Commuting to School

Hello Everyone,

Just ten days until Orientation week at FIT!

I will be directing this post to all my fellow classmates that are new to commuting……Yes you! To those who come from all 5 boroughs of New York City. Why? Well, I myself commuted from Queens since the very first semester, and, understand all of what one might go through when trying to get to school. So, for those of you who are new to commuting here are some tips:

Leave from your starting point 10-15 minutes earlier than needed. Don’t always trust your GPS! It is a very useful tool; however, it may not be accurate all the time.
Have a backup route that you can also count on.
Take an express train if possible.
Be at the station a few minutes earlier than what train schedule shows.
Be aware of your surrounding!
Avoid busy and touristic stations, try transferring before or even after.

Let me tell you, the NYC subway is all about finding tricks for a better commute. These are just a few tricks that can be useful to make sure you aren’t running late for class. It is also very important to stay safe! Most of the time I love jamming to my favorite tunes and forget to be watchful of what’s going on around me, but this shouldn’t be, especially if it’s late at night.

What are some of your tips for commuting?

– Maria

Packing For College

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Hello Tigers!

It is August 1st, just three weeks until school starts and many of you are coming from different parts of the world. It becomes very hard to pack all of what you need in just two 50 lbs. luggage. So, how can you move to the city you’ve dreamed of without having to overpay for baggage on a plane?

Two years ago, I was in the same situation as you are now. Moving from Miami to NYC was not too easy, I did not know what exactly was important to bring along with me. So, along with a few college checklists and advises from friends in college, I started packing my bags.

I packed light on clothes, down to the basics, some of my most favorite looks, some winter coats, and great walking sneakers among other shoes. Now, why should you pack light on clothes? Well, you are going to NYC, a city big on shopping, a city also big on gems, so you never know in which corner you are going to find your new favorite garment!

I did not even focus so much on toiletries, unless it was that one curly hair cream I adore. Apart from this, I knew I could find almost everything that I had back home in New York. So, pack those unique products you absolutely cannot live without.

In my case, I had to make some room for all the fashion design supplies. Although you can find them in NYC, I had most of them at home already, so I packed them too. This included at least 5 rulers, and countless markers, colored pencils and microns. I really don’t know how I managed to squeeze all of that into my bags.

My last tip is that it is better that you start packing with time. Making sure that you have all your essentials, and, buying any that you might be missing back in your hometown might save you a couple of bucks.

To all of you,

Welcome to New York!

Maria

Building Your Portfolio In The Summer

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Hello TIGERS,

The heat waves are striking once again this summer and sometimes it is not so easy to roam around the streets of NYC. However, your time at home doesn’t have to be a waste, so if you have any spare hours you can use them to continue building your portfolio!

It is not easy, at least for me, to be on top of all semester projects and at the same time updating my fashion website. So, I take time in the summer to refresh my website and add all the recently completed projects. Like this, I can give my undivided attention to details when it comes to designing a well-rounded website. With this comes along, photo shoots, yes. Since I am in the Fashion Design major, my projects consist of designing and sewing garments. A lot of times we get handed projects back to back and don’t have enough time to do a more professional photo shoot of the final outcome. So, during the summer, I use this time to get the shots I need.

I also take some time to dig into research. Research for new collections, designs, and even history research. You can never learn too much, and the more you know the easier it gets when it comes to starting projects, specifically in the fashion field, themes, concepts, ideas all come faster.

You may have your portfolio all set by the time you step into summer, but it is never a bad idea to go back and check that everything is at its best for when you need to show all the amazing projects you have done!

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer. Feel free to comment how you spend your summer time!

Best,

Maria

Taking a Foreign Language while Abroad

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Hi everyone!

This past semester when I was studying abroad I continued to work on my Japanese minor. While I really enjoyed taking the class in a different country and getting a different perspective, there were some unexpected challenges along the way! Here are some things to consider if you take a language class abroad.

1. Different pace or syllabus
I found that the class I took as a comparable class to Japanese 4 at FIT was a bit behind in grammar, but way ahead in vocab! I knew all the grammar concepts we covered, but definitely had to hustle to catch up on vocab we were expected to know. I would recommend checking the syllabus to see what will be covered, as each teacher has a different teaching pace. Additionally, we were using a different textbook. In a language, where everything builds upon itself, knowing where you stand in the classes comprehension is really important!

2. Similarities to local language
Japanese and Cantonese (the local language where I studied) have a lot of overlap in the characters used! Thankfully the professor understood that I hadn’t been writing in the system since primary school, and allowed me to use other systems of writing. I did try my best to study as many characters as possible while there, even though we were not tested on them like we are at FIT. If you find you’re behind in an area, be sure to discuss with your professor and do your best to catch up.

3. More opportunities to practice!
In NYC I barely get a chance to speak Japanese, but while I was abroad I got to travel and test my speaking abilities! This was by far the most beneficial experience for me, I learned I still have a long ways to go when it comes to numbers- which is good to know. I can now focus more studying on that.

It can be really difficult to take a language where local students have more experience in it. My friends taking Mandarin ran into a lot of issues, since Cantonese and Mandarin are a lot closer than English and Mandarin. They definitely had to work even harder to make sure they kept up! Once you get past the first level of a language, the classes do get more challenging, but I think learning a second (or third!) language is worth the extra effort you have to put in.

Overall, I would really recommend taking a language as a minor at FIT, and working on it while you are abroad if you have the chance. It is a lot of work sometimes, but it looks great on your resume, and being able to communicate with someone you might not have been able to is incredibly rewarding.

What language would you minor in?

Sam

Resources at FIT

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Hello TIGERS!

I want to share with you some of the most useful resources at FIT that can be helpful in your journey here.

The Admissions Office

Since the day you think of applying to FIT, the admissions office is with you. There are major decisions you need to take when starting college and FIT has counselors to guide you all the way. From choosing a program to choosing a specific major, and many more topics can be discussed with a counselor. For more info visit: http://www.fitnyc.edu/admissions/index.php

Counseling Services

Along with the counselors from the admissions office, FIT also offers counseling services for more personal issues that can affect the student’s well-being and academic progress. Services are private and confidential and are with licensed staff. For more info visit: http://www.fitnyc.edu/counseling-services/

Career and Internship Center

“Whether you’re about to graduate, just beginning your FIT education, or anywhere in between, the CIC can help you plan your future, with, self-assessment to identify your interests, personality traits, and life and career goals, resume development, job search, online job bank for Students, internship preparation and placement, career counseling and advising”. For more info visit: http://www.fitnyc.edu/academics/cic/index.php

FIT Writing Studio

There has been a point in your academic life that you may have been stuck with an idea, or maybe you just can’t put it down on paper. Maybe you just need someone to revise a draft and give you some feedback and this is where the writing studio comes in. Consultants are there to assist you with any writing projects you may have. For more info visit: http://www.fitnyc.edu/writing-studio/

Disability Support Services (FIT-ABLE)

FIT is full of diversity and for this reason the office of Disability Services “ensures equal access for students with disabilities in their curricular as well as co-curricular college experience through accommodations that contribute to a holistic learning and development experience.” For more info visit: http://www.fitnyc.edu/fitable/

These are just five of the many other great resources at FIT that will make your journey here more enriching. To check out more resources, make sure to visit FIT’s website.

Till next time,

Maria