"Let's Be Honest Here...FIDM Isn't All That Great!!"

**[okay, you know fidmlife isn't all happy go lucky, right? we started this blog to document the good, the bad, and the ugly. well, here's a blog rant from a fellow fidm student.]**

I’m going to keep it so real with all of ya’ll for a second. Tonight’s rant is going to be about FIDM and my experience, as well as my friends experiences.

Listen up…here’s my story and some advice for anyone who plans on attending fidm or is attending fidm or just graduated from this school.

I left community college to pursue my passion for all things related to fashion. At the time i didn’t know exactly what i wanted to do, but all i knew was that i wanted to work in the fashion industry. The only schools i knew and were familiar with and catered to my interests were The Art Institutes, The Academy of Art University and the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. (Mainly West coast schools). I ultimately decided to go with FIDM.

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stress.

there's this knot on my right shoulder right now that won't go away. it comes right around the same time every quarter. FINALS.

why is it there? because i am on S.T.R.E.S.S. overload.

no matter how hard i've worked for the last nine weeks in the quarter, the last day of class--which can take in the form of a major project, a porfolio, an oral presentation, or a good ol' fashion final examination--can be tremendously stressful.
i'm burnt out, i'm tired, i'm sleep-deprived... after this week, i am so ready to pass out.

"stress" is tension, both bodily or mentally; "state of alarm and adrenaline production, short-term resistance as a coping mechanism, and exhaustion, as well as irritability, muscular tension, inability to concentrate and a variety of physiological reactions such as headache and elevated heart rate" (wikipedia).

school, work, family, social situations, financial problems, and surroundings are all factors of stress. stress can lead to depression, high blood pressure, weight gain, muscle pain, and substance abuse.

someone recently spoke about stress in my organizational behavior class and i personally wanted to blog a little about it. we're all stressful, but we can't let that affect our schooling. (of course, it will a little) we still need a strong finish. so in an effort to try to relax before finals, i am writing a blog entry for thefidmlife. hey, a little perspective sometimes helps. enjoy the picture below. :-)

here's some tips on stress management strategies:

*find a good support system (friends, family, coworkers, advisors)
*excersie (seriously, it SOUNDS stressful, but it works)
*time management
*SLEEP
*relaxation/meditation - take a moment to be by yourself. get out of the city, walk around in a quiet place...talk to an old friend, pray.
*... BREATHE.

FIDM Students: Need Help Finding Scholarships?

FIDM's Scholarship Foundation will work one-on-one with you--at no charge--to uncover scholarship opportunities you may not know about. Contact Chanel Addison at 213-624-1200, ext. 2613 or just stop by the office. Located directly behind the Scholarship Store on the L.A. Campus, the Scholarship Foundation is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
You can also stop by the Financial Services Department on the L.A. Campus from 11:15 to 12:15 on Thursdays for free Scholarship counseling.

Repost from Kim A - FIDM Facebook

no money left?!

it's been over 4 weeks and fidm hasn't disperse my refund check! if you are a financial aid student, you know what i'm talking about. every new quarter, we, the student, send in a check request for whatever is left over from our tuition money. i am living off of the very little money i have left and scrambling to feed and house myself. this is getting way out of hand. what is going on? 

so i hear that due to the current economic turmoil, the government is not issuing out any funds to schools or intitution... WTF?! am i hearing this correctly? 

if this is true, you know that that means.... bend over and relax, honey, cuz we're all getting screwed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

[contributed by Michelle Sorlea and Juan Carlos]

IS FIDM WORTH SPENDING MONEY FOR?

Michael from YouTube "mastatagga" answers the question..



Watch the whole thing.

transferring OUT of fidm - part 1

there are 2 roads to walk down, but only one to choose. if i'm going to do this, i best do it now before it's too late. time to research and find a better and cheaper alternative to fidm...

fidm is way too expensive for me. let's be real. what was i thinking? because i have no family help, no grants left, and no co-signer for a private loan, i can't afford fidm tuition next fall and i will be forced to leave. it's heartbreaking to discover that the school i once thought was a dream come true is now becoming obsolete as a money-absorbing, goals-crushing vortex business. the financial aid office has been no help and my advisors are running out of answers. once again, i am left all alone. i don't even know what to do.

Money, Money, Money...

I'm not going to lie, FIDM is expensive! Tuition alone is about $23,000, add Room & Board to the mix and you're looking at about 40 something thousand a year... maybe more.

This year, after filling out my FAFSA (fafsa.ed.gov), I got my financial aid letter and I was still about $9,723 short. That is ridiculous. Where am I going to find that kind of money? I spoke with my admissions advisor and she offered an alternative of either taking out a PLUS (parent loan) or a private loan (https://www.fastproducts.org/alt/fidm). I really didn't want to take out ANOTHER loan so I was torn between going to FIDM or moving back home...

Fortunately, it turns out I had some Cal Grants that rolled over and just like that, it covered the rest of my shortcomings. Thank God! Right now I am working part time to pay for housing...

School is expensive, but if this is something you want, you will do what you need to do. It'll be hard now, but it's worth it in the long run. There are options out there, don't ever let MONEY be the factor that stop you from going to college and following your dreams. Make it work!

If you are a prospective student and you don't know anything about financial aid, don't be afraid to ask. Call or email your admissions advisor. They are ALWAYS there and they are willing to help answer any questions. Or leave us a question/comment, We've experienced it, we'll share what we can. ;)

--Rebecca

get your 'ish in when it's due!

If you are a financial aid student, get your Financial Literacy Online assignments completed ON TIME!

Or else, you'll be caught on campus around 6pm, trying to squeeze your late homework under Martha Ramos' door at the last week of school...

Or... you can't register for classes.

Be warned. Don't wait til the LAST Minute!

for more info: check out www.nslpflonline.org/