Tag Archives: Friendships

A Precollege Student’s Guide To Friendships at FIT

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“They say nothing lasts forever; dreams change, trends come and go, but friendships never go out of style.” – Carrie Bradshaw

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My best friends from FIT

A little less than a year ago, on my first train ride home from the FIT Precollege Program, I found myself standing in the middle of Penn Station completely confused, alone, and not understanding why everyone was running each other over to get to their train gate with fifteen extra minutes to spare (which I later realized was normal behavior at Penn Station). I walked to my gate and saw a girl with fiery red hair and it turned out that she was going to be on the same train as me! I sat down next to her and saw that she was wearing a “FIT Precollege Spring 2015” badge. We immediately started to talk. She said she had taken FIT classes before and then let me ask probably ten million questions about FIT. Her name was Maddison and to this day we are still best friends. She soon introduced me to her great friends in our class, Becca and Cynthia, who quickly became my best friends as well.

Our friendships grew both in and outside of class.  Soon we were meeting before class for lunch or after class for dinner. (Note: we all agree that GiGi’s Café, which is across from FIT, has the best cheese quesadillas in the city.) My FIT friends and I continue to travel to the city whenever we get the chance to see each other for the day. We shop in the Flatiron district (where we had a class field trip) and walk around Union Square. We recently ventured to the Upper East Side where I lost my wallet and my friends and I looked for hours until we realized it was in the other pocket of my purse!!!!

Main Tips on Making Friends at FIT

  • Don’t be afraid to talk to someone new.
  • Always ask questions about them.
  • Find similar interests and things you have in common.
  • Share funny stories about your experiences that they can relate to.
  • Don’t wait for them to talk to you, go and talk to them!
  • SMILE always be approachable!!!!

The lesson here is not only to keep track of your wallet while on the Upper East Side, but also to reach out to people in your classes. Make the effort to talk to someone new, and you could end up with a lifelong friendship (and someone to join you in nearly getting run over by suitcases at Penn Station.) I have learned so many new things from my friends: how to hail a cab, take the subway, and which sidewalk stands I should NOT get a hotdog from. My FIT friends are ones I can go to for everything; they understand me and I hope that Precollege students in this session will find the same lifelong connections.

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Maddison and me

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It Isn’t the End, It’s the Beginning

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So Saturday, May 17th, was the last day of FIT’s Precollege classes. It was so sad saying goodbye to my classmates and my professors, and I’m really going to miss being at FIT. I sadly won’t be able to attend the summer courses.

However, this isn’t really the end, because I’m coming to FIT in the fall. It’s so exciting to know that this isn’t “goodbye”, it’s just “I’ll see you soon”. I told my professors I’ll be visiting them next fall (more like harassing them non-stop), and my friends, although they are not coming to FIT next fall, will be taking more Precollege classes, so they can always stop by.

These Precollege classes were so amazing. I learned so much in such a short amount of time, and I had so much fun. I cannot fully express how much I enjoyed classes this semester. To anyone who wants to learn about the fashion industry or is considering going to FIT: take Precollege classes! You won’t regret it.

I really do believe that FIT is the best fashion school out there. August 18th (orientation) cannot come quickly enough. I’m counting down the days (literally, I have an app that counts down the days) until I move in.

So this isn’t the end of my time at FIT; it is just the beginning.

This is, however, the end of my time blogging for FIT’s Precollege blog. Thank you all for reading. This won’t be the last you hear of me though. ;)

Love,

Arielle McManus

Shopping Guide: Part Deux

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So a few weeks ago, for my fashion merchandising class, we went to Meatpacking. I was inspired to write a little shopping guide centered around it. This past Saturday, for the same class, we went to the Flatiron District. I had such a great time, and went to so many great stores, I’m writing another shopping guide – a shopping guide for the Flatiron District!

flatiron-building-3

Peck, Harrison. Must-see Flatiron. 2010. Manhattan, NY. Nycgo. Web. 12 Apr. 2014.

Here is a list of some of the amazing stores in the area:

  • 7 for all Mankind
  • Madewell
  • A/X Armani Exchange
  • Kate Spade
  • Cole Haan
  • LF
  • Club Monaco
  • Eileen Fisher
  • DKNY
  • Lucky Brand Jeans
  • Lord & Taylor
  • BCBG Max Azria
  • Zara
  • H&M
  • Sephora

Here is a map to show you exactly where everything is located in relation to one another.

https://mapsengine.google.com/map/u/0/edit?mid=zvFiJtcSDXY4.kBLhbW5Wh-kU

Jus copy and paste the link into your internet browser to see.

As you can see, we only stayed on 5th avenue. There are so many more stores, but these are the only ones I can personally say were amazing.

Club Monaco was recently redone, and it was so beautiful! I really recommend you drop by and see for yourself (and obviously do some shopping)!

After you are done shopping, head to Eataly on 200 5th Ave for something to eat. It is so amazing! I had never been before, but I went with my friends Betsy, Emma, and Catherine (another one of the Precollege bloggers) and I’m so happy I got to. I didn’t get a chance to try it, but I’ve heard there is amazing gelato! I can’t wait to go back so that I can try it. If you’re in the area, stop by and try some – do it for me!

Until next time,

Arielle

A Bittersweet Ending

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As the past couple days have gone by, I have realized I’m not returning to FIT the following week. My alarm will ring for 6:50 AM and I will simply sigh, turn it off, and take in the harsh reality of nnot returning to the place I love.

These past three weeks have been the highlight of my summer. (And probably of my year) I mean, come on, it’s FIT.. It’s unlike anywhere else.

The classes I took this year were outstanding. I made some remarkable new friends who I will DEFINITELY keep in contact with. I even found my roommate for FIT! (If I get in!) My experience here was phenomenal. I wish I was a freshman so I can take even more Precollege classes! Unfortunately, I live too far away to attend classes during the Fall or Spring. What a shame.

I hope I get good marks on all my final projects. I am so anxious to view them! They are getting posted on August 2nd, so remember to check them out!

My jacket (from my sewing class) turned out phenomenal! I ordered a bunch of spikes and studs from this really cool website. I can’t wait to go home and apply them to my jacket! I’m also going to distress it with sand paper! In my first class I also made a t-shirt. It’s a grey jersey knit t-shirt with a ballet neckline and long sleeves. It’s the comfiest t-shirt IN THE WORLD!

I’m so excited to return home and start working on my portfolio. I think I will include my jacket in my portfolio.. I worked so hard on it and I am so proud of myself!

How were your classes? Do you think you will return to FIT? How did your final projects turn out?

Overall, my last day was filled with excitement, a sense of pride, sadness, and some realizations for the future. I was excited that all my hard work was finally completed. I had a sense of pride in myself, and in the work I created. A sense of sadness because I am leaving the place and people I have grown to adore. And the realization that if I don’t work hard, I may never return to FIT.. And that simply won’t do.

I hope you all had a wonderful experience at FIT, I know I did!

“I do not want to say goodbye to any of you people” -Christa McAuliffe

Your Care Tag,

Bella

Friendships That Just Became

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Throughout the period of waiting to go to the FIT program, I was always wondering if I were to make friends there, who would I meet, and how my classmates would be. The first two weeks were very quiet in the classroom. I’m a very social person and silence kills me! But eventually some people just needed to get comfortable with themselves to start speaking up.

sara

Sara

I though have met two girls particularly that I’ve made a great bond with.

One of them is Sara!  From the many things that me and her have in common with, she is absolutely awesome! She joggles many things at once and is multi-talented. She’s great with her fashion, music taste, and how to work a camera and a pencil! She’s also very unique and easy to talk with.  At first there was not much me and her had said to each other, but we gradually just started to make more conversation and ended up being friends.

Eula

Someone else that I’ve met on my journey in my FIT class is Eula. She was much more quieter than some of the others- and so it took a bit for me to actually start talking to her. But it was all worth it! Once I actually started to talk to her- we had so much to talk about! From our love for art to Kpop, there was not a time when I got bored of the conversation. Her fashion sense is spectacular and I know she will succeed at becoming a big time fashion designer!

I’m so glad that I’ve met these two wonderful people. Hey, maybe later on I’ll be able to meet more! Who knows. All I know is, I have no regrets on signing up for the FIT program. All it has brought was happiness, knowledge, and friendships!

Let’s see what comes along next week!

-Jharline