The trouble with grad school: New York! New York! pt.2

GRAD SCHOOL WEEK is here. It is time to wrap up my top 5 choices
It is time to stop being so indecisive and choose already! Of course if your admissions have already been placed at your pick of schools then this might come a little late. HOWEVER, this editor is honing in on her picks. That means I have way more work to do on my part in the coming months. The first step is to show my top 5 picks and why I chose them. Some are obvious, some are not so obvious. FIT made it first on the list. To find an updated analysis of FIT’s program click here. Next is….

Parsons
Deadline to apply is January 10
Link: http://www.newschool.edu
1)Marketing/Branding
This is a brand new program that is all of 2 years old. What stands out to me is that the program has room to expand. It will look to find and take advantage of feasible ways to do so. The program settles on the reputation of the schools’ current programs and the merits of the staff. There is no flashy marketing which is comforting when browsing 100s of programs with a similar focus.

2)Staff
Link: http://www.newschool.edu/parsons/ma-fashion-studies/
David Brody: a scholar of material culture, visual culture, and design studies. Focuses on bother broad and concise narratives.
Dr. Heike Jenss: Is the head of the department and has contributed one of the more interesting monographs to fashion history. She studied the acquisition and meaning behind the acquisition of second hand clothing.

3)Tuition/Cost of Living (per semester)
Tuition= 31,440 (at minimum)
General cost of living: $16,899-18,000 per year
= $48,000-49,000

4) Program Description and Highlights
Working with a program in its child phases are exciting times and the staff his very qualified. “Child Phase” is an overstatement as several professors, excluding the chair Dr. Heike Jenss, come from FIT’s program. They market themselves as less glamorous and more rigorous critical study. Some might be disappointed in the limitations of the program in comparison to others such as lack of study abroad programs. Again, there is a beauty in working with a shiny new program that differs from a program that is set in stone.

5)What You Need to Apply
Transcripts, Application, Essay Resume, 2 Letters of Recommendation, English proficiency test