Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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Tony & Guy Hairdressing Academy • Erie, PA
Studying Cosmetology And Hairdressing (completion in 2011)
• 12/10/2011
"They trained me pretty well. I was prepared for a lot of real life situations by the time I got a job as a hairdresser. Overall I'm satisfied, even though they were expensive."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | In the area, it's probably the best you can do. Everyone who's serious about this line of work knows about Tony & Guy. I would definitely recommend it. |
| Program Reputation | 6 | I don't know too many people who think that this is a hard "academy," so it doesn't rate well with other schools. In the cosmetology department it's pretty well respected, though. |
| Program Quality | 9 | Tony & Guy is completely dedicated to cosmetology so it was easy to focus on that. The instructors were nice and knowledgeable. |
| Instruction | 8 | The training was great! We were permitted to work with real customers, which was a great experience and helped prepare me for a real life job. |
| How Difficult | 3 | There's not very much to this particular major. There was very little thought involved. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | It's extremely hands on. There's a lot of hair cutting and manicures that are done on students and people who come into the salon for haircuts from students. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | They can be flexible. Most of the classes were actually in person, though, and I didn't hear of any online alternatives. |
| Academic Facilities | 6 | They had a great set up, there, that really helped you learn. I wouldn't say it's the best cosmetology school, but it's a really great one in the area. |
| Social Life | 3 | This school is based purely on cosmetology. There are no sports teams or groups at all that are school affiliated. |
| Placement Services | 7 | Most girls get great jobs. We do have to do some looking on our own, though. |
| Alumni Network | 7 | A lot of people who graduate get jobs in the business. Most of them are local, though. |
South Hills Beauty Academy • Pittsburgh, PA
Studying Esthetics (Skin Care) (completion in 2009)
• 1/19/2012
"I thoroughly enjoyed my time in beauty school because it was something I was very interested in and I did well. However, the time and money spent could've been better used had the products been better. I also wish we could've had more time to focus on makeup, which is something that really interests me as well. But, like I said, I loved beauty school so it still ranks highly in my book."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I would recommend this school because there aren't many in the area. I would hope they improved the products and the facility a bit, though. I would also tell someone to go to this school because it had so many flexible class options and because the program is quick, so you can get into a job faster. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | There are so few skin care programs in the area that I think the school is rated very high because there's not much competition. If there was competition, they may score lower. |
| Program Quality | 6 | It seemed as though the school's main focus was cosmetology, and not the other beautician programs like skin care and nail care. This made it feel like the school cared more for people in this program than those in the other programs. Also, the products that we used were not that good and people always stole the nice skin care products because they weren't locked up. This made it hard to work when you were missing certain things, like an exfoliator or cleanser. |
| Instruction | 7 | We were taught by 4 teachers. 2 of them were outstanding in their instruction and knew so much about the industry. One was pretty good, but the other was terrible and didn't want to teach us, it seemed. |
| How Difficult | 5 | It's hard to rate this, because I went to beauty school when I was older and cared more about making the most out of my experience and my money. I scored really well on exams because I was determined to do well and I really enjoyed the studies. I think it could have been harder, though. I think the teachers helped us along sometimes. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | We had a solid half and half mix of practical book learning and hands-on training. This is good, because without book learning and understanding the skin and its many different aspects, we could not have properly done the hands-on activities. Without the practical learning we could've really hurt some people's skin. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | There was an option to go to school 5 days a week if you could do that. Then there was also an option to go 3 days a week, so you were still able to work - that is the way I went. Then there is a night program as well. I think they were able to accommodate all the needs of different students. |
| Academic Facilities | 3 | Libraries and computers didn't really pertain to programs in beauty schools. I give the average rating because although we had products to work with and a facility to practice in, the quality was not that good. The products were a no name brand and the makeup we practiced with was poor. If you used the makeup on your face, you typically broke out the next day because it wasn't good quality. Also, things were old there. I really enjoyed beauty school, so I hate talking negatively about it, but I had wished that the products were locked away so that they weren't stolen or misused. They used to have a really good name brand of skin care products there, and I started school when they were stopping the use of that brand, because too many people stole it. It frustrated me to pay for this education and receive products of poor quality because of others' bad behavior. A simple solution would've been to just lock the products up and take them out only at the supervision of a teacher. |
| Social Life | 5 | I made friends with my classmates from my program, so that was positive. But, there was a clear divide between students of other programs and the staff didn't work to bring us together. |
| Placement Services | 5 | I didn't need job placement help because I was already involved as the administrative assistant at a spa at the time of graduation. Once I graduated, I began my career as a skin care specialist right away, so I had it easy. My fellow classmates, though, got jobs through word of mouth from teachers that wanted to help. But, I don't believe there was any real job placement help at the school. They say they can help you find a job, and they probably would, but like I said, it's mainly just from someone knowing about a job opening and telling another classmate. We also had a bulletin board where salon and spas could post potential jobs, but I didn't see much for skin care. |
| Alumni Network | 1 | I do not believe my beauty school has an alumni network. I have never been contacted by any alumni, nor have I been asked to do any sort of activities. |
Jolie Hair And Beauty Academy • Wilkes Barre, PA
Studying Cosmetology (completion in 2009)
• 3/18/2012
"The lack of follow-up after school permitted me to go back to school at a university for another major. If the school had pushed us harder and gave us unique techniques to bring to a salon, we'd be above average."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | I would suggest taking a look at another school. My experience didn't get me far, but another facility might help a person more. |
| Program Reputation | 3 | Not many individuals stay in the field that they went to school for. Many have gone to an actual university. |
| Program Quality | 5 | I learned a lot that I didn't know through the program, but I think they could've taken the next step so I could have been more prepared. |
| Instruction | 7 | The curriculum was well set up, with the basic learning first and more difficult aspects later. Everything we did was directly related to my curriculum. |
| How Difficult | 3 | All I would do after a course is go home and study. There was hardly any homework, which I think would have pushed us more. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | We had to be hands-on. Otherwise, we wouldn't know how to do facials or have the capability to do treatments for lice. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 2 | School was 8 hours Monday through Friday. No weekend or evening options. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | We had a lot of facilities in which to practice. We had hands on experience. |
| Social Life | 1 | This school is primarily focused on teaching you to become a cosmetologist. |
| Placement Services | 2 | The school has a list of places in the area that hire often, but there was no follow up after that to see if you received the job or needed to apply for others. |
| Alumni Network | 1 | Once you leave school and go somewhere, the school is more concerned with training the next batch of students, rather than checking up on us. |
Toni & Guy Hairdressing Academy • Erie, PA
Studying Cosmetology Operator (completion in 2010)
• 4/8/2012
"I absolutely loved my school, and recommend it to anyone who tells me they are considering cosmetology. The curriculum was thorough, the instructors skilled and knowledgeable, and the atmosphere pleasant. I also enjoyed that we had a very popular clinic and after a certain point in my schooling I was able to work on clients almost every day, with an instructor nearby to help if I needed it."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I looked into other schools in my area, and they all were understaffed and under skilled. Many of the instructors had never actually worked in a salon. I enjoyed having my instructors relate to what the students experienced in clinic hours, and loved that they all had anecdotes from their salon years that provided valuable insight to what working in a salon is really like. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | Toni & Guy is the most popular cosmetology school in my area. Students commute from Ohio and New York to attend school in Pennsylvania. Toni & Guy is a name anyone in this area would recognize. |
| Program Quality | 9 | I absolutely loved Toni & Guy, they did a phenomenal job teaching me how to cut and color, as well as basic nails treatments and skin treatments. I wish we were able to get more in-depth with the non-hair side of cosmetology, but I learned valuable skills that can be built upon with future schooling. |
| Instruction | 10 | All of my instructors excelled in their chosen area of focus, and most frequently attended classes and seminars to learn the latest techniques of their field. They were all able to articulate and explain things very well and were able to help any student who was struggling. |
| How Difficult | 9 | My program was realistic, no one expected perfection. It was made clear that effort and improvement were to be the students main goals, and while it could have been made even more difficult, no one in the school was ever without a challenge. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | I would say the curriculum was about 60% hands-on, 40% book learning. We had theory every morning, but most book work was assigned as homework and more class time was allotted for hands-on/practical every day so the instructors were able to watch and guide us step by step for each project. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | Due to limited staffing, there were really only 2 options for classes. Full time students went from 8-3:30 five days a week, and part time students develop a schedule with the director that falls within the normal hours of operation to fit their individual needs. However when the school had a larger staff, there were also night classes available. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | My school had a small computer lab and a library that were made available to all students. Whenever we needed extra study materials or inspiration for a project we were able to make use of those facilities. |
| Social Life | 3 | My school was purely a trade school, there weren't many extra curricular events. However the atmosphere of the school was such that everyone became friends rather easily and we organized our own gatherings. |
| Placement Services | 10 | I graduated almost 2 years ago, and am currently considering moving to another state. I was able to go back to my school and get information on reciprocity and was given names of numerous salons and individuals in the area I am moving to, and given letters of recommendation for prospective employers. |
| Alumni Network | 8 | The school kept up-to-date records on most alumni concerning employment, and were able to put students approaching graduation in touch with salons that were looking for a stylist similar to the individual's talents. Extra help was also made available for students preparing for licensing exams to ensure that all graduates were able to obtain a license to practice in a salon. |
Empire Beauty School • Reading, PA
Studying Cosmetology (completion in 2009)
• 4/10/2012
"The school was very helpful to my greatness in the field. Without them I would never be where I am today. If I ever needed any help all I had to do was ask."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | For the price vs. what you get out of it, the school is great. If someone is looking to go into cosmetology they are a good school. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | They are the only school around. The next closest school is 45 minutes away in Philadelphia. |
| Program Quality | 7 | Empire was a good school mainly because they are the only school around this area. They give you all the proper information and get you completely prepared for state boards. |
| Instruction | 6 | The instruction could have been better. I believe more hands on is in need with an instructor behind watching. |
| How Difficult | 5 | Knowing what I know now that I'm in the field, I believe they could have been harder on us. There is always room for improvement. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | I think personally we need more of both. State regulation for hours is such that they are trying to squeeze everything in the curriculum and floor time. I think they need more of both. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | I was full time and I went from 8am to 4pm. I believe this is a good schedule for proper learning. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | I believe they could do better. There is room for advancement in tutoring and hands on work. My school was on the smaller side so many of the classes were packed in together. |
| Social Life | 8 | The school spirit is great in the school! We were always being pushed to better ourselves and look out for the school's name. |
| Placement Services | 5 | They have job postings but it is up to you to get a job in your field. When you are getting ready to graduate, they do sit down with you and talk about job placements. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | They have a good turnover rate. I can go into the school at anytime and talk with the students and just visit. They always welcome alumni in to help talk with the students. |
Empire Beauty School • Selinsgrove, PA
Studying Hair/Nail Technician (completion in 2010)
• 4/4/2012
"It prepared me for the future and taught me basically everything that I would need. The teachers were very good and helped in any way that they could. And the course was a little difficult but made sure everyone knew what they needed to before moving on."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | The school is decent priced for what you get. You pay your tutu ion but that includes books, mannequin heads, tools, and everything you need to get started. Other benefits were flexible hours and a close drive. |
| Program Reputation | 4 | The school had good teachers. But the school has a reputation of not being the cleanest therefore we didn't get of customers to "practice on" on a regular basis. |
| Program Quality | 5 | While we had an excellent staff and teachers, the building was rather old and could've been updated. The program squeezed a lot into a short amount of time though. |
| Instruction | 8 | Our teachers prepared us for everything we would need when out on our own. They offered to help find jobs at local places to pick up clientele. |
| How Difficult | 5 | Some subjects were difficult to understand. The classes were small so one there was plenty of one on one time with the teacher. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | I believe it was a healthy mix. The first half of the curriculum was bookwork. The second was hands on work. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | This was excellent at my school. They offered evening classes for those who worked during the day. Although then it took longer to graduate. |
| Academic Facilities | 3 | In hair it was basically book work for the first half. Then once you completed that you were put on the floor to start practicing on each other. After that you would work with clients. |
| Social Life | 8 | This was great. I made so many friends. The school took people from three counties so there was all different people there. |
| Placement Services | 3 | They didn't help much with job placement. The teachers offered some help but after graduation you were pretty much on your own. |
| Alumni Network | 7 | The teachers were well qualified and interested in help us. |
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