Can a student with an AA degree from FIDM transfer to FIT for a Bachelor degree?

Answers:
"You have several choices when it comes to FIDM. I attended and am working in the industry with my AA degree but I am now working on my BS at FIDM. FIT grads with a BA are still a year or two behind FIDM AA grads. I have worked with both in the industry and there is no comparison. FIDM does now have the BS in Business Management that is a great option but not required by the industry. If your goal it to work in NY stay there and attend FIT if not you should go to FIDM or another college on the west coast. Right now no one can touch what FIDM does. Hope that helps." --Nikki

"FIDM really provided everything I needed to make it in the industry. I got my A.A and landed a great position after graduating. I have also visited FIT and New York and loved it there too but in the end I knew that I could make a name for myself in California and Los Angeles. I owe my sucess to FIDM's education and if anything I personally feel that anyone can make it anywhere if they really apply themselves to looking for positions in the fashion and entertainment industries. I interned while at FIDM in a Merchandise Marketing Assistant position for a local designer and then was offered a full time job for a well known fashion company. But, its never too late to start looking out there to get into the industry because FIDM has plenty of resources and job positions available at their Career Center. My Career Advisor couldnt have been more helpful and I still keep in touch with her today. In the end it is really your decision but I am glad I let FIDM take me as far as it could. I am glad I gave myself a chance to see if my heart and dreams could really belong in L.A. I do see travel in my future in my current position so New York might be a place where I can start a career there as well! Who knows but I am really loving where I am now!" --Anonymous

one more week.

Just wanted to check in...

I am 4 finals away from being done! I have my Applied Management FINAL presentation today... one on Thursday, an exam next week, and then my portfolio presentation Wednesday.

WOW. As much as I want school to be over, I get teary-eyed just thinking about graduation.

THIS IS IT.

Today, I am dressed professionally for my presentation... but I feel like a zombie--still dead, halfasleep. This week, I'll tell you, is nothing short of hell.

Just one more week... one more week....ONE more week to get through.

If I make it and I survive... I will be back to blog. Until then, good luck with your killer finals.

xo

merchandise marketing everyday.

You hear a lot of stories about what's it's like to be a Fashion Design student at FIDM. Well, today I'm here to talk about being a Merchandise Marketing student. Let me just tell you, we are pretty much the business brains behind this industry. Okay, this industry is all about co-dependency. We need the creative designs, we appreciate the visual displays, and we praise constant product development, but let's admit it... without the merchandise marketing, how are you running your businesses? We are the buyers, managers, allocators, planners, merchandisers, etc. etc. etc......

And although our days (and nights) aren't consumed with draping, sewing, pattern-making, or flat-sketching... we are up late too! Working on trends board, calculating six-month plans, writing purchase orders, drawing up story boards, researching promotions, putting together a complete employee-handbook, studying business and merchandising strategies, etc. etc. etc!!!

So how do you tell a the difference between FD student and a MM student? Well, one is rolling around a huge black back full of sewing kits with large manila-paper patterns dangling behind them. They look like they haven't slept in weeks. And the other, well, we may have had only 4-6 hours of sleep for the week, but we pull ourselves together. We carry one bag full of nothing but textbooks and the most important item of all: a calculator. Merchandise Marketing everyday, that's how we roll. :)

further procrastination.

Have you ever started to work on that paper (in this case, my 5-page paper on ethics for INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS) that you ABSOLUTELY need to get done, but look around your messy surroundings and think to yourself, "Self, we can't work on anything in a mess like this," and start cleaning instead of writing...and I mean major cleaning like washing all the dishes, vacuuming, doing laundry, putting your roommate's stuff away, washing the windows, scrubbing the toilet??

Well, that's what I did this weekend. Instead of concentrating on my paper, I did whatever else I could to avoid it. My apartment is now squeaky clean and my page is still........

..................................blank. :/

Question of the Week

How are classes at FIDM different from other colleges?

Class is just like any other school, you register, you show up, there's an instructor, there's homework/assignments/projects...but the material is all fashion based. Math classes have to do with retail, and cost, and markdowns, science has to do with textiles, history has to do with costume.. etc etc. The classes are pretty small, and the teachers vary. I picked most of my classes based on the teacher. Ratemyprofessor.com is a great resource for knowing about teachers before you pick a class.

Take the stairs. Thats my one advice!

- Lana, Merchandise Marketing

Mrs. Blecks

It's 8:39AM, she’s late. Where is our teacher? It’s bad enough that I have to take this class on a Friday morning, but to wait around in the hallway—still half asleep, wondering if I’ll ever make it through class… this is dreadful. “Selling Techniques” is what they call it – already it sounds boring as hell. All I can think to myself was, ‘what did I get myself into?’

8:42 AM, there she is. Finally. With her black rolling bag following behind her, the blonde A-line, bob-haired lady walks pass the students waiting by the door, “Oh you’re all waiting for me?”

No lady…we just like to stand around here on a Friday morning.

She had a serious face and doesn’t seem to smile much. ‘Oh god, she looks like a mean one….here we go,’ I thought as I walked passed her.

To avoid being too close to Ms. Late* at the front and to avoid being called on in the back, I took a seat in the middle of the room. The usual greeting and introductions took place, not the most exciting, but at least it killed some time.

After a few stories, Ms. Teacher* here didn’t seem so mean—or boring—after all. Actually, she’s quite the funny lady and, dare I say, cool. Once a pro herself, out in the field of being a sales representative, my instructor had so many interesting and inspiring stories. There’s this calm and extraordinary ambiance to her and after all the “what have you’s” she manages to sound so witty and charming. I remember laughing throughout class, even while taking notes. Really? Can class really be educational and fun, all at the same time?!

Ms. Funny Lady* taught us straight from the textbook, but added real stories and humor to the lectures, making class so much more enjoyable. I’ll be honest here…the 2.5 hour period flew by and felt like only 20 minutes. No kidding.

To keep this short, let me say that I truly enjoyed my Selling Techniques class. I definitely learned so much more than I had anticipated. And that’s just the beauty of attending this school. An outstanding faculty defines a college. One of the best things about FIDM is the fact that they hire instructors who are professionals and have incomparable industry experience to teach us. I can’t tell you how invaluable that is.


* Teacher name not disclosed for obvious reasons

One year down...

Today marks one whole year since I moved to Los Angeles. I can’t believe it. Maybe it’s the double shot espresso I had in my coffee this morning, but the last few months went by so fast, I can’t help but feel like I’ve skipped out on some things… Has it seriously been a year? Halloween, check. Thanksgiving, check. Christmas, check. New Year’s, check. Okay… I remember going through the Holidays, vaguely, but there must be more. I turned 22? When did that happen? Why has everything become such a blur? Maybe it’s the hectic schedule of juggling five classes a quarter and a part-time job, maybe it’s the constant stress of too much to do and so little time, maybe it’s the sleep deprivation, or maybe it’s, again, that coffee kicking in making my mind move a mile a minute. Whatever it is – this year shows no sign of slowing down. Before I can catch my breath, I’ll be walking down to Staples Center to get my diploma from FIDM. Then what? One year down, one more to go… Life at FIDM in this super fast-paced Los Angeles keeps throwing me into a complete whirlwind. So, with my priorities still intact, I plan on making this year worthwhile. Not saying that events need to be life-changing, but I cannot let another year go by with no real, remarkable fulfillment.

FIDM's (best) Instructors

...everyone's talking.

"If I don't sleep...that's 8 hours I can use to finish my project!"
--Roberto R., 4th year Architecture

"That Brick Beige Prisma marker color is $3.15. I need two. There goes my lunch money.
-- Kathy S., Product Development

"If I miss one class at FIDM, that's a week's worth of material."
--Jenn B., Fashion Design

"I would sell all my clothes if it adds up to $700 so I could help Michelle pay for housing."
-- Megan W., Fashion

"1 week: 15 hours of schooling, 30 hours of working, 5 hours of on-campus volunteer activities, 35 hours of studying... what a life."
--Stacy L., Mechandise Marketing

Call us crazy. Do what you love, love what you do.

blogging

right now i am taking 5 classes: merchandising strategies, consumer behavior, trend analysis, merchandising math, and color and design theory. i enjoy all but one. Merchandising strategies is my least favorite class because i just don't care for it. everything is retail and perhaps i went into the wrong field, but i absolutely can't stand retail. maybe it's just a phase... hopefully it is. i don't know we'll see.

anywho.. it's valentine's day and i'm sitting at home studying for this class. i have a midterm on wednesday, i'm not ready, i don't understand the concept.. and the teacher doesn't like me very much. whatever.

trend, i love. math, challenging... but i don't hate it. color and design is fun. consumer is okay... teacher is cool. strategies... boring.

maybe i should go through school a little more positive. but HELLO! i'm at fidm. besides all the bimbos that i have to deal with on a daily basis, here i am trying to figure out what to do with my life. following your dreams is not so easy. actually it's NOT easy. it was tough, but with just 2 and a half quarters left to go before graduation, i'm freaking out! what the heck am i going to do in the "real" world? the market is scary right now. people with degrees are getting laid off! the economy is screwing everyone up... and in this industry, we're getting hit pretty hard.

pretty hard.

Trend Analysis - WI 09

My trend analysis class is pretty chill so far... it's a big class, but it's one that I won't be bored in. Our teacher, Kevin Keele, is pretty much the funniest guy at FIDM. He never fails to make us laugh. Class is always interesting...

I'll keep you updated.

Doing surveys on campus

It's a given that you'll have project or multiple projects in your classes... and many times you'll be put in groups to work on them.

Last quarter for my Marketing Essentials class, my team and I had to come up with a new product and try to market it out to our customers. There's still a lot to learn about this industry, but with a product in mind, we wanted to jump start by trying to get to know who are target consumers are. So... we went all over campus and passed out surveys to all students, staff, and faculty asking aout their use of handbags, bookbags, tote-bags, rolling bags, etc. The results... we're still waiting. :)

Pictured above is one of my team member, Nora....from Norway. She's always so chic!

AX: You Make Me Feel

For my Retail Environment course project, I focused my research on Armani Exchange, specifically, the location on Sunset Blvd in West Hollywood. Over the span of 9 weeks, 6 visits, 3 interviews, and 2 blazers from the AX sales rack... my 35-page-paper was finally complete. From the history of Armani, to location evaluation, to target customer, to merchandise assortments, to competitons, the list goes on! I can recite Giorgio Armani's and AX's mission statements in my sleep!

This project was pretty intense, but I enjoyed every aspect of it. If you're going into Merchandise Marketing or Fashion Merchandising... it is vital that you understand the retail business environment. During the course of this assignment, I had to take myself out of a consumer's perspective and work from a retailer's and buyer's point of view.


"You Make Me Feel" was Armani Exchange's Holiday ad campaign slogan for 2008. With the concept of feeling special and making someone else feel special, AX reaches out to their customers during the holiday through a sensual, touchy-feeling, emotional approach. I have always been a loyal fan of AX - the way the tailored jackets narrow my waist and square up my shoulders... I sit a little straighter, I walk a little taller. AX makes me feel...confident, happy, luxe...

But after this project, I am feeling exhausted, sleep-deprived, and broke...

Some words of wisdom: 1.) Details, details, details!! Especially if you're taking Wallace. She's a tough grader. 2.) Pick a brand/designer/store that you actually like... or are loyal to. You'll be more passionate about this assignment and it shows during the oral presentation. 3.) Stay Organize.. it's a hefty load but if you keep your stuff together, it's be alright.