So, I get a lot of questions about the details of FIT. I think choosing a new school is hard enough but finding out the details that will make your first day as smooth as possible should be easy peasy. Attached are just random Q's that I've gotten throughout my time here so I hope this helps clarify some things!
Q:What do they look for when accepting students?
A: From what I have experienced, it really depends on the major you are applying to. Obviously if you want to go into design, your portfolio is going to be the most important thing. When applying to a major like Fashion Business Management, they're going to be looking for really strong math grades because a lot of the curriculum is number based. For Advertising/Marketing, it can really depend but English classes and writing classes are a big plus. Grades are important, but I remember them talking about how important the essay is. Make sure you don't make it sound like a generic cover letter. Pour your heart into it. Talk about what you plan on accomplishing while you're here or a moment that really impacted your life. Make sure to catch their attention. If you're genuine and speak about yourself and what you're passionate about, it'll be almost impossible to resist you!
Q: When do you hear back?
A: Anytime between February-April. I'm pretty sure I heard back close to March. FIT kind of needs to be your dream school to avoid getting worked up about deadlines because a lot of schools I remember I heard back from much earlier. So, just take a deep breath and wait for the letter; don't commit to another school too early.
Q: Is FIT affordable or at least good with financial aid?
A: FIT is a state school so it will be more affordable than say Columbia U or NYU. That being said, they are not that amazing with financial aid. They will help some but don't bank on half your tuition being covered! Also, if you live in New York (Long Island included), there is a in-state price, which is unbelievably low.
Q: What is different about New York from other cities? (Specifically Chicago)
A: In my opinion, New York is just more condensed. It is the largest city but at the same time can feel the smallest. There will be a drugstore, Italian restaurant and bar on every corner. You will not feel deprived of whatever you think you will miss from your hometown (besides your puppy). There will be your favorite retailer, restaurant or coffee shop. And if there isn't the same one, you'll probably find one you even like a little better, even though you'll hate to admit it.
Q: What kind of jobs can you get out of FIT?
A: Depends on your major just like any other school! With Ad Marketing Communications you can be a journalist, copywriter, digital marketer or social media coordinator. With Textile Design, you can be working to make the patterns on home goods or clothes. We have Photography, Fashion Design, Toy Design, Production Management (what I have my AAS in), Illustration and TONS more. I'll link the page that lists your options below.
FIT majors available
Q: Are people nice?
A: NO! I'm just kidding. I was blown away by how welcoming everyone is.
Q: What are the dorms like? Would you recommend living in them?
A: In a way this is a followup to the previous question. Dorming definitely helps when trying to meet new people. You're stuck in a building where you will run into people from your Monday 9AM or the new club that you just joined. It's also so much easier when working on school projects to be just a floor away from someone you can collab with. Freshman year I lived in Alumni Hall, which is a quad set up- 2 bedrooms, a kitchen and bathroom. I lucked out and met my roommates through the FIT Facebook page, and they've stayed my best friends. Sophomore-Senior year if you dorm, it will be Kaufman Hall, which is about a 10 minute walk from campus. You'll have a gym and laundry room and have the option of a single, double triple or quad. Starting next semester you can also do co-ed rooming so if you have a guy friend that you want to live with, you'll finally be able to. The security can be kind of a pain. You have to sign someone in and out every time they enter or leave, but other than that dorming is a really solid option for at least fresh/soph year or if you're transferring in. Also, if you're anything like me you will want to be surrounded by flyers reminding you what is going on around campus so you can stay in the loop. Another thing to keep in mind is that it's a dry campus!
Q: Are there a lot of internship opportunities?
A: Always. FIT is really good about helping you land an internship whether it's a credited one or paid. There is a whole website to search for them along with job fairs and connections through professors. Also, simply going to FIT gives you a leg up because the classes are so hands on and specific.
Q: What is the campus life like?
A: Whatever you make of it! You can be as involved or uninvolved as you like. It definitely takes effort to be an active student. There are tons of clubs to pick from whether it's major related or something fun like cooking club. As for going out, there aren't dorm parties, but you're in NYC. Another great thing about the dorms is your smack in the middle of everything. Whether bars and clubs are your scene or concerts and poetry slams are more your forte, you can do anything on any night of the week.
5 Bonus Tips:
1. A lot of freshman decide to take Fridays off, which I am also guilty of doing. Take Monday off instead. 1 class on Friday will not hurt you and being off Monday makes your weekend feel so much longer. You're also prone to be more productive on a Monday versus a Friday when you just had a long week of classes and just want to lay in bed all day. Monday can be your grocery/studying/"me" day
2. Never forget your laptop or a drink for class. This should be a given, but most of FIT's classes are 3 hours and they can either be the fastest 3 hours of your life or feel like they're 17 hours. Bring something to give yourself a little mental break in between.
3. Make friends with your professors and connect with them on LinkedIn after the class is over. FIT requires their professors to have taught in their field for a certain number of years and many of them still work their day job while also being a professor. They have great knowledge of the industry and can also help you land an internship. You never know who they know!
4. Do not get a meal plan. I know it sounds easy in the beginning, but it actually is 10x more convenient to just have the food in your fridge already. You'll also be able to feel more refreshed and healthy having fresh foods. I had the meal plan for my first semester and rarely used it. If you want to get food from the dining hall, you still can without the plan. Whole foods is a couple blocks away and so is Trader Joes. Starbucks is also on campus.
5. If you're scared to come to NYC, come- you need it. You will learn so much not from only being at FIT but also being in this city. The food, parks, diversity, everything.
I hope this helped you a little more with the general questions! If you have any more that I forget about, go ahead and reach out on social media. Good luck!
A: From what I have experienced, it really depends on the major you are applying to. Obviously if you want to go into design, your portfolio is going to be the most important thing. When applying to a major like Fashion Business Management, they're going to be looking for really strong math grades because a lot of the curriculum is number based. For Advertising/Marketing, it can really depend but English classes and writing classes are a big plus. Grades are important, but I remember them talking about how important the essay is. Make sure you don't make it sound like a generic cover letter. Pour your heart into it. Talk about what you plan on accomplishing while you're here or a moment that really impacted your life. Make sure to catch their attention. If you're genuine and speak about yourself and what you're passionate about, it'll be almost impossible to resist you!
Q: When do you hear back?
A: Anytime between February-April. I'm pretty sure I heard back close to March. FIT kind of needs to be your dream school to avoid getting worked up about deadlines because a lot of schools I remember I heard back from much earlier. So, just take a deep breath and wait for the letter; don't commit to another school too early.
Q: Is FIT affordable or at least good with financial aid?
A: FIT is a state school so it will be more affordable than say Columbia U or NYU. That being said, they are not that amazing with financial aid. They will help some but don't bank on half your tuition being covered! Also, if you live in New York (Long Island included), there is a in-state price, which is unbelievably low.
Q: What is different about New York from other cities? (Specifically Chicago)
A: In my opinion, New York is just more condensed. It is the largest city but at the same time can feel the smallest. There will be a drugstore, Italian restaurant and bar on every corner. You will not feel deprived of whatever you think you will miss from your hometown (besides your puppy). There will be your favorite retailer, restaurant or coffee shop. And if there isn't the same one, you'll probably find one you even like a little better, even though you'll hate to admit it.
Q: What kind of jobs can you get out of FIT?
A: Depends on your major just like any other school! With Ad Marketing Communications you can be a journalist, copywriter, digital marketer or social media coordinator. With Textile Design, you can be working to make the patterns on home goods or clothes. We have Photography, Fashion Design, Toy Design, Production Management (what I have my AAS in), Illustration and TONS more. I'll link the page that lists your options below.
FIT majors available
Q: Are people nice?
A: NO! I'm just kidding. I was blown away by how welcoming everyone is.
Q: What are the dorms like? Would you recommend living in them?
A: In a way this is a followup to the previous question. Dorming definitely helps when trying to meet new people. You're stuck in a building where you will run into people from your Monday 9AM or the new club that you just joined. It's also so much easier when working on school projects to be just a floor away from someone you can collab with. Freshman year I lived in Alumni Hall, which is a quad set up- 2 bedrooms, a kitchen and bathroom. I lucked out and met my roommates through the FIT Facebook page, and they've stayed my best friends. Sophomore-Senior year if you dorm, it will be Kaufman Hall, which is about a 10 minute walk from campus. You'll have a gym and laundry room and have the option of a single, double triple or quad. Starting next semester you can also do co-ed rooming so if you have a guy friend that you want to live with, you'll finally be able to. The security can be kind of a pain. You have to sign someone in and out every time they enter or leave, but other than that dorming is a really solid option for at least fresh/soph year or if you're transferring in. Also, if you're anything like me you will want to be surrounded by flyers reminding you what is going on around campus so you can stay in the loop. Another thing to keep in mind is that it's a dry campus!
Q: Are there a lot of internship opportunities?
A: Always. FIT is really good about helping you land an internship whether it's a credited one or paid. There is a whole website to search for them along with job fairs and connections through professors. Also, simply going to FIT gives you a leg up because the classes are so hands on and specific.
Q: What is the campus life like?
A: Whatever you make of it! You can be as involved or uninvolved as you like. It definitely takes effort to be an active student. There are tons of clubs to pick from whether it's major related or something fun like cooking club. As for going out, there aren't dorm parties, but you're in NYC. Another great thing about the dorms is your smack in the middle of everything. Whether bars and clubs are your scene or concerts and poetry slams are more your forte, you can do anything on any night of the week.
5 Bonus Tips:
1. A lot of freshman decide to take Fridays off, which I am also guilty of doing. Take Monday off instead. 1 class on Friday will not hurt you and being off Monday makes your weekend feel so much longer. You're also prone to be more productive on a Monday versus a Friday when you just had a long week of classes and just want to lay in bed all day. Monday can be your grocery/studying/"me" day
2. Never forget your laptop or a drink for class. This should be a given, but most of FIT's classes are 3 hours and they can either be the fastest 3 hours of your life or feel like they're 17 hours. Bring something to give yourself a little mental break in between.
3. Make friends with your professors and connect with them on LinkedIn after the class is over. FIT requires their professors to have taught in their field for a certain number of years and many of them still work their day job while also being a professor. They have great knowledge of the industry and can also help you land an internship. You never know who they know!
4. Do not get a meal plan. I know it sounds easy in the beginning, but it actually is 10x more convenient to just have the food in your fridge already. You'll also be able to feel more refreshed and healthy having fresh foods. I had the meal plan for my first semester and rarely used it. If you want to get food from the dining hall, you still can without the plan. Whole foods is a couple blocks away and so is Trader Joes. Starbucks is also on campus.
5. If you're scared to come to NYC, come- you need it. You will learn so much not from only being at FIT but also being in this city. The food, parks, diversity, everything.
I hope this helped you a little more with the general questions! If you have any more that I forget about, go ahead and reach out on social media. Good luck!
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