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 Truman College, Lincoln College, and College of DuPage.
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 Lincoln College.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Truman College.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider John A Logan College, Rend Lake College, Shawnee Community College, and Olney Central College.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Danville Area Community College, Shawnee Community College, Southeastern Illinois College, and Olney Central College.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Lincoln College.
Excellence
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at Lincoln College.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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Truman College • Chicago, IL
Studying Cosmetology (completion in 1996)
• 8/14/2011
"I met lots of wonderful people, including my instructors. It also helped to improve my social skills. I consider myself quiet and don't like to talk much with strangers, but I have learned to speak up and get a clear understanding of what someone wants."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I know that they will be received warmly and enjoy the experience like I did. They will be equipped very well for the workplace if they follow the instructions and study hard! |
| Program Reputation | 6 | The program is accepted everywhere. The instructors give you the individualized attention a student may need. |
| Program Quality | 6 | It wasn't the top school, but it was accredited. The instructors I had were very competent. |
| Instruction | 8 | Hairstyling is a science and I feel I was well prepared for the task. I learned the science of hair growth, what to do for specific hair types, and how to work with people. |
| How Difficult | 5 | When I do something I love it becomes moderately easy to process the information. I have a curious mind and science is all about exploring. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Each time we learned a new concept we would execute it. Applying what we learned in the book to real life helped to deepen what we learned in theory. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 9 | Realizing that problems arise, staff are flexible and allow you to make up missed assignments and tests. They also allow you to come on other days and times so you won't get behind. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | We had all the things we needed when the program started. Everything was accessible to us and if something wasn't, we were advised as to where we could find what we needed. |
| Social Life | 9 | Every new class that came in went through an initiation process. We had to do a scavenger hunt throughout the school and get signatures to ensure we did the tasks. There was a party at the end of that week. It was very fun and helped you to meet new people. |
| Placement Services | 8 | They have people working with companies to place students even before they graduate. Many students have used this service and have found long term job placement. |
| Alumni Network | 7 | The program allows for students to come back for support, to answer any questions you may have, and to share your personal experiences. I have returned to give words of wisdom, advice and encouragement to those who have attended after me. |
Educators Of Beauty • Rockford, IL
Studying Cosmetology (completion in 1998)
• 1/11/2012
"It was the option for me at the time. I should have shopped for other schools."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | It is a good school. It was a good experience and education. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | One of several in the area; used to be considered a good school, but there are better. For the price, there is too much drama. |
| Program Quality | 6 | Lots of gossip. Sort of military-type atmosphere. Overpriced. |
| Instruction | 5 | Good instructors. Bad management; unhappy instructors. |
| How Difficult | 5 | Not easy, but not hard. It was enjoyable, so it was fun to learn. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | In-class learning and one-on-one, hands-on work. Both are timely and required. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 1 | School requires it be treated like a full-time job. Requires all hours; night and weekends too. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | Must buy a lot yourself. You are your own library. |
| Social Life | 2 | Gossiping and cliques. It is like high school. That is the bad thing about this career. |
| Placement Services | 5 | On career day, recruiters come and recruit the best. |
| Alumni Network | 1 | I don't think there is such a thing. It is a vocational school, and it has a high turnover rate when it comes to employees and students. |
Paul Mitchell School • Normal, IL
Studying Cosmetology (completion in 2012)
• 1/20/2012
"My experience was very satisfying since I feel that I was well-prepared as an entry level cosmetologist. Salon managers in the area have complimented our school on how technically proficient new graduates are."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I would definitely recommend my school to anyone interested in pursuing a cosmetology career, at any age. I believe in my school and the great things they do for our community. I also believe the school produces professional hairdressers who are industry-ready. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | Our school's enrollment doubled in size since I started the program. I feel our school is the most sought-after in the area. |
| Program Quality | 10 | My school was very fashion-forward and one of the best in the industry. I feel my education made me extremely prepared for entry into the cosmetology field. |
| Instruction | 10 | The teachers were extremely knowledgeable and caring. I feel the staff had combined several years of specialized skills for teaching. |
| How Difficult | 6 | The program was rigorous and some students dropped the program without finishing. The program was much more involved than it seemed to be before starting. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Cosmetology is a hands-on training program. We did have some theory daily, but essentially we spent the majority of our time working on our technical skills. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 1 | There were set hours for our classes and Saturdays were mandatory. If we missed a Saturday we would be written up. Missing five Saturdays within a year would be cause for termination. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | There was always a computer and software available for our use. We also had access to additional reference materials if needed. |
| Social Life | 10 | The culture at my school was one of volunteerism, giving back to the community, and responsibility. I loved what we stood for and I loved helping out my community. |
| Placement Services | 5 | I feel that I had to do job searching myself. I will say that the school attempted to hold reverse career fairs to bring in area salon owners and managers to give us a chance to network. |
| Alumni Network | 10 | I have not had the opportunity to experience the alumni network since I am a new graduate. From what I have heard from other students, the alumni network is great and many have found jobs this way. |
Dorothy Chrysler School Of Beauty Culture • Effingham, IL
Studying Cosmetology (completion in 2010)
• 3/31/2012
"If I had to do it over again, I would go to a better school with a better support system and with a teacher who helped us learn instead of just giving us a book and saying, “Have at it.” I almost feel like my time was wasted."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | I feel like my time was wasted here. I know it was cheap and now I know you get what you pay for. I would have rather gone to a better school for a higher quality education. |
| Program Reputation | 3 | People around here consider it a joke. They know the students are poorly trained. I went only because it was what I could afford. |
| Program Quality | 2 | My training was very informal. I feel I have learned more in the field than I did while in school. |
| Instruction | 2 | The teacher often taught one way one day and differently the next. Also, the teaching was very informal. |
| How Difficult | 3 | Most of the training was fairly easy to understand. The books we were given and the hands on experience made it easy to grasp what I was doing. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | It was a good mix of both. But because of the local reputation of the school, most of the clients were older and so we didn't get much of a variety in what we were doing hands on. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 1 | There was a set time you had to be there and there was no leaving early. They even gave you a hard time if you were sick or going out of town. No night classes either. It was 8am to 4pm Tues - Sat with a half hour break. |
| Academic Facilities | 1 | There was one teacher, and when he would teach we would sit in a room and listen to him talk. No study groups, everything was up to the individual student. |
| Social Life | 1 | Most of us hated it. The environment was terrible, and because it was a private school there were no activities. The closest thing we got to a parry was when on someone's birthday, we would bring in a cake. |
| Placement Services | 2 | I was told when I started they did not have job placement, but local salons would call if they were looking for help. I never saw this happen, so either they never needed help or they just never called when they did. |
| Alumni Network | 1 | There is no alumni support. Once you're done, that's it. |
Pivot Point Beauty School • Arlington Heights, IL
Studying Cosmetology (completion in 1991)
• 3/30/2012
"They were great at the time. Thanks to them for my start in the salon business."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | If someone wanted a suburban school, I would recommend it. I would rather recommend a Chicago school, though. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | Their reputation now is just as an average school. There are far better schools in Chicago. |
| Program Quality | 7 | They provided a great program. The program was fast and challenging. |
| Instruction | 7 | The curriculum was relevant and up to date at the time. I felt very knowledgeable when I graduated. |
| How Difficult | 7 | Color correction was the most difficult. Learning about hair of different ethnicities was also difficult. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | They were very hands on. They also offered a lot of assistance when it was hands on. They also always needed hair models! | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | At the time they had all types of class schedules and hours. Their schedule would have worked for basically anyone. |
| Academic Facilities | 6 | At the time their facilities were very up to date. However, they do not compare to a Mario Tricoci School. |
| Social Life | 1 | Beside the plans we would make on our own, there were not any groups. They should offer after school groups. |
| Placement Services | 4 | They offered job placement, but most of the placements were at low level salons. I expected more help from them. |
| Alumni Network | 1 | There is not an alumni association as far as I know. I wouldn't really be interested in this. |
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