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The course was fairly book-oriented. We had textbook-based lessons every day and homework based on those lessons. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | There school day is 8-4. I know some schools offer night courses but I thought they were very flexible with the students who had scheduling conflicts. |
| Academic Facilities | 6 | Its not the fanciest building, but they have all the necessary space and equipment to teach the course. Everything is clean and up to date. |
| Social Life | 6 | The social experience was interesting. There were folks from many different walks of life and age groups attending my school. |
| Placement Services | 7 | The school is set in a small town, and the owners have a lot of industry contacts locally. They are good at helping students find local jobs. |
| Alumni Network | 6 | I have a unique experience because I had knowledge and relationships with some of the alumni prior to attending the school. I have heard they are very good with helping students find local jobs in salons. |
Bellus Academy • Poway, CA
Studying Cosmetology (completion in 2006)
• 10/23/2011
"There are so many areas it can improve on, I can't even begin. I really wish I had done more research rather than choosing the one that was the "cheapest.""
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | Too many graduates from the school are no longer in the business for various reasons. The instructors were terrible and only seemed to be there for a consistent paycheck rather than teaching what they love doing. |
| Program Reputation | 2 | They're not known for having a good reputation. Most people I know that have graduated from here are either no longer hairdressers, or they are just now making a liveable wage after working at Supercuts for a few years. |
| Program Quality | 3 | I feel like after 1600 hours, I knew nothing but how to barely scrape by on the state board. I feel like we were taught the bare minimum in hair styles and techniques. Some haircuts we learned were from the 80s! |
| Instruction | 2 | Teachers were constantly cycled out. The school did not teach any techniques except for how to pass State Boards. Information was not consistent and teachers were not very patient with student learning, especially with wet techniques (finger wave). |
| How Difficult | 3 | The course load was easy enough since most of the hours were based off of practical hours. We were given the advantage of working on clients rather than doll heads after 300 hours. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The first few hundred hours were basically lecture where you're learning basic hair-cut, anatomy, and chemical applications. After that you were put on the floor and allowed to work on clients and make tips while doing so. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 4 | There were only two options for school - 8:30-5 T-Sa or 5-10 M-F for at least 10 months if you were full-time. This made it impossible to find additional work if you didn't have a job already. |
| Academic Facilities | 2 | There were not many facilities at my school, and it makes me sad thinking about it. We did not have a library or any media sources for anything. The only thing I can remember was the cork board with promos and maybe a job posting or two... |
| Social Life | 2 | We had none of this stuff that I can recall. We might have had some social events or charity runs once in a while. We also allowed birthday girls to come in and we'd do their hair/nails/make-up. |
| Placement Services | 2 | Very disappointing in this area. They never had a job board, and usually job placement was by word of mouth from other staffers and not through the departments. |
| Alumni Network | 1 | No support whatsoever when it came to this. Although the financial aid office pretended they did have resources, most of them told you you were on your own once you graduated. They only seem to have good connections with Enjoy and Redkin. |
International School Of Cosmetology • Hawthorne, CA
Studying Cosmetology (completion in 2004)
• 10/18/2011
"Overall I was very satisfied with my school. I was prepared for my state board exam - I passed the test on the first time and earned my cosmetology license. I learned what I needed to survive in the salon with my peers."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Yes, I would recommend my school to others because I know they would learn what they need to become successful cosmetologists. But unfortunately my school is no longer in business so I cannot refer anyone to my school. |
| Program Reputation | 3 | The school that I went to is no longer in business. After over thirty years in business the owners closed the school. |
| Program Quality | 10 | At the school I went to I learned more then what I needed to pass the California state board. I also learned a few advanced techniques to get my career as a cosmetologist started right. |
| Instruction | 10 | The quality of instruction was excellent because I was able to fallow along very easily. There are over twenty five subjects in cosmetology and I learned them all in a timely manner. I know what I needed to know as a cosmetologist before I even graduated. I passed the theory part on my state board on the first time. I had a 3.8 GPA at school. |
| How Difficult | 7 | There was a huge work load at the school I attended. There was only class offered one day per week on Tuesdays. Once you get on the floor it was like working in a hair salon for free. So you had to balance that and studying for weekly tests. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The cosmetology program was very hands on at the school I went to. We practiced what we learned in the books daily, and on weekly theory days we learned a few advanced techniques. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | My class schedule was pretty average for the cosmetology schools in my area. The school was opened Tuesday thru Saturday. There was both a full-time and part-time schedule. I went from 9:30 am to 4:00 pm. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | All of the instructors were always available to help students. There were classrooms and a huge full service salon area. We had books, a full color bar, and all of the hair equipment and supplies that we needed. In fact, they were top of the line professional products. |
| Social Life | 3 | The school I went to was a vocational school so there were no social environments available. Sometimes the students would car pool to hair shows. |
| Placement Services | 3 | My school did not offer job placement assistance. All of the students had to find their own jobs. |
| Alumni Network | 3 | There was no network for the students at my school. Once we graduated we were pretty much on our own. We had to find our own jobs as well as advance our own education. |
Diablo Valley College • Pleasant Hill, CA
Studying Cosmetology (completion in 1986)
• 12/11/2011
"It was great for the price. Today, many colleges or similar programs can cost thousands of dollars; this didn't."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | It was a great school at a great price. I got an ROP program, so the whole degree cost $700 for everything. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | It is just a local college. After college I went on to get additional training. |
| Program Quality | 8 | It provided me all the information to easily pass the state test. The school was clean, the teachers where helpful. |
| Instruction | 5 | If you excel then the rate of learning can feel very slow while you wait for the teacher to help struggling students. |
| How Difficult | 3 | Overall, the program was very easy, and dealing with the clients was very easy. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | It was mostly hands on which was good, but often that is what slowed down the learning process. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | They where really flexible. They offered weekends, evenings and more. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | That had everything I need. As a cosmetology school they had clients always come in, and they provided everything I need. |
| Social Life | 1 | They had no spirit but that didn't really bother me. |
| Placement Services | 1 | They didn't help you get a job at all when I attended. |
| Alumni Network | 1 | There is no alumni support. You pass the state test and then they are done with you. |
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