How to Choose a Beauty School near Crawfordsville Indiana
Once you have decided to become a cosmetologist and attend a beauty school near Crawfordsville IN, the process starts to find and enroll in the right school. It’s essential that the program you choose not only provides the necessary instruction for the specialty you have selected, but also prepares you for passing the licensing examination. When you start your initial search, you might be rather puzzled about the difference between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don’t be, because the titles are essentially interchangeable and both relate to the same kind of school. We’ll speak a bit further about that in the next section. If you intend on commuting to classes you will want to choose a school that is within driving distance of your Crawfordsville residence. Tuition will also be an important factor when evaluating possible schools. Just keep in mind that because a school is the nearest or the least expensive it’s not necessarily the ideal choice. There are various other factors that you should weigh when reviewing schools, such as their reputation and accreditation. We will examine what questions you should ask concerning the cosmetology schools you are thinking about later in this article. Before we do, let’s discuss a little bit about what cosmetology is, and what kinds of training programs are offered.
Defining Cosmetology
Cosmetology is an occupation that is all about making the human anatomy look more attractive through the use of cosmetics. So of course it makes sense that numerous cosmetology schools are described as beauty schools. Most of us think of makeup when we hear the word cosmetics, but actually a cosmetic may be almost anything that enhances the look of a person’s skin, hair or nails. In order to work as a cosmetologist, the majority of states mandate that you undergo some type of specialized training and then become licensed. Once you are licensed, the work settings include not only Crawfordsville IN beauty salons and barber shops, but also such venues as spas, hotels and resorts. Many cosmetologists, once they have acquired experience and a customer base, launch their own shops or salons. Others will start servicing customers either in their own residences or will go to the client’s house, or both. Cosmetology college graduates have many titles and are employed in a wide range of specialties including:
- Hairdressers
- Hairstylists
- Beauticians
- Barbers
- Manicurists
- Nail Technicians
- Makeup Artists
- Hair Coloring Specialists
- Estheticians
- Electrolysis Technicians
As formerly stated, in the majority of states practicing cosmetologists must be licensed. In some states there is an exception. Only those offering more skilled services, for instance hairstylists, are required to be licensed. Other people working in cosmetology and less skilled, such as shampooers, are not required to get licensed in those states.
Cosmetologist Degrees
There are primarily two options offered to receive cosmetology training and a credential upon completion. You can enroll in a certificate (or diploma) program, or you can pursue an Associate’s degree. Certificate programs normally take 12 to 18 months to complete, while an Associate’s degree usually takes about 2 years. If you enroll in a certificate program you will be instructed in each of the major areas of cosmetology. Briefer programs are available if you prefer to specialize in just one area, for example hair coloring. A degree program will also likely feature management and marketing training in order that graduates are better prepared to run a parlor or other Crawfordsville IN business. More advanced degrees are not prevalent, but Bachelor and Master’s degree programs are available in such areas as salon or spa management. Whatever type of course you opt for, it’s imperative to make sure that it’s approved by the Indiana Board of Cosmetology. Numerous states only certify schools that are accredited by certain highly regarded agencies, such as the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS). We will cover the benefits of accreditation for the school you choose in the next segment.
Online Cosmetologist Schools
Online cosmetology programs are convenient for Crawfordsville IN students who are employed full time and have family responsibilities that make it hard to enroll in a more traditional school. There are a large number of web-based cosmetology school programs offered that can be accessed by means of a home computer or laptop at the student’s convenience. More traditional beauty programs are typically fast paced because many programs are as brief as six or eight months. This means that a considerable amount of time is spent in the classroom. With internet courses, you are covering the same volume of material, but you are not spending numerous hours away from your home or travelling back and forth from classes. However, it’s imperative that the program you pick can provide internship training in area salons and parlors so that you also obtain the hands-on training needed for a comprehensive education. Without the internship part of the training, it’s difficult to gain the skills necessary to work in any area of the cosmetology profession. So make sure if you decide to enroll in an online school to verify that internship training is provided in your area.
Questions to Ask Cosmetology Training Programs
Below is a series of questions that you need to look into for any cosmetology training school you are considering. As we have already discussed, the location of the school relative to your Crawfordsville IN home, as well as the expense of tuition, will most likely be your first qualifiers. Whether you want to earn a certificate, diploma or a degree will no doubt be next on your list. But once you have reduced your school options based on those initial qualifications, there are additional factors that you must research and take into consideration before enrolling in a cosmetology school. Following we have collected several of those additional questions that you should ask every school before making a final selection.
Is the School Accredited? It’s necessary to make sure that the cosmetology college you choose is accredited. The accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education certified local or national organization, such as the National Accrediting Commission for Cosmetology Arts & Sciences (NACCAS). Schools accredited by the NACCAS must measure up to their high standards ensuring a quality curriculum and education. Accreditation may also be necessary for acquiring student loans or financial aid, which typically are not obtainable in 47933 for non- accredited schools. It’s also a criteria for licensing in some states that the training be accredited. And as a concluding benefit, numerous Crawfordsville IN employers will not employ recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or may look more positively upon those with accredited training.
Does the School have a Good Reputation? Any cosmetology school that you are seriously considering should have a good to outstanding reputation within the profession. Being accredited is a good beginning. Next, ask the schools for endorsements from their network of employers where they have placed their students. Verify that the schools have high job placement rates, indicating that their students are highly regarded. Visit rating companies for reviews in addition to the school’s accrediting agencies. If you have any contacts with Crawfordsville IN salon owners or managers, or any person working in the business, ask them if they are familiar with the schools you are considering. They might even be able to propose others that you had not looked into. And finally, contact the Indiana school licensing authority to find out if there have been any complaints submitted or if the schools are in full compliance.
What’s the School’s Focus? A number of beauty schools offer programs that are broad in nature, concentrating on all facets of cosmetology. Others are more focused, offering training in a particular specialty, for example hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs frequently broaden into a management and marketing curriculum. So it’s essential that you decide on a school that specializes in your area of interest. If your objective is to be trained as an esthetician, make certain that the school you enroll in is accredited and well regarded for that program. If your aspiration is to launch a hair salon in Crawfordsville IN, then you want to enroll in a degree program that will teach you how to be an owner/operator. Picking a highly regarded school with a poor program in the specialty you are seeking will not provide the training you require.
Is Plenty of Hands-On Training Provided? Practicing and perfecting cosmetology skills and techniques requires plenty of practice on people. Find out how much live, hands-on training is included in the cosmetology courses you will be attending. Some schools have salons on site that make it possible for students to practice their developing talents on real people. If a beauty academy offers minimal or no scheduled live training, but rather depends predominantly on utilizing mannequins, it might not be the most effective alternative for cultivating your skills. So look for alternate schools that offer this type of training.
Does the School have a Job Placement Program? As soon as a student graduates from a beauty academy, it’s important that he or she gets aid in securing that first job. Job placement programs are an integral part of that process. Schools that offer aid maintain relationships with Crawfordsville IN businesses that are searching for qualified graduates available for hiring. Check that the programs you are looking at have job placement programs and find out which salons and organizations they refer students to. In addition, find out what their job placement rates are. High rates not only affirm that they have wide networks of employers, but that their programs are highly regarded as well.
Is Financial Aid Offered? Most cosmetology schools provide financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Check if the schools you are reviewing have a financial aid office. Consult with a counselor and identify what student loans or grants you might get approved for. If the school belongs to the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), it will have scholarships available to students as well. If a school satisfies all of your other qualifications with the exception of cost, do not discard it as an alternative before you determine what financial assistance may be available.
Enrolled in Cosmetology School near Crawfordsville IN?
If you have decided to attend Beauty School in the greater Crawfordsville IN area, following is some interesting and perhaps useful information about the location of your new school campus.
Crawfordsville, Indiana
Crawfordsville is a city in Montgomery County in west central Indiana, U.S., 49 mi. west by northwest of Indianapolis.[7] As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 15,915. The city is the county seat of Montgomery County, the only chartered city and largest populated place in the county.[8] The nearest populous city is Lafayette/West Lafayette metropolitan area, 30 mi. north by road. It is home to Wabash College, which was ranked by Forbes as #12 in the United States for undergraduate studies in 2008.[9]
Crawfordsville was founded adjacent to Sugar Creek, a southern tributary of the Wabash River, in 1823 by Virginian Major Ambrose Whitlock, U.S. army, who served under Gen. "Mad" Anthony Wayne in the Northwest Indian War. The city was named for fellow Virginian William H. Crawford, who was Secretary of the Treasury under Presidents Madison and Monroe at that time. Whitlock was the first settler in the town.
In 1813, Williamson Dunn, Henry Ristine, and Major Ambrose Whitlock noted that the site of present-day Crawfordsville was ideal for settlement, surrounded by deciduous forest and potentially arable land, with water provided by a nearby creek, later named Sugar Creek. They returned a decade later to find at least one cabin built. In 1821, William and Jennie Offield had built a cabin on a little creek, later to be known as Offield Creek, four miles southwest of the future site of Crawfordsville.
Pick the Right Beauty Program near Crawfordsville IN
Selecting and enrolling in the right cosmetology college is important to receive the appropriate training to become a licensed cosmetology practitioner. Be sure to ask all the questions that you need to in order to feel certain about your decision. Be sure to organize all of the information you receive from the cosmetology school admissions departments, prioritize what matters the most to you, and then employ that data to compare schools. A reasonable beginning in your due diligence process is to make sure that the college and program you decide on are accredited and have outstanding reputations within the profession. If you begin with that base, and answer the additional questions supplied in this post, you will be able to reduce your list of schools so that you can make the proper choice. And when you graduate and pass your licensing exam, you will be confident that you are ready to begin your career as a professional cosmetologist in Crawfordsville IN.
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