Tag Archives: College Plans

Getting Down to Business: Preparing Your Portfolio

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Hi readers!

This week I would like to get down to a more serious topic, preparing your college portfolio. I’ll be honest with you, it’s a difficult task to compile your work. As you try to put together your best pieces, it’s hard to not think about what other students are putting in theirs as well.

For the most part, the pieces you include revolve around the specific minor/major you’re applying for. By looking on FIT’s or any other college’s website, you’ll find specific descriptions of any projects and portfolio requirements that the school would like from you.

My sketchbook

SKETCH!! Any and all courses more likely than not will want to see your sketching ability. Don’t be frightened! Unless you’re applying to a fine arts program your sketches do not have to be as realistic as a professionals. Portfolio reviewers like to see how your eye captures an element and transfers it to paper. The ability to sketch also shows your level of patience which is very important in any creative industry.

Another key to sketching is to work on larger pieces of paper, filling up a given space shows your ability to draw with more than just your finger tips. Noting that you use your wrist, hands, and arms to draw an image is very important.

It’s good to keep a sketchbook on hand to practice wherever you may be! Practicing will make you better at sketching as well as help you gain patience to execute bigger projects in the future.

SOME FINAL TIPS 

  • Try to fill the whole page instead of just a small section

Trust me I know, I love to draw things on a smaller scale and make them more detailed, though it’s more beneficial to you if you practice drawing on a larger scale. By doing this you train your hand and mind to remain in a detailed mindset, plus it’ll look good in your portfolio.

  • Draw from life

Portfolio observers like to see how you interpret objects from life to paper. While showing your creative side with different drawings from your mind, be sure to include drawings of the basics like flowers or buildings.

A page from my sketchbook When it comes time for you to go through this process, take your time and do things to your best capability. Breathe and do your thing. I can assure you everyone is nervous when submitting works of their own, it’s good to be confident but it’s 100% okay to be nervous. Even though the process is a stressful one, continue using your strengths to enhance your pieces in your own personal way and see what happens from there.

If you have the opportunity, reach out to your art teachers for assistance and if you’re lucky enough even a professor. They’re there to help YOU! Asking won’t ever hurt and who knows, hopefully it’ll make you feel better along the way!

Thank you for reading and good luck on pursuing any passions you may have! We all take many different paths in life so stick to what you love and you’ll make it one way or another.

-Emily Kelly

Living The Pre(college) Life

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We’re growing up; some of us may not like it because we don’t know what to expect. For those of us thinking about college, reaching those teen years brings the question, “How am I going to handle college?”  Don’t just panic about the common app, try to prepare for the future with a hands-on approach.  A little over a year ago I wondered how I would manage in college; I’d probably forget to eat if it weren’t for my parents. Discovering FIT’s Precollege Program saved my sanity.  It provided exposure to my fields of interest and insight to the college experience.
train_stationMy first big step was getting to FIT.  I live in Jersey so I had to commute every Saturday.  This was a new responsibility to tackle, one that bettered me in the end. Commuting and navigating NYC was daunting but minor compared to another college fear, the social aspect; worrying that it’s not possible to make a meaningful friend group, again!  Thankfully, Precollege showed me otherwise. I took my first course over a year ago and three kids in my photography class are still my good friends. Yes, college is a new environment but it’s new to a whole group of people; studio 2people just as nervous with the same hopes and fears. The Precollege Program extended my understanding of the college culture.  I realized I’d no longer make friends in a town of random people with random interests. College is not limited to associations based on where you live.  Choosing a college provides the freedom of being with students, from around the country, with shared passions and understanding for each other.

Another pressing question is “what is the workload like in college?” Stories range from struggling just to get C’s to a 4 year party with a degree at the end. A valuable lesson learned from my Precollege courses is whatever the workload, it’s worth it because you’re doing what you love.  Some assignments are very demanding, but I realize I’m being graded on my passions so nothing will stop me.

The college experience is much more than new responsibilities, making new friends or tackling workloads. It’s about discovering who you are; through this the rest will happen.  FIT’s precollege experience is certainly making this transition a lot easier.

-Walter

College Plans

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Does the thought of college or anything college related make you feel jittery, excited, nervous, happy, and scared all at the same time? Welcome to the club.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I am a senior in high school, meaning that I’ve been spending my year drinking countless cups of coffee, learning of the importance of time management, and working my butt off. I anticipated having very few homework assignments and tests, as well as having the luxury of “free time”. Boy was I wrong.

But I’m not complaining. And that’s because I have heard back from most of my colleges now. I’ve been accepted to all 8 schools I’ve heard back from, which is great! But no college acceptance was as exciting as the one I got today. And that is because I got my acceptance letter from FIT today! Talk about a dream come true! I was accepted into the fashion merchandising management program, just as I have always dreamt.ArielleMcManus2

I can’t stop thinking about how my life is really starting. Here I am, taking two amazing, engaging, and challenging courses at FIT and I’m also blogging now. Before I know it, I’ll be a full time undergraduate student at FIT too! I know FIT is the right choice for me. It is everything I could want in a college, as well as things I never would have even thought of.

In 5 years time, I see myself with a bachelor’s degree from FIT. I also see myself with a passport full of stamps, documenting all of the exotic and foreign countries I will have traveled to. Hopefully I will have had enough experience in the fashion world due to internships and jobs and whatnot, that I can get a starting position at a luxury department store, so that in 10 or 15 years I can be an assistant buyer. Years after that, I plan on being the head buyer. I really think that going to FIT will help me to make my dreams for my future come true.

If you are sure you want to go into fashion, I highly recommend you plan a visit to FIT. I have never been as certain about anything as I am certain about my decision to attend FIT.

So now I have to go get my mom to write out a check for the deposit, because I’m ready to commit! Time to go get myself a college sweater!

High school seniors and transfer students, where will you be going next fall? And to all the younger teens that read this blog, do you know where you want to go to college? Please share!

Peace, Love, FIT

Arielle