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I'm ready to be all in.
This semester I'm going to really push myself out of my comfort zone to explore more, work hard, and dream bigger...and I couldn't be more excited about it. I learned a lot my first semester here and I thought I'd share some of what I learned with you, in case you're interested in coming here in the future, or just to hear what someone's personal experience with the college. I broke it down into three categories: academics, social scene, and lifestyle.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
My First Semester Review of FIT
1.) Academics
My first semester coursework was never anything that I felt like I couldn't handle. It was a nice way to test the waters and get a taste of all of the classes FIT has to offer. Something I noticed straight off the bat, was how passionate most of my professors were about what they're teaching. Most of the professors were industry professionals, so what they're teaching you really can be applied to the real world, which I love. Although, I will admit that some of the classes were a bit dry and boring to sit through considering they're all 3 hours long. An easy way to get a sneak peek of the professor and the course is to check ratemyprofessors.com, although personally I don't check it that much, so so many of my friends swear by it when it comes to creating their ideal schedule.
Easy A's may sound great, but here's the catch.
Doing well in classes isn't what's going to make you successful here. IT'S ALL ABOUT GETTING INVOLVED. Apply for internships, get a job, run a blog, anything to get noticed! Don't be scared to raise your hand in class, building relationships with your professors is a sure way to build connections, and get help while you're here. While you're here it's crucial that you take advantage of every opportunity you can to make connections. That, by far, is the most important lesson I learned my first semester.
2.) Social Scene
Nothing about the Fashion Institute is going to be like a normal college experience. There's no frat parties or bars that everyone goes to every weekend, there's no open campus to hangout and throw a frisbee around (or whatever it is normal college students do). It's Manhattan, everyone's moving a mile a minute and everyone's fiercely independent. Our classrooms feel like mini board meetings, where everyone's vying for a raise. It definitely is a little bit more challenging to make friends here, but by no means is it impossible.
You just have to take an extra second to smile at the girl sitting in class next to you, so she knows you won't throw your heel at her for a first chance at some extra credit (KIDDING!!! sorta...) But seriously, just being friendly will take you places! Don't be afraid to kick up conversation with the people around you, worst case scenario...she lies when you ask her where she got that super cute bag.
We're a hyper competitive breed of people, thrown into a fast paced city, many of us living on our own for the first time in our lives. It's a serious and competitive atmosphere, it can feel catty and a little harsh, but we're not here to make a million friends. We're here to succeed.
3.) Lifestyle
Being in Manhattan places you in the epicenter of everything. Anything you could possibly want is at your fingertips, but by no means does that mean it's going to be easy to get all those things. You gotta work for what you want, nothing is going to just be handed to you.
In the city, everything you do is going to cost you more money, so you've always gotta be on the hunt for good cheap quality fun. The campus isn't here to keep you entertained, so any fun you have is going to have to be on your own. But there's no complaints here. I would rather be window shopping in SoHo than watching a college football game any day.
Pro-Tip: Having a Fake ID is a MAJOR KEY if you plan on going out!!!
My advice to anyone who is thinking of coming here is to really make sure that this what you want. It's definitely not a typical college experience, and definitely not for everyone. But if you know this is what you want, there's no better place in the world to be. And as far as any other problems I come in contact with...
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