Classes are running this weekend for Saturday and Sunday Live.
Precollege Workshops will begin NEXT week, November 17th.
Author Archives: Precollege Admin
What Lies Ahead
Can you sense if you’re going to have a good day the second you wake up? Probably, some of the time you can and I have that exact same feeling with my classes this semester. Both my classes this term have such nice people in it along with amazing professors. My expectations for both my classes are set very high this time around, I have a feeling I will gain a lot from these classes.
For my merchandising class I think I will learn really get a feel for how it will be like to have a career in the business side of the industry as opposed to the more creative side, such as design and things of that nature. However, last week I was talking to my professor, Professor Piazza, and she told me that it is possible to incorporate creativity into merchandising which really made me feel better about choosing my major because I want that balance of business and creativity. I am also looking very forward to completing my first project in this class which is to choose a decade in which we need to write a report and do a presentation on it. Of course, I chose the 90’s because I am obsessed with everything 90’s at the moment and the whole grunge look. My professor this week showed us examples of PowerPoint slideshows from college students, which were all amazing. I’m looking forward to making my own PowerPoint because my goal is to make my presentation live up to the expectations of my professor as if I was in college. I am going to try my hardest to make my presentation really stand out.
On the other hand, this week was my first day of my fabric styling class (and everyone else’s second day). I thought I would feel out of place and not really prepared in the class for that reason but I caught on quick and the class couldn’t of gone better. The first thing that caught my eye when I walked in the classroom, was the actual classroom. Call me weird but my favorite classrooms at FIT are the “artsy” ones as I call them, the ones filled with huge tables covered with paint splatters; and that is exactly what my classroom is.
My “artsy” fabric styling classroom
In class we immediately started working on project #1 which is to choose a celebrity and create a fashion board for him/her filled with photos of how we would style our celebrity and choose the right colors, fabrics for him/her. My choice of celebrity is Alexa Chung.
For those of you who don’t know who she is, Alexa is a model and host of 24 Hour Catwalk on Lifetime but receives most of her recognition in the fashion world. Her style is minimalistic, classy, and menswear inspired while girly at the same time. I cannot wait to create a whole board dedicated to just her style. Although this class is primarily based on doing style boards, I think I will enjoy it because creating boards is such a great way to express a mood or theme in a visual and hands-on way. Putting boards together is a lot of work, but in the end the turn out is extremely satisfying.
My magazine cut outs for my Alexa Chung style board
Despite all of this, in all honesty guys the real highlight of my day had to be finding out that I can get 10% off at Gigi’s cafe for being a student at FIT, that place is the best. If you have yet to visit Gigi’s for lunch, you’re totally missing out.
Okay I’m kidding, my classes and my whole day at FIT definitely topped off as my highlight of the week actually, but the 10% off has to be a close second.
All in all I know this semester is going to be a great one and I’m so excited to get to share it with you guys!
Fashionably Truly,
Michaela
Guest Blogger: Kayleigh
Nervous stomachs are natural when beginning a new summer program. New people you have never met before, camp counselors, and disgusting lunches. But FIT’s Precollege Program is nothing like this.
During the hot summer, frigid winter, and beautiful spring, FIT offers many classes to middle school students and high school students in such subjects as merchandising, drawing from inspiration, photography, red carpet design, etc. Everyone in the Summer Program is admirable. All the students have one thing in common: they worship fashion. This past summer, I took photography and Red Carpet design.
Over the past two years at FIT, I have never found a professor I didn’t like. The professors are responsible and enjoyable. Some professors at FIT went to there in college and work there now. The professors teach you a lot over a four day week.
In photography class, our professor gave us an assignment and we had to go outside with our classmates. First we learned how to use reflectors which reflect the light to brighten or add glow to the object we are taking pictures of (which could be objects that meant something to us or pictures of ourselves).
Also in photography we learned how to “paint with light.” We turned all the lights out and we changed the settings on our cameras and we took our flash lights and drew with them in front of the lens.
In Red Carpet Design, we talked about fabrics such as chiffon, silk and etc. The professor gave us models we could trace so it would be easier to draw. He taught us to draw ruffles with color and we learned to use sparkles. We had to create a dress and add sparkles and ruffles to our masterpiece. Red Carpet Design had variety of ages from 10-14 and we have different types of style. Most girls made ball gowns for the red carpet other drew casual look, which made it easier for the professor so he didn’t have to look at ball gown after ball gown. In class four girls and I had a project runway game and we had different themes like gothic ball gowns and Disney ball gowns and 80’s themed ball gowns. I won the Disney round for my Little Mermaid dress.
Mermaid Dress
FIT’s Precollege Program was enjoyable and helps with drawing as well as photography skills. FIT is not like other Summers Programs; you won’t get nervous because all the students have one thing in common: We all worship fashion.
Fall 2012 Precollege Scholarship Info – APPLY TODAY!
Financial Assistance Scholarship Opportunities for NYC Public High School StudentsDeadline: September 24, 2012 New York City high school aged residents enrolled in a NYC DOE high school may be eligible for a financial assistance scholarship. This partial scholarship covers $250 (the total cost of one course is $308). Scholarship recipients are responsible for the remaining $58 balance and any supplies required for the class (most courses require supplies that students must purchase. The estimated cost of supplies should not exceed $50, except for Introduction to Photography with an estimated cost of supplies at $130.)We will be selecting recipients based on the criteria below. The deadline to submit for the upcoming semester is listed on the application link.
Scholarship Requirements, to be completed by the student applicant:
- Precollege Saturday/Sunday Live application: http://www5.fitnyc.edu/continuinged/PrecollegeHSScholarshipOpen.htm
- An official copy of your high school transcript (to be attached to the form)
- An essay discussing the importance of Saturday/Sunday/Summer Live to your college and career aspirations (to be attached to the form)
- A recommendation letter from one of your teachers describing your dedication and character (to be attached to the form)
- A document indicating your need for financial assistance. This may be a letter on school letterhead indication your participation in a free-lunch program, financial assistance program, or other government or organizational support program (to be attached to the form)
Been There, Done That – An Interview With Cecily Moore
Cecily Moore
This week, Precollege Programs had the opportunity to speak with FIT undergraduate student and Precollege alum, Cecily Moore! Cecily was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri then moved to Providence, Rhode Island during High School. She completed her AAS in Fashion Design at FIT and is expected to graduate in May 2013 with her BFA (also in Fashion Design) with a double minor in History of Art and Psychology.
Cecily is currently involved in FIT’s Student Ambassadors and the assistant coaching staff for FIT Volleyball, and was a previous Vice President of the AAS Honor Society, Phi Theta Kappa.
Exhibitions/Awards/Scholarships/Recognition/Experience:
- National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) DIII Region XV Volleyball
- All-Region (2009 and 2010) and All-Tournament Team (2009)
- Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society (2009-2011)
- Dean’s List (All Semesters)
- FIT Foundation Scholarship (2010-2011)
- Selected for appearance in FIT recruitment video (2011-2012)
- Monohasset Mill Artists Open Studio (2007, 2009)
- Fashion Week Volunteer (2009)
- Fitness Center Attendant at FIT 2011-Present
Courses taken in Precollege Programs:
HPM 067: Manual Patternmaking and Sewing
HAP 026: Sewing for Fashion Designers
Precollege Programs: What is your fondest memory of Precollege Programs?
Cecily: I really enjoyed finally having the opportunity to meet friends really driven and interested in the areas of art and fashion that I was. In my small high school there was no one else who shared that connection to fashion design, so it was wonderful to be able to share both class time, lunch time, and after class adventures with new found friends who had a lot of the same interests I did. My clearest memory was weeping as I said goodbye to my new found friend Akela as he boarded the 1 train, I will never forget the day my Summer Precollege Program ended. Akela and I have stayed in touch since then though so it wasn’t “goodbye” but “see you later!”
Precollege Programs: Any other memories about Precollege that you’d like to share?
Cecily: On the last day of my classes, all the students began to cry and hug each other and we gathered round the classroom to get a huge group picture of all our new friends, these pictures, and the friends I made throughout my experience here at FIT Summer Live have stayed with me to this day. When I look back through the pictures we took that summer, they still bring me a warm fuzzy feeling, something that can only come from the realization that I had a life-changing experience here that summer, one that helped me grow into the person and designer I am today.
Precollege Programs: At what moment did you decide FIT was your college of choice?
Cecily: It kind of all came together at different times for me, but the moment I began to dream about FIT was my sophomore year of high school before I had even moved to Rhode Island or had been to New York City when one of my closest friends started telling me about this amazing design school in the heart of the city named the Fashion Institute of Technology. Immediately after school, I ran home and googled FIT and explored their website for hours, and I was hooked. From then on it was my dream school which was only further solidified by my excellent Precollege experience, the cost of tuition, and the fact that FIT has a Volleyball team, which was very important in my college making decision.
Precollege Programs: What advantages did you gain from Precollege courses?
Cecily: I strongly agree that taking a Precollege course gave me an advantage over other students admitted to FIT. It’s something that gives you confidence and ease as you step onto the campus. You already know where your classrooms, the library, cafeteria and bookstore are located when you arrive, and you are comfortable with the machinery inside the classrooms. So all you have to worry about is the first assignments you get, and making friends in your block, the basic college experience, instead of feeling lost and overwhelmed; and that doesn’t even touch on the technical abilities that it starts you off with as well! Being previously exposed to professors, classrooms, sewing machines and techniques all before being admitted gives you a better head about attending the Institute and really succeeding in your classes here.
Precollege Programs: How is college different than you previously imagined back when you were in high school?
Cecily: College actually isn’t that different than I imagined, a few more sleepless nights and coffee runs than I would have expected, but the people, professors and classes have panned out similarly to how I expected. My rigorous high school courses and being the youngest sibling to watch my older sister go through college helped prepare me with a realistic college picture, and Summer Live helped to further form the picture I had of an design college prior to attending FIT.
Precollege Programs: Are there any specific learned traits from your days as a Precollege student that really hit home with you? Was something said by an instructor, for example, that remains with you today?
Cecily: Draping and Patternmaking were two skills that were very difficult to develop and grasp on my own as a high school student, so those are topics that I touched on with my Summer Live Program, as well as a Sewing class to get used to the industrial machines here, and better hone in on those skills. The process of draping really hit home for me in my Precollege days because my professor took the time to drill every step and procedure into my head, something that I was able to take home and replicate when I wanted to make my Prom dress and other formal dresses. Without that experience, I never would have had the confidence to tackle such intricate garments on my own.I also vividly remember my sewing professors bubbly and energetic attitude in every summer class, and I ended up having her in my BFA as a professor again, and was delighted to see that she remembered my face! It was lovely to have a firsthand experience of the professors here really taking care of and getting to know the Precollege students they have.
Precollege Programs: What advice do you have for Precollege students?
Cecily: Take your classes here seriously, and really absorb everything the professors teach you because it really will serve you well in your future endeavors. Besides, you never know who you may see in the future, and it’s better to establish a professional and working relationship with every person you come across, they could save your grade, or job some day.
CURRENT WORK:
