Parsons The New School For Design

If you haven’t spent time as a student here, don’t rate it based on your tour or the impression they give the visiting public. It’s all form over function and so post-​modern than good technique and students that actually care about what they’re doing (or cared to begin with) are in the minority. I’m embarrassed to say I went there, but I did have a few good individual professors that also seemed to hate what the institution has morphed into. It’s a scam of an institution, and it seems like their investments are all going towards one publicity stunt after the next… IE, the totally unneeded multi-​million dollar rebranding.

I love my school. The architecture is one of a kind. The school is huge. Has few halls, cafés, huge printers, a lot of mac computers, even laser cutting, 3d printing machines and many more. Im lucky to study here. Its extremely expensive for international students though. Which is unfair.

Being honest I love this school. Great atmosphere, equipments and launch room. Beautiful!!!

***This review is intended for those considering Parsons The New School for Design for their undergraduate studies.***
1. The TL;DR version for those who have already made the decision to go:
— Do shop designer sample sales to look just as chic as the daughters of the Middle Eastern elite and Asian jetset, but for 50−75% off retail price. (Download the Sample Closet app to get alerts on all ongoing and forthcoming sample sales.)
— Do take advantage of classes offered by other New School programs.
— Do apply to be an RA (Resident Advisor in the dorms) for the chance to get FREE HOUSING IN NYC. I REPEAT, FREE HOUSING. NO RENT, PEOPLE. (Also, your federal loans accrue less interest.)
— Don’t turn into one of those «Can’t-Live-Without-NYC» New Yorkers. (Please refer to the excellent metaphor of self-​imposed concentration camp victim and prison guard in the 1981 Louis Malle film, My Dinner With André.)
2. For those who may be on the fence about going:
As a prospective undergrad, what attracted me most about Parsons — besides its location in New York — was its affiliation with The New School. This is one great advantage that Parsons has over other design schools that do not operate under the umbrella of a larger institution. Experimentation and crossing disciplines is an important part of the undergraduate learning experience. For my part, I took writing classes at Lang, filmmaking classes at the General Studies school, and had a bit part in a Lang theater production (SO much fun!). I also, with my team, won an award with LVMH and took advantage of the internship listings available exclusively to Parsons students, resulting in three years at a prestigious publications house.
I humblebrag to make a point, which is that the possibilities and opportunities are endless IF YOU SEEK THEM. Otherwise, unlike a campus college, no one is going to reach out to you to offer you options, options that could turn into distractions that take you away from your studies. The Parsons experience is the city experience; you are very much a part of the fabric of New York, commuting and working and being broken into the crazy-​busy life of a New Yorker just like the rest of its inhabitants.
However, if you think that you need to study at Parsons — or in the city, for that matter — to get internships that will lead to jobs, that is not always the case. My first job out of college had nothing to do with my internships. And interestingly enough, my friends who went to schools in the city had more circuitous routes to their current jobs than friends who went to school out-​of-​state. These out-​of-​state friends didn’t have any connections in high places; except for the ones in finance who were recruited at campus job fairs, the rest just applied persistently for their opportunities.
The biggest con in my perception of The New School as an alumna is that it seems to operate more as a business and less as a school committed to the quality of its education.
There are more adjunct and part-​time instructors than full-​time and many of them, I’m sorry to say, are incompetent and far too busy with their own careers aside from teaching to bother with their classes. (This would be marketed by the school as, «Learn from professionals who are connected to the real world,» or something to that effect.)
I suspect that whatever profit is being made is invested into its makeover in order to attract more students, and thus more money. As soon as I’d graduated, the school started calling me and MY PARENTS asking for donations! What gall!
I assume selectivity rates are generally low, esp for international students who pay twice the already exorbitant tuition. If there’s anything that my senior portfolio class taught me, it’s that four years of design instruction does NOT drive good taste or basic design sensibilities into some students’ heads. Even for a «to each, her own» kind of person like me, some of these final presentations were just downright embarrassing and did not justify the price tag on their education.
I believe that true talent will find its way to opportunity, no matter which school you’re coming from. You should consider Parsons only if you can afford it without taking from your middle-​class parents’ savings or from your future. Otherwise, consider a campus school where you can dedicate yourself wholly to your craft and enjoy being a kid for a little longer. You can apply for summer internships in the city and relish New York that way, without feeling burnt out.

Be careful if you need to drop a continuing ed course… Even if you drop it five days before the class starts, you’d better make sure you drop it before the «first day of classes;» so even though you never went to the class and you dropped it before the first class, they will refund your tuition LESS 10%. And that adds up because their courses are expensive. I’m going to stick with FIT for now.

Hopefully Unilocal does not filter or delete this post because this is just a small portion yet honest truth about Parsons and the undergraduate program. My total student debt on paper is $ 93,000.
Expenses:
My best friend worked in admissions, the school has at least an 85% acceptance rate with a record amount of people coming in so the cost of tuition and housing is a rip-​off. Parsons hardly gives students scholarship money for what it is capable of giving and if you ask for it or an increase, prepare to feel like a lawyer defending a guilty criminal in court. The BFA scholarship is prepared and granted the first day you start at school. This is loosely based on portfolio and what they want to give. They say you can not get more money from this scholarship but that is a lie because you can and should keep trying until you get the maximum amount if you are from a middle to lower income family. There is no assistance in finding scholarships or grants. Financial aid is terrible. The student dining facilities are as expensive or more than local restaurants; for a small salad and water is around $ 10. The rise in tuition is correlated to the construction of a new building on 5^th avenue which is absurd.
Curriculum:
Unorganized. 6 – 7 class minimum per semester. It is setup so you can take university wide classes but you never know what work load you are setting yourself up for when your Parsons classes are all intense and project based. You can be in the same degree program as someone and they will be taking classes that require less and they are able to focus all their energy on their thesis work while you could be taking classes that throw 15 page papers at you while trying to do 5 other project based classes. Parsons gives 1 to 3 credits for a class while Lang gives 3 to 4 so Parsons students have an odd number of credits for graduation and way more classes to take to graduate. The Parsons building is extremely uncomfortable. Rooms are typically blank white rooms with no desks, only painters stools and poor lighting. Lang is much nicer, better equipped, a little cheaper, and more engaged students. I’ve heard great things about the continuing education and the AAS programs.
Teachers:
Teachers are paid to show up and preach about what they think is good or bad art. Opinions are useful but for the money you could get that anywhere. It is an art and fashion based school with little in between. The photography department focuses on gallery based work and not much else. In the world of photography there are sports, editorial, commercial, news coverage, but Parsons seems to skip all that or only hints at it. Once I was told during my Junior year by a professor that if I made portraits as if I was a closeted gay, my work would be better. Senior year is poorly conducted and departmental bureaucracy creates unnecessary stressful situations. Tell any of your professors you are struggling and have not eaten or slept in months, they practically walk out of the room on you because they know things are out of control and are afraid to speak up about how Parsons needs to adjust the parameters of most programs.
Registering:
Registering for a class is very competitive. You have to go online and research all your courses, write down the CRN’s, and have everything prepared for registration day, which is normal but… a week or so before, they send an email which splits your whole class into two groups depending on your last name. Pray you are in the first group to register. The first group can login at 8am and usually get their classes, the second group is usually at 9 or 10am. If you are in the first group, within the first 30 seconds of registration, several classes are filled up and closed out.
Students:
It is almost all entirely 18 – 20 year olds, white, and affluent. You have to be in the in-​group to make friends with anyone so it is a very lonely school on top of being in a very lonely city. People will not notice or talk to you unless you talk to them and most people do not care to talk to you unless your are trendy or popular (high school mentality). The general population very pretentious and operates within a bubble of the real world. Very little diversity.
Career:
This is never talked about within classes related to your major. It is always promoted that after graduating everyone will starve and do unpaid internships which is what I did (to the extreme) for the entirety of my undergraduate experience. I’d have to say most everyone is typically devising their career path outside of school. The career center typically does not do any research outside of what gets handed to them by outside employers. Many students have connections in the business before coming to school via family and friends. Several of those students are already in training to be production managers and such before they even gradate while the hard working students trying to get into an industry of their study have some success.

Came here for a gallery opening (Public/​Private). Cool exhibits and interesting people abound. The staff does a great job here to keep it classy without being snooty.

I haven’t watched television in over a year. In fact, I don’t remember the last time I actually sat down and watched a television show. Yes, this once media-​lovin’, US Weekly reading, Instyle subscriber chick, loss all interest in pop culture. Mostly, had to do with time spent focusing on myself rather than vicariously living through the Kardashians.
However, one of the shows I used to love watching was, «Project Runway.» I remember racing home on Wednesday nights after yoga, so I could hear Tim Gunn (who happens to live on the UWS) say, «Make it Work!» Anyway, I loved seeing the fashion and what the contestants would concoct with the most random materials. That deep seed of interest remained in me as I visited Parsons.
The building is white (surprise, surprise) and massive. Around the «museum,» there are different types of artwork displayed. From the most random, abstract structures, to a «Really, old skool Nikes on a flat board is considered art?» Might as well throw up my old pumps, too.
I’ve always been fascinated with how people perceive art. Or how it manifests itself into a form that people can understand. Often times, I appreciate the laborious effort an artist puts into his/​her work, yet, I still scratch my head in confusion. So, the fact that those twines are twisted clockwise means there’s more fluidity in motion? Riiiiight.
Yet, there were still some great pieces that I enjoyed. I was hoping to see fashion more than statues and stuff. I think you have to go to FIT Museum to see actual clothing.

This review is from the perspective of a visitor. I’ve only been to the Engineering building’s twelfth floor for a few events run by the New School Game Club.
The floor was just a large warehouse-​like open space in which chairs, desks, and wall panels could be rearranged however students pleased. I’m guessing the school’s staff isn’t very strict allowing the creativity of students thrive.
The students who were working on various projects were all lax, passionate about remote helicopters, ipad games, and finicky electronics.
It is what I imagine an ideal work environment to be.
I’m not sure what the purpose of this review was. I just had a good vibe, and I guess I’m a bit jealous that my school was nowhere near as cool as this.

Parson’s is a great school not only for fashion design but for other design related degrees as well. I love this school!

Got me to leave South Carolina. I go to Parsons not for fashion but for Interior Design, however I have some friends in fashion-​like many have said-it’s a love/​hate relationship. If you can survive the 4 years you will most likely get a great job at the end of it.
Keep in mind that you will work your ass off, no life outside school, all nighters are a norm., and most likely you will not have the time to enjoy the city as much as you thought you were going to. Also straight, good looking men do NOT go to this school period-​I guess that’s not a surprise haha.
However, you will meet some amazing contacts and get some real world experiences, and access to resources that you wouldn’t have otherwise. Also many of the internships through the school are fashion related so that’s always a great opportunity if your going into that sort of thing. Also the garment district in NY def. owns L. A-​the variety of different fabrics is amazing!
Additionally, I wish someone would have told me before I transferred to Parsons to prepare yourself as much as you can before you start school-​for me that entails drafting, model making, autocad, rhino, ect. For fashion I would assume sewing, draping, mastering how to draw croquis, familiarity with textiles and fabrics, ect. Good luck!

Once again I agree with Ro mostly
Parsons got me to leave community college and get the ball of life rolling.
It taught me how to work my be-​hind off.
While its expensive and consumes your entire life, you meet amazing contacts and are sent with both feet into which ever industry you’re involved in. I’m ready to graduateeee!
Organization though… sometimes I’m pulling my hair out, but you get used to it
I love parsons, ok I admit it

I am currently a senior at Parson’s and proud to be so… While yes, this school is very expensive it also provides you with some of the top contacts in whatever field you decide to go into. NO, not all the teachers love what they do you do sometimes find those gems of teachers who love what they and push you to the edge and you end up with some amazing things. I would suggest if you got into this school try it out it sucks at first and it’s hard work. it’s late nights it long hours and you end up taking classes that you do not want to take but you do that at any school i transferred from 2 other schools one in nyc and the other was in san fran… Parson’s was the best by far and I feel confident that i will be able to find a job at the end of it all and isnt that the point of college?

If you want to waste about 60G and 2 years of your life on a masters program than this is the place for you! If you want to be tossed into the mass of students and be over looked then you should go here. If you want to be constantly harassed by security guards who obviously didn’t finish their schooling and ending up hating students that actually got into school and can go then you should go here. I for one am not into this masochistic behavior and did not enjoy my time spent there. I got my masters there and sometimes I wonder why I just didn’t take some continuing education classes instead.
My dept especially was filled with design failures that ended up teaching and hated it. It was filled with a politics and high school behavior amongst the faculty. Those who were promoted to director positions did not deserve it nor were able to handle the pressure nor the responsibilities of it. Unprofessional behavior was rampant there. There was no budget to do anything because apparently it was spent on other useless things that 1 particular student wanted or needed. There was favoritism, a few select students were chosen and the rest of the students were left to fend for themselves. Not very friendly. You are left to fend for yourself, find ways to get supplies and do your own projects. Forces you to be resourceful, but critics were sometime useless and made personal attacks at students rather than the actual work.
I feel that the undergrad program was better than the masters program. Not worth it. Fake, backstabbing and unprofessional. And the president of the school has political ties that he brought to graduation. Students were NOT amused.

This is the school that got me to pack my bags and leave the dirty South.
3 stars-​because I have a love and hate relationship.
I hate it because I missed a REAL college experience, scarcity of straight good looking men, and for taking my life away.
I love it because the classes are small and it’s near me. I like it better than FIT because they are more organized than FIT.

I took some fashion design classes here, albeit a pretty long time ago, and had a great time. The teachers were good, and very patient with my gross inability to draw, cut, or sew anything in a straight line (maybe that’s why I stick to finance these days). I still know, in theory, how to pattern, cut, and sew a skirt, should I ever decide to. However, I’d rather go buy a Theory skirt… hardy har har.

I finished my design studies at Parson about a year and a half ago and aside from the ugly building and poor facilities I’ve found the instruction itself to be hit or miss. The hits came from professors who were well experienced in the field who had a lot of professional and personal insight into the various classes they covered. The misses mostly came from recent graduate students who had little experience in their field and also little expertise in teaching. Overall I had more professors in the hits category but there were some real disappointments.
The other students were interesting though and came from all kinds of backgrounds and although this is a somewhat expensive school its not filled with rich brats as you might find in other pricey NY schools.

Parsons. Where else can you pay $ 40k a year to go and spend nearly every waking hour of your day for four whole years in a building with no climate control, security guards who harass you and call you stupid and scary unisex bathrooms with no lights and wild west swinging saloon style doors that don’t lock? To be fair, I’m not a fashion student, so it’s very possible that their big fancy building way up on 7^th ave has like, you know, sinks that work in their bathrooms, but I wouldn’t know.
Actually, I love this school and I’m glad that I go here. but I am kind of bummed out over the way the New School is taking over and mucking things up. They’ve also started letting way too many people in since all the Project Runway business (Tim Gunn doesn’t even work here anymore, dudes), which is especially a downer for smaller departments (like photography) that already have such limited space and facilities as is.
Lastly, please don’t judge us by the hideous new logo that the New School people forced upon us. We all hate it too and are embarrassed by the fact that a supposedly top level design school is being represented by a circa 1992 design clearly chosen by some out of touch dude in a suit.

Don’t be fooled.
Parsons is not just about the Fashion, there’re other majors too.
First most of the design students go through Foundation year, where they start to show you how the work load strips you away from social life and enjoying the city. (not to mention, tuition strips you from any other expenses other than school stuff)
You get a good glimpse at the people working in the industies of design, and how a concept gets realized.
Teachers are good (not all, like every where), they might know how to design and think like a designer-​pro, but they’re definitely inefficient as a teacher.
I give it a 45% of «getting through with it for the diploma (name) of the school».

Don’t let «Project Runway’ give you the wrong idea. This is a very serious college that teaches you real skills in succeeding in the fashion industry. This is place is no joke, you will need endless energy, little need for sleep and thick skin to weather the blunt, if sometimes harsh critiques of industry people who know what they’re talking about. To succeed in fashion, you don’t get by with one outfit, you need a collection that will ‘wow’ whomever your client is that day every day.