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Our household is very excited today! My daughter received an acceptance e-mail from Parsons School of Design in New York City. This was a surprise to her because she hadn't felt very positive after her portfolio interview in February. To her, it's the equivalent to being accepted to an Ivy League school

Apparently, in the e-mail, they said that they wanted to let her know, now, so she wouldn't have to keep waiting for the envelope in the mail (which is on its way). There was also a link set up for accepted students with an invitation to a luncheon along with meeting the faculty, and visiting the dorms etc...

As I had said before, she really doesn't have a "first choice" as the three schools are all vastly different. Now she's just waiting to hear from her final school, the SUNY-Fashion Institute of Technology which will be after April 1st.

By Hautbois (Hautbois) on Saturday, March 06, 2004 - 04:31 pm: Edit

Congratulations! It's so great to get that first acceptance, isn't it?

By Northstarmom (Northstarmom) on Saturday, March 06, 2004 - 04:54 pm: Edit

Congratulations! Sounds like a wonderful option for her.

By Soozievt (Soozievt) on Saturday, March 06, 2004 - 05:23 pm: Edit

Wow, I am so happy for you guys! I have followed your daughter's "story" all along and it is so great to hear that she has a successful outcome as a result of all that she has done. Parsons is well regarded. She is on her way!

congrats...Susan

By Musicmom (Musicmom) on Saturday, March 06, 2004 - 05:24 pm: Edit

Congratulations to you all! Your daughter must be so happy. I know what you mean "equivalent to an Ivy League acceptance". The college app process is SO demanding for arts applicants. Hope her final choice will be good news also but this must feel really good right now. Enjoy!

By Emeraldkity4 (Emeraldkity4) on Saturday, March 06, 2004 - 05:24 pm: Edit

congrats
a friend went to parsons and loved it, particulary NYC

best wishes

By Easydoesitmom (Easydoesitmom) on Saturday, March 06, 2004 - 05:24 pm: Edit

That's wonderful ! My freind's daughter is waiting to hear from Parsons too ( she spent last summer at FIT for a course & that's a nice one too ) . Good Luck !

By Soozievt (Soozievt) on Saturday, March 06, 2004 - 05:33 pm: Edit

Musicmom, yeah, the admit rate at the top musical theater programs that my younger D is looking to apply to are lower (more difficult) than the Ivies my older D applied to!
Susan

By Marite (Marite) on Saturday, March 06, 2004 - 05:33 pm: Edit

Mauretania:

It's a wonderful feeling, isn't it, to receive an acceptance from a selective school? Congrats to you and your D.

By Mackinaw (Mackinaw) on Saturday, March 06, 2004 - 06:16 pm: Edit

Excellent. I have a nephew in his second year at Parsons (majoring in illustration) and he loves it there. Now sharing the city with my daughter, who recently graduated in industrial design from RISD.

Parsons is a very good school. Congratulations!

By Mauretania (Mauretania) on Saturday, March 06, 2004 - 07:21 pm: Edit

Thank you, all, for the congrats - I'll pass them on to my daughter

Also, thanks for the comments on Parsons, itself, it's always difficult to find any detailed information or first-hand experience on art schools.

Hautbois - This is actually her second acceptance, as she is in at the Pratt Institute, as well (that note is probably buried in a thread, somewhere).

Musicmom - Was it your son that's applying to the Mann School of Music? I saw it listed in the Parsons booklet as being part of the New School, as well.

Soozie - I'm definitely going to stick around on
CC to follow your daughter's progress and cross my fingers for her and Tisch!

By Momrath (Momrath) on Saturday, March 06, 2004 - 08:17 pm: Edit

Mauretania, Congratulations to your daughter! I've worked in the apparel industry (AKA rag trade) for 30 years and can tell you from experience that Parsons is the school we most like to see on the neophyte designer's resume. It has the best balance of design, technical and intellectual discipline. Not to knock FIT, because many, many successful fashion industry figures studied there, but Parsons is considered a little brainier. The apparel industry is very tough, very demanding. Studying, working, and living in New York with teachers who really know the business will give her an idea what she's in for. It's not for the faint hearted, but it's challenging, exhilarating and looking back I've never regretted it.

By Carolyn (Carolyn) on Saturday, March 06, 2004 - 08:40 pm: Edit

Mauretania:
Congratulations to your daughter! Parsons is a wonderful, challenging school. She must be so excited to know that her future is about to begin!

By Musicmom (Musicmom) on Saturday, March 06, 2004 - 08:57 pm: Edit

Mauretania-
Mannes College of Music is indeed part of New School University (S is music perf app there).
I recognize Parsons from its great rep but didn't know it was also in New School.
It IS a small world....maybe our two will meet up down the road!
Again, congrats!

By Soozievt (Soozievt) on Saturday, March 06, 2004 - 10:09 pm: Edit

Musicmom, I had never heard of Mannes College of Music til yesterday coincidentally. I was at my girls' dance studio while my younger one was in her weekly rehearsal for her jazz dance troupe. A girl who used to be in it with her but graduated last year was home on break and was visiting the studio. Not only is she a dancer but she is an exceptional violinist (things like VT Youth Symphony first chair, All New Englands, things like concert master, won the state scholarship for music, etc.). She had a rough time last year as she struggled with anorexia. She was even in a residential treatment for a bit. Her parents took her out of dance (this was senior year) and I recall at the performances she came and played violin during one of their dances but did not dance. Anyway, I always worried how such a gifted musician would turn out given her troubles. I was very relieved to hear her tell me that she is in college for violin and she named the school in NYC and it was Mannes and so that is how I heard of it. She is very happy there. Knowing her talent, I would surmise the school accepts exceptional kids!

Susan

By Musicmom (Musicmom) on Sunday, March 07, 2004 - 10:06 am: Edit

Susan-
What a wonderful success story! I am so happy your D's friend is finding her way. She sounds accomplished in both dance and music- quite a feat. Mannes seems like a small,caring place that would be a great match for her. Like the other conservatories in NYC, it is very selective. Our S will study classical tuba performance somewhere this fall, just don't know where yet. He has also been involved for years in jazz bands and pit orchestras (electric/upright bass) so he'd like to find a program that will allow him to continue with these also. New School also has a highly regarded Jazz program but S decided to pursue classical as primary.

I love learning about all the other arts programs I know nothing about (which is basically all except music)! Such talented, motivated and hard working kids we all are nurturing!

By Mauretania (Mauretania) on Sunday, March 07, 2004 - 11:44 am: Edit

Momrath - Thank you, very much, for the feedback. After my daughter had decided on fashion, I have to honestly say I was weary of the idea specifically for the reasons you stated. I printed out articles on the fashion business for her to read so she would know what she was getting into. It didn't deter her.

Also, she's had exposure to intensive summer art programmes, during the past two years. One being in architecture, and last summer studying foundation design and sculpture at RISD. That is where she decided on fashion as she hung out with the fashion students (fashion design, she said, was one of the most intense programmes there). She had no interest in applying to RISD because of the hills (she was such a wimp about that!) and she had been told if she was seriously considering fashion design, she had to be in New York.

In high school, my daughter is a serious, hard working student (the opposite of me, at that age!!) so we're willing to give her the chance, though we'll be joining the "rice and beans" parents for the next few years.

At FIT, she also applied for the honours programme because if she's accepted she's guaranteed freshman housing and she felt she might be exposed to more challenging courses. My husband is pushing for this school because it's the cheapest of the bunch. If she does get accepted at FIT, we'll send her up with my sister-in-law to do an more in-depth visit of this school as well as the other two. I figured she best go with her SIL as she has an undergraduate degree from Cornell and a masters from the design school at Harvard.

Momrath, where did you get your fashion education?
(If you don't mind my asking)

Do you have any feedback on the fashion design program at Pratt or Pratt, itself?

By Hautbois (Hautbois) on Sunday, March 07, 2004 - 12:03 pm: Edit

Mauretania, fabulous! Two schools (and of course one more to hear from) ... NOW you get to go through the process of deciding. All the best to you on that!

By Sluggbugg (Sluggbugg) on Sunday, March 07, 2004 - 12:08 pm: Edit

:::Sluggy congrats!!:::to you & your dd. Things are starting to come together. Good luck on SUNY FIT, & keep us posted.

By Mauretania (Mauretania) on Sunday, March 07, 2004 - 12:24 pm: Edit

Thanks, guys! I've been reading the messages back to my daughter.

BTW, in the Parsons brochure it states:
New School University includes seven academic divisions:
Parsons School of Design
Eugene Lang College
Mannes College of Music
the Jazz and Contemporary Music Program
The New School
The Graduate Facility of Political and Social Sciences
the Milano Graduate School of Management and Urban Policy
The Actors Studio Drama School

By Momrath (Momrath) on Monday, March 08, 2004 - 04:22 am: Edit

Mauretania, I kind of backed into the fashion business. I have a BA in art history and English from UMich. I stumbled into the apparel industry, like many young women did 30 years ago, first as a secretary, next became a designer, then a merchandiser, and have ended up in the sourcing/production area. Along the way I took classes in pattern making, but really, most of my education was OJT. Bright, talented young people can move up fast in the apparel industry at many of the large retail or wholesale companies (pick a brand) as long as they can balance their creativity with sound communication and analytical skills.

FIT, Parsons and Pratt are all feeder schools for the major apparel companies. Pratt leans more toward pure design, FIT toward technical; Parsons is a good balance of the two. Parsons' affiliation with the New School is a strong positive. I would also choose Parsons' location, especially over Pratt's. At the end of the day, there are more similarities than differences.

All three schools have active placement programs and access to industry internships. In fashion design like any creative endeavor what we learn at school is quite different from the real world. Clothing design may be creative, but it is a business first, hence the focus on communication and analysis.

At all of these schools your daughter will get a lot of exposure to Seventh Avenue and be able to decide if the garment industry is for her. The pressure is tremendous but it attracts a lot of bright and interesting people and the financial rewards can be great.

By Mauretania (Mauretania) on Monday, March 08, 2004 - 01:38 pm: Edit

Momrath
Thank you, very much for answering my questions and the information on the fashion business. This will be helpful to my daughter.

I'll post when she hears from FIT and where she will end up attending (costs will be an issue but we'll see if she gets offered any scholarships).

By Ryqui (Ryqui) on Saturday, April 03, 2004 - 10:08 am: Edit

Hi, i stumbled upon this page. I received the exact same email from parsons notifying me of acceptance into the school. Hoping to be a fashion major in future. I felt the same way about 'the equivalent of getting into an ivy league school'. I'm an international student though and whether i will be able to make it to new york would depend on the finaid which i'm not too hopeful about... Keeping my fingers crossed however. Glad to find some first hand information bout Parsons here from all of you. Knew Parsons was supposed to be really good but this is honestly reassurance that I really did get into a good school since no one in my country places any value on art/design (no one here knows anything about art schools) and i could only rely on the information provided at the school's site, its list of alumni, etc.

Hope to see your daughter at Parsons this fall