How to Select a Beauty College near South Range Michigan
Once you have decided to train as a cosmetologist and attend a beauty school near South Range MI, the process starts to find and enroll in the right school. It’s important that the program you select not only provides the proper education for the specialty you have chosen, but also preps you for passing the licensing exam. When you begin your initial search, you might be a little bit puzzled about the difference between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don’t be, because the names are pretty much interchangeable and both pertain to the same kind of school. We’ll discuss a little bit further regarding that in the next segment. If you intend on commuting to classes you will want to locate a school that is within driving distance of your South Range residence. Tuition will additionally be an important aspect when assessing prospective schools. Just bear in mind that because a school is the closest or the cheapest it’s not always the best choice. There are a number of other qualifications that you should evaluate when comparing schools, for example their reputation and accreditation. We will review what questions you should ask about the cosmetology schools you are looking at later in this article. Before we do, let’s discuss a bit about what cosmetology is, and what types of courses are offered.
What is Cosmetology
Cosmetology is an occupation that is all about making the human anatomy look more attractive with the application of cosmetics. So naturally it makes sense that many cosmetology schools are described as beauty schools. Many of us think of makeup when we hear the term cosmetics, but really a cosmetic may be almost anything that improves the look of a person’s skin, hair or nails. In order to work as a cosmetologist, most states require that you go through some form of specialized training and then be licensed. Once you are licensed, the work environments include not only South Range MI beauty salons and barber shops, but also such venues as spas, hotels and resorts. Many cosmetologists, once they have acquired experience and a client base, establish their own shops or salons. Others will start servicing customers either in their own homes or will travel to the client’s home, or both. Cosmetology college graduates go by many professional names and are employed in a wide variety of specializations including:
- Hairdressers
- Hairstylists
- Beauticians
- Barbers
- Manicurists
- Nail Technicians
- Makeup Artists
- Hair Coloring Specialists
- Estheticians
- Electrolysis Technicians
As previously mentioned, in most states practicing cosmetologists have to be licensed. In certain states there is an exception. Only those offering more skilled services, such as hairstylists, are required to be licensed. Others working in cosmetology and less skilled, which include shampooers, are not required to be licensed in those states.
Cosmetologist Degrees
There are basically two avenues offered to receive cosmetology training and a credential after completion. You can enroll in a certificate (or diploma) course, or you can work toward an Associate’s degree. Certificate programs typically require 12 to 18 months to complete, while an Associate’s degree ordinarily takes about 2 years. If you enroll in a certificate program you will be instructed in all of the main areas of cosmetology. Shorter programs are available if you prefer to focus on just one area, for example hair coloring. A degree program will also most likely feature management and marketing training so that graduates are better prepared to run a parlor or other South Range MI business. More advanced degrees are not common, but Bachelor and Master’s degree programs are available in such areas as salon or spa management. Whichever type of course you go with, it’s important to make certain that it’s certified by the Michigan Board of Cosmetology. Numerous states only approve schools that are accredited by certain reputable agencies, for instance the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS). We will cover the benefits of accreditation for the school you select in the following section.
Online Cosmetology Courses
Online cosmetology schools are convenient for South Range MI students who are working full time and have family responsibilities that make it challenging to attend a more traditional school. There are numerous web-based cosmetology school programs offered that can be accessed through a personal computer or laptop at the student’s convenience. More conventional cosmetology programs are often fast paced since many courses are as short as six or eight months. This means that a significant portion of time is spent in the classroom. With internet courses, you are covering the same amount of material, but you are not devoting numerous hours away from your home or commuting back and forth from classes. On the other hand, it’s vital that the school you select can provide internship training in local salons and parlors to ensure that you also receive the hands-on training needed for a comprehensive education. Without the internship portion of the training, it’s difficult to acquire the skills required 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 Beauty Trade Schools
Below is a series of questions that you will want to investigate for any cosmetology training school you are considering. As we have already covered, the location of the school relative to your South Range MI residence, together with the cost of tuition, will undoubtedly be your initial qualifiers. Whether you would like to earn a certificate, diploma or a degree will no doubt be next on your list. But once you have narrowed your school choices based on those preliminary qualifications, there are additional factors that you must research and take into consideration before enrolling in a cosmetology school. Below we have compiled several of those supplemental questions that you should ask every school before making a final decision.
Is the Program Accredited? It’s important 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 meet their high standards assuring a superior curriculum and education. Accreditation may also be necessary for securing student loans or financial aid, which often are not offered in 49963 for non- accredited schools. It’s also a requirement for licensing in several states that the training be accredited. And as a concluding benefit, numerous South Range MI businesses will not recruit recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or may look more positively upon those with accredited training.
Does the School have a Good Reputation? Each cosmetology institute that you are seriously considering should have a good to excellent reputation within the field. Being accredited is a good starting point. Next, ask the schools for testimonials from their network of employers where they have referred their students. Check that the schools have high job placement rates, signifying that their students are highly sought after. Check rating companies for reviews in addition to the school’s accrediting agencies. If you have any connections with South Range MI salon owners or managers, or someone working in the trade, ask them if they are familiar with the schools you are looking at. They may even be able to propose others that you had not thought of. And last, consult the Michigan school licensing authority to see if there have been any grievances submitted or if the schools are in complete compliance.
What’s the School’s Specialty? Many cosmetology schools offer programs that are broad in nature, focusing on all areas of cosmetology. Others are more focused, offering training in a particular specialty, for example hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs commonly broaden into a management and marketing curriculum. So it’s essential that you enroll in 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 respected for that program. If your desire is to launch a hair salon in South Range MI, then you need to enroll in a degree program that will instruct you how to be an owner/operator. Picking a highly rated school with a poor program in the specialty you are seeking will not deliver the training you require.
Is Enough Hands-On Training Provided? Studying and mastering cosmetology skills and techniques involves lots of practice on volunteers. Check how much live, hands-on training is included in the beauty lessons you will be attending. A number of schools have salons on site that enable students to practice their developing skills on volunteers. If a beauty program furnishes minimal or no scheduled live training, but rather relies heavily on using mannequins, it may not be the most effective option for developing your skills. Therefore try to find alternate schools that provide this kind of training.
Does the School have a Job Placement Program? As soon as a student graduates from a beauty academy, it’s important that she or he gets aid in landing that initial job. Job placement programs are an integral part of that process. Schools that provide assistance develope relationships with South Range MI businesses that are searching for skilled graduates available for hiring. Check that the programs you are looking at have job placement programs and find out which salons and businesses they refer students to. In addition, find out what their job placement rates are. High rates not only verify that they have extensive networks of employers, but that their programs are highly regarded as well.
Is Financial Assistance Available? Many cosmetology schools provide financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Check if the schools you are investigating have a financial aid office. Talk to a counselor and find out what student loans or grants you may get approved for. If the school belongs to the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), it will have scholarships available to students also. If a school satisfies all of your other qualifications with the exception of expense, do not discard it as an option until you learn what financial help may be offered.
Enrolled in Cosmetology School near South Range MI?
If you have decided to attend Beauty School in the greater South Range MI area, following is some interesting and perhaps useful information about the location of your new school campus.
South Range, Michigan
South Range is a village in Adams Township, Houghton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is bordered on the east by the unincorporated community of Baltic. It is about five miles southwest of Houghton on M-26. The population was 758 at the 2010 census. The ZIP code for South Range is 49963.
South Range was platted in 1902 by the Wheal Kate Mining Company, which operated an unsuccessful copper mine nearby. In 1906 the community tried to incorporate as the town of Stanton, but there was already a Stanton, Michigan, so they incorporated as South Range, because it was at the south end of the Michigan copper range. Italians were the dominant ethnic group in early years.[7]
On December 11, 1913, during the bitter Copper Country Strike of 1913–1914, a raid was conducted by the Citizens' Alliance shortly after the mass murder at the Dally boardinghouse in Painesdale, Michigan which had occurred just a mere few days before. Thirty-seven rifles, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition was seized. Twenty-three strikers were arrested with guns ready to shoot up the area that night, and Deputy T. Driscoll was non-fatally shot in the arm during the raid.[citation needed]
Find the Right Cosmetology Program near South Range MI
Choosing and enrolling in the ideal cosmetologist program is essential to receive the proper training to become a licensed cosmetology practitioner. Be sure to ask all the questions that you require in order to feel positive about your decision. Be sure to consolidate all of the information you get from the beauty school admissions departments, prioritize what matters the most to you, and then employ that data to contrast schools. A good beginning in your due diligence process is to make certain that the institution and program you pick are accredited and have exceptional reputations within the profession. If you start with that foundation, and address the additional questions presented in this post, you will be able to reduce your list of schools so that you can make the proper selection. Once you graduate and pass your licensing test, you will be self-assured that you are ready to begin your career as a professional cosmetologist in South Range MI.
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