my DD got a last minute scholarship to VT when she was pretty much decided on UA. She is trying to decide which is the better Fash Merchandising program. Any help here would be GREATLY appreciated!
Many thanks!
How much is the VT scholarship and are you in-state or OOS for Virginia?
$3K/yr and out of state
For us that would not move the needle enough on the total cost-of-attendance.
We love VT, our son got accepted - but he is not attending because of the COA compared to his other options (and the solid opportunities there). We have family connections to VT too so it’s even harder.
Thank you for you reply. . Both schools are beautiful, offer school spirit, greek life, great people but the program is the focus and we are trying to find out which one has a better program for job placement afterwards.
I’m sorry, wish I knew more about fashion merchandising! Wishing you guys luck. Have been to the VT campus many times and it’s a wonderful place.
You pretty much decided on UA, but 3k is now changing your mind? What is your net cost for each?
VT is an excellent school, which may or may not be better for that particular major. If your concern is job placement, you should ask those schools about it. I know nothing about that major, but I wonder if any tech school is known for significant placement into fashion merchandising.
Who knows how VT’s Fashion program is…it’s a tech school. lol
How much does each school cost you? I have heard excellent things about Bama’s FM program with student internships in NYC, and immediate job placement.
At Bama…
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During the first three years, students take courses that provide opportunities for constant interaction between faculty and students. To be successful, students need a strong grounding in merchandise management, marketing, information systems, human resources management, accounting, and economics.
During their senior year, students will complete an internship with a regional or national retailer, manufacturer, or buying office. Typical internship sites include New York City, Atlanta, Dallas, Charlotte, and Birmingham.
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“it’s a tech school. lol”
Virginia Tech is certainly more than a “tech school.” It has a wide number of majors, just like any major research university. http://www.vt.edu/academics/academic-departments.html
Fashion Merchandising and Design is a major within the Department of Apparel, Housing , and Resource Management. http://liberalarts.vt.edu/academics/majors-and-minors/fashion-merchandising-and-design.html
These are both very good schools, with great school spirit and strong alumni networks. Good luck with the decision.
http://www.fashion-schools.org/articles/top-75-fashion-merchandising-schools-us
@scamp101 , Does your daughter feel a better fit at one of the schools- have a preference separate from cost? Is the cost difference significant and would a higher priced option cause a hardship for your family?
My niece just graduated from UA in Fash Merch in Dec. She interned at Tory Burch in NYC and immediately got a job with Saks and lives in Brooklyn. She claims it’s because of the UA career placement center for her major.
I would think with a fashion merchandising major, you’d want to keep your undergraduate costs as low as possible. Otherwise you limit yourself when you graduate. Can you imagine trying to move to NYC (like for the Tory Burch internship mentioned above?) with $140K in student loan debt? Even though your parents co-signed, it puts a great deal of emotional pressure on a person.
VT out-of-state costs are significant, as great as the school is. I personally ran the numbers myself multiple times. Wanted VT to work for us very much. But it just doesn’t. And our son would arguably have a very marketable degree when he graduates, God willing.
^ I hope she’s now an Islanders fan
Anyway… 100% of the FM majors at Bama must do an internship during their senior year. Because of this, the dept has developed relationships with companies/designers.
OP…what are your net costs for each school? Will your child be taking any loans at either school? Will you?
MODERATOR’S NOTE: I had to delete a bunch of posts. Please help the OP by providing specific information. “X is a better school” is not helpful.
What is the cost of attendance at each of these schools? I would go with the most affordable option if your home state universities don’t offer comparable programs.
I can’t find anything specific to fashion majors at UA, but here are career placement stats for the College of Human Environmental Sciences, which is home to those majors:
http://www.ches.ua.edu/uploads/3/1/3/9/31390075/aafcs-info.pdf
LinkedIn has an active alumni group of “Graduates of the University of Alabama Fashion Retailing Program in the School of Human Environmental Sciences,” presently comprised of 364 members.
https://■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/groups/2738697/profile
I wasn’t able find anything comparable on LinkedIn for Virginia Tech’s Fashion Merchandising and Design program, but it might be under another name.
These are both good schools with good programs in the area the daughter is interested in. The OP has not indicated the family’s budget and what was agreed to before applications were made , whether both are within an agreed upon budget, or whether any loans would be involved for either (and the amount of loan). If both schools are still within budget, best fit could be important, as well as logistics ,etc. . If there is no clear preference and either is acceptable to the daughter, it might not hurt to go with the cheaper option and save a few bucks.
Sorry I haven’t been on since posting this but my daughter decided on VTech! Go Hokies! and couldn’t be happier with her decision. Especially with the recent Princeton Review where tech got #1 college in Quality of Life category…she is very very happy with her decision. In some ways, I felt the last minute email with the scholarship was divine intervention. We found out that NY is heavy with Tech alumni in the fashion world so internships and job placement are promising. And being that we are 45 min away on train living in NJ - hopefully the opportunities to work will be enhanced by being close in proximity. Thank you to all who responded! much appreciated!