To go or not to go: That is the question.

fit acceptance

So, letters have been sent out and you have either been accepted to FIT or not.

If you haven’t, I know it is extremely disappointing, but it is not the end of the world. Of course, it would be nice to have gotten in the first time, but I have many friends who have gone to a liberal arts school or community college for the first one or two years and then transferred to FIT. In fact, it is a great way to finish your liberal arts requirements so that when you do get to FIT you have more time for your major and minor classes, or to work or do an internship. Just be sure to check which liberal arts are required by FIT here. If there is one thing I have learned from meeting working people, it is that life will take you on a journey of many twists and turns, and that you will most likely end up doing something you never thought of on your way to your goal. I know it’s hard, but try to look for the silver lining and make this an unexpected, yet opportune moment to grow.

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Campus Outdoors

For those of you who did get that acceptance letter, congratulations! Now comes the herculean task of deciding whether or not to actually attend FIT. If this was the only school you applied to or got accepted to, the choice is a little easier. However, the majority of applicants have received acceptance letters to multiple schools. Here comes the fun / devastating part: making a decision. I personally love the pro/con list. It is a great way to visually map out what will give you the most benefits while also helping sort out your priorities. For example, will the fact that FIT does not have a fraternity/sorority culture make you feel like you are missing out on the college experience you want? Does going to football games on Saturday mornings take precedence over going to Central Park? It is important to be honest with yourself during this time as well. If you know you do not prosper under stress, it might be more prudent to attend a more rural school with a more slowly paced curriculum. There’s no shame in choosing a school that will help you gain more from your experience despite having a less recognizable name.information

One of the best ways to determine if the school is right for you is to attend accepted students days. (FIT’s admitted student days are April 5th and 6th this year.) Yes, you can read a lot about every school and it’s facilities on its website, but there is nothing that can make you feel the true personality of the school and its student body like actually being there. Here is an example:

My Mom made me apply to Syracuse University because she thought I should look at a school that was more of a traditional university rather than just the art schools I was applying to, even though I really didn’t think it was worth it. A few months later, acceptance letters arrived and as luck would have it I was accepted into FIT and Syracuse (plus a few others, but who’s counting amirite?) So began the long car rides and extensive tours, and I was begrudgingly dragged all five hours up to Syracuse despite my persistent decelerations of disinterest because, let’s face it, the school with the best program is FIT so I would obviously be going there. Well guess what? I got on campus and I flipping loved it! The wide open quads, the buildings that look like Harry Potter castles, the downtown arts warehouse, the quaint surrounding town. It was everything I had been told college would be like. And that’s where life got complicated.

fit01

I mean it's not really a fair comparison, sigh.
I mean it’s not really a fair comparison, sigh.

Obviously I chose FIT, otherwise you would not be reading this right now, but it was a hard and arduous decision. Mainly, it came down to price, location and curriculum. FIT had Syracuse beat on all of those, but I knew that by giving up Syracuse, I was giving up my chance at that “traditional college experience”. Now, as a rising senior, I do not regret my choice at all as I do not think that experience could out weigh the ones I have had here (and I have managed to visit my best friend at Penn State for many a football game and frat party, so no loss there), but I did realize the importance of experiencing the campus in person at least for a day in the decision making process. An open mind and self awareness are key for making the right decision.

Plus like I said before, your life will take you through many unexpected detours, so if you do end up deciding that the choice you made was not the best, you can always transfer!

–Emily–

One reply on “To go or not to go: That is the question.”

  1. For the fashion design portfolio… on the sewn test, can u submit a full costume as one of my items? Do my sketches for the design test have to have faces, hair and shoes? Can my sketches be drawn onto printed croquis? I want to make sure everything is perfect:)

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