Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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Capri School Of Hair Design • Clifton, NJ
Studying Cosmetology (completion in 1973)
• 8/14/2011
"I am satisfied with my school. It gave me an income for 40 years. Who can complain about that?"
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | The school I went to is no longer in business. If it was I would recommend it. It gave you the basics and it was up to you to fill in the gaps. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | At the time Capri had a good rating, but you must remember how long ago I went. I looked up the school online and could not even find it. |
| Program Quality | 10 | It was a quick and painless course. And I have been able to earn a living with it for 40 years. |
| Instruction | 5 | I felt unprepared when I left school. I ended up taking a lot of classes after getting my license. |
| How Difficult | 1 | I found the tests given to be very simple and had no difficulty with them. I found the program to give a good basic overview of the field. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | We had a book, but most of the training is hands on. I would say we used the book as little as possible. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | They offered day and night classes. To finish early I actually took both sessions since the night instruction was better. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | The school was plain. Chairs and mirrors and the most basic of equipment. Nothing high tech at all. |
| Social Life | 5 | Honestly I had little social interaction. We went to Blimpie's for lunch next door. |
| Placement Services | 1 | At the time there were no job placement services. That is fine because there is a huge demand for hairdressers then and now. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | There were no jobs offered after school stopped and basically after I graduated, that was it. So I would say at the time there was no job support and I had not contact with the alumni. |
Robert Fiance Beauty School • Perth Amboy, NJ
Studying Cosmetology (completion in 2010)
• 8/31/2011
"I loved this school and would do it all over again. I would highly recommend them to anyone. It is all about the business and it prepares you for a career in make-up."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | As stated above, Robert Fiance is very hands on and prepares you for real life salons. They have all the equipment and teach a wide array of make-up processes. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | They are fairly new in my area. They haven't established a solid reputation in my area yet. |
| Program Quality | 9 | There is a lot of hands on work and not much "open a book and study." I was always taught thoroughly and instructors were never irritated with my many questions. |
| Instruction | 8 | I studied special effects make up as well as normal everyday basics and everything in between. I haven't been caught out there not knowing how to do something that was requested of me. |
| How Difficult | 10 | The only reason I say it was difficult is because the instructors wanted to make sure you were proficient in everything they taught - even if it meant doing it over 100 times before you got it perfect. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | This school was extremely hands on. We would learn something from a book and then jump right into it. For me, this was great because I cannot stand reading. I won't learn anything from it. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 9 | I am a single mother and was able to fit school, work, and all my other responsibilities into an easy schedule. If I missed a class they were okay with that as long as I read up on how to do something. I mean, it's my own time I was sacrificing. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | My instructor was amazing. She made it very easy to learn things, where to go to get more information, and where to look for something. Classrooms were fairly small because it is a small facility. We also had a second instructor in the background of every class to assist. |
| Social Life | 5 | There really weren't any events at all. It was pretty much school and home. Nothing to really talk about. |
| Placement Services | 8 | They have many "hook-ups" in the industry. They helped me get a job about a week after I was done with school. |
| Alumni Network | 7 | If I forget something or have a question, I can go back and ask them to teach me. Any questions that I don't feel comfortable asking my employer, I can ask them and they are more than happy to help! |
Burlington County Institute Of Technology • Burlington, NJ
Studying Cosmetology (completion in 1996)
• 9/12/2011
"They gave me the information necessary to acquire my licensing. At the time I graduated, tuition was still reasonable."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | I don't believe that the school is open any longer. If it still was, because of the reasonable tuition I would recommend it. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | Success in the beauty industry is built on the reputation of the stylist, not the school she attended. You only go to school to earn your hours required for licensing. Respect and a good client base are built in the salon. |
| Program Quality | 10 | The teachers were well-trained. The school offered outside education opportunities such as product classes and convention attendance. |
| Instruction | 9 | They were generally friendly, helpful and encouraging. Unfortunately some were not up to date on current practices. |
| How Difficult | 8 | The volume of information is sometimes overwhelming. Also, current trends change constantly, driven by popular fashion. A client's satisfaction is often arbitrary depending on her mood. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Hands-on techniques were required to pass the state board for licensing. It was a technical school, which means you are actively working at your trade and learning it at the same time. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 1 | Classes were provided three times a week in the evenings. You had to attend class in order to achieve enough hours to qualify for licensing. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | Some of the equipment was outdated. Many of the product lines we were trained on were no longer on the market, or no longer considered appropriate for a modern salon atmosphere. |
| Social Life | 5 | Students often chatted during breaks or on outings. During the day most of us worked and had little time to socialize with one another. There are no sports teams or school spirit activities at a technical school. |
| Placement Services | 1 | There was no job placement. There were no forums to meet with salon owners to find positions out of school. |
| Alumni Network | 1 | There was no alumni support. You were given a certificate, an appointment to take the state board exams, and were sent on your way. There were no job placement services. |
Middlesex County Vocational Tech • Piscataway, NJ
Studying Hairstyling (completion in 1997)
• 10/6/2011
"The teachers were amazing & took the time to help. The school offers many programs for adults."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Again, the school offers many adult programs. The teachers really care. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | Teachers really push their students and the graduation rate was high. |
| Program Quality | 10 | I had a great teacher. The school is top-rated. |
| Instruction | 10 | The teacher worked at each student's level. The teacher really cared and made sure you passed. |
| How Difficult | 7 | The book work was easy, some of the hands-on work was difficult. Practice, practice, practice. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | This was a mix of both it was 50/50. I think more hands-on would be best for any school. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | Offered morning and evening classes with convenient time options. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | I had great study groups with other classes. Teachers would stay after to work on an area you may have had difficulty with. |
| Social Life | 1 | I was not very social at the time. |
| Placement Services | 1 | Students had to find their own jobs, there was no placement option. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | N/A |
Capri School Of Hair Design • Clifton, NJ
Studying Cosmetology (completion in 1973)
• 2/25/2012
"I have used my cosmetology skills my whole life. It is very portable and easy to move from one location to another."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | This is the best way for an "artistic" individual to earn a living while pursuing their artwork. I have worked 3 days a week since I have been working...the other two I devote to artwork. |
| Program Reputation | I believe the school is either no longer in business or has changed its name. | |
| Program Quality | 8 | It was a good, basic program. I had to do a lot of practice after I got out, though, to be proficient. |
| How Difficult | 1 | For me, it was very easy. All hands-on training. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Hairdressing and cosmetology are hands on. Very little of it is learned in a book. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | We had morning and night classes. To finish quicker, I took both day and night courses. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | We all had a station and most supplies. Plenty of instructors to go around. |
| Social Life | 10 | We all had lunch at the same Blimpie restaurant. We all helped each other during classes. |
| Placement Services | 10 | We had job offers during school and after we left school. |
| Alumni Network | I graduated before the internet, so there was no online alumni network at the time. I did not form any lasting friendships from school. |
Cape May County Vocational/Technical School • Cape May Courthouse, NJ
Studying Cosmetology (completion in 2005)
• 4/11/2012
"It provided me with the knowledge I expected to learn. The instructors were very experienced. I was able to pass the state exam after the course."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | It allows you to work and go to school. If you are looking to learn the trade while still providing for yourself and others this school is for you. |
| Program Reputation | I had to put because it's the only school in the area that offers training in my field. There is nothing to compare it to. | |
| Program Quality | 6 | They teach you everything you need to know for the cosmetology state exam. It wasn't as creativity motivated as I would have hoped. |
| Instruction | 8 | The taught us everything we need to know for the state exam. They brought us to working salons and barber shops for real world experience. |
| How Difficult | 7 | There was a lot of memorization in the curriculum. I didn't expect as much anatomy, and physiology in the curriculum. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | There was more practical work because of the nature of the field of study. The book learning was more memorization and testing. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 1 | The classes were on a set schedule. No exceptions were made for any student. If you missed 15% of the classes you were dropped. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | The instructors were very accessible. There was more than enough room for students to do their work. The student to instructor ratio was very good. |
| Social Life | It was an adult after hours certificate program. We weren't tied to the school as normal. | |
| Placement Services | 1 | The school was not actively involved in job placement. There were no career services. Salons and barber shops posted job opportunities independently. |
| Alumni Network | 1 | No networking to speak of. Any networking was done personally with no support from the school |
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