How to Select a Beauty School near Oxford Mississippi
Now that you have decided to become a cosmetologist and enroll in a beauty school near Oxford MS, the task starts to find and enroll in the best school. It’s important that the school you pick not only furnishes the necessary instruction for the specialty you have chosen, but also prepares you for passing the licensing examination. When you start your preliminary search, you may be rather unclear about the contrast between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don’t be, because the titles are pretty much interchangeable and both pertain to the same type of school. We’ll discuss a bit more concerning that in the upcoming section. If you intend on commuting to classes you will want to choose a school that is within driving distance of your Oxford residence. Tuition will likewise be an important aspect when assessing possible schools. Just bear in mind that because a school is the closest or the least expensive it’s not always the best option. There are several other considerations that you should evaluate when reviewing schools, for instance their reputation and accreditation. We will go over what questions you should ask about the cosmetology schools you are considering later within 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 everything about making the human anatomy look more beautiful with the application of cosmetics. So of course it makes sense that many cosmetology schools are described as beauty schools. Many of us think of makeup when we hear the word cosmetics, but really a cosmetic may be anything that improves the look of a person’s skin, hair or nails. If you want to work as a cosmetologist, the majority of states require that you undergo some kind of specialized training and then be licensed. Once licensed, the work environments include not only Oxford MS beauty salons and barber shops, but also such businesses as spas, hotels and resorts. Many cosmetologists, after they have gained experience and a client base, open their own shops or salons. Others will start seeing clients either in their own homes or will go to the client’s house, or both. Cosmetology college graduates go by many names 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 most states working cosmetologists have to be licensed. In a few states there is an exemption. Only those offering more skilled services, for example hairstylists, are required to be licensed. Others employed in cosmetology and less skilled, which include shampooers, are not required to become licensed in those states.
Cosmetologist Degrees and Certificates
There are essentially two pathways available to obtain 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 generally call for 12 to 18 months to finish, while an Associate’s degree commonly takes about 2 years. If you enroll in a certificate program you will be trained in all of the main areas of cosmetology. Briefer programs are offered if you want to specialize in just one area, for instance hair coloring. A degree program will also most likely include management and marketing training to ensure that graduates are better prepared to operate a salon or other Oxford MS business. Higher degrees are not common, but Bachelor and Master’s degree programs are available in such areas as salon or spa management. Whatever type of course you decide on, it’s essential to make certain that it’s approved by the Mississippi Board of Cosmetology. Numerous states only approve schools that are accredited by certain respected agencies, including the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS). We will examine the benefits of accreditation for the school you select in the following section.
Online Cosmetologist Programs
Online cosmetology schools are advantageous for Oxford MS students who are working full-time and have family obligations that make it hard to attend a more traditional school. There are a large number of online beauty school programs available that can be accessed through a home computer or laptop at the student’s convenience. More traditional beauty schools are typically fast paced given that many programs are as short as 6 or 8 months. This means that a large portion of time is spent in the classroom. With online programs, you are dealing with the same volume of material, but you’re not spending many hours outside of your home or travelling back and forth from classes. However, it’s essential that the training program you pick can provide internship training in area salons and parlors to ensure that you also obtain the hands-on training needed for a complete education. Without the internship part of the training, it’s difficult to gain the skills necessary to work in any area of the cosmetology industry. So be sure if you decide to enroll in an online program to confirm that internship training is provided in your area.
What to Ask Cosmetology Training Courses
Below is a series of questions that you should research for any cosmetology training program you are considering. As we have previously discussed, the location of the school relative to your Oxford MS home, as well as the expense of tuition, will undoubtedly be your primary qualifiers. Whether you want to pursue a certificate, diploma or a degree will probably be next on your list. But once you have reduced your school options based on those preliminary qualifications, there are even more factors that you must research and consider before enrolling in a cosmetology school. Below we have compiled several of those additional questions that you should ask each school before making a final decision.
Is the Program Accredited? It’s important to make certain that the cosmetology school you pick is accredited. The accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged local or national organization, such as the National Accrediting Commission for Cosmetology Arts & Sciences (NACCAS). Programs accredited by the NACCAS must comply with their high standards ensuring a quality curriculum and education. Accreditation can also be necessary for acquiring student loans or financial aid, which often are not obtainable in 38655 for non- accredited schools. It’s also a prerequisite for licensing in some states that the training be accredited. And as a concluding benefit, a number of Oxford MS businesses will not recruit recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or might look more positively upon those with accredited training.
Does the School have an Excellent Reputation? Every beauty school that you are seriously considering should have a good to excellent reputation within the profession. Being accredited is an excellent starting point. Next, ask the schools for references from their network of employers where they have referred their students. Confirm that the schools have high job placement rates, signifying that their students are highly demanded. Check rating services for reviews in addition to the school’s accrediting agencies. If you have any relationships with Oxford MS salon owners or managers, or someone working in the trade, ask them if they are acquainted with the schools you are reviewing. They may even be able to suggest others that you had not thought of. And finally, contact the Mississippi school licensing authority to see if there have been any grievances filed or if the schools are in complete compliance.
What’s the School’s Focus? Many beauty schools offer programs that are broad in nature, concentrating on all areas of cosmetology. Others are more focused, providing training in a particular specialty, such as hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs frequently broaden into a management and marketing curriculum. So it’s imperative that you decide on a school that focuses on your area of interest. If your goal is to be trained as an esthetician, make sure that the school you enroll in is accredited and respected for that program. If your desire is to start a hair salon in Oxford MS, then you want to enroll in a degree program that will teach you how to be an owner/operator. Choosing a highly regarded school with a poor program in the specialty you are pursuing will not deliver the training you require.
Is Enough Live Training Provided? Learning and refining cosmetology techniques and abilities requires plenty of practice on people. Find out how much live, hands-on training is furnished in the cosmetology classes you will be attending. A number of schools have salons on site that enable students to practice their growing talents on real people. If a beauty program furnishes little or no scheduled live training, but instead depends mainly on utilizing mannequins, it might not be the best option for acquiring your skills. Therefore try to find other schools that offer this type of training.
Does the School Provide Job Assistance? As soon as a student graduates from a beauty program, it’s essential that she or he gets aid in finding that very first job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that provide help maintain relationships with Oxford MS businesses that are seeking trained graduates available for hiring. Check that the programs you are considering have job placement programs and ask which salons and organizations they refer students to. In addition, ask 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? The majority of beauty schools provide financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Find out if the schools you are investigating have a financial aid office. Talk to a counselor and find out what student loans or grants you might get approved for. If the school is a member of the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), it will have scholarships available to students too. If a school satisfies all of your other qualifications except for cost, do not discard it as an option before you find out what financial aid may be offered.
Enrolled in Cosmetology School near Oxford MS?
If you have decided to attend Beauty School in the greater Oxford MS area, following is some interesting and perhaps useful information about the location of your new school campus.
Oxford, Mississippi
Oxford is a city in, and the county seat of, Lafayette County, Mississippi, United States. Founded in 1837, it was named after the British university city of Oxford in hopes of having the state university located there, which it did successfully attract.
As of the 2010 US Census, the population is 18,916; the Census Bureau estimates the city's 2013 population at 20,865.[3] Oxford is the home of the University of Mississippi, founded in 1848, also commonly known as "Ole Miss".
Oxford and Lafayette County were formed from lands ceded by the Chickasaw in the Treaty of Pontotoc Creek in 1832. The county was organized in 1836, and in 1837 three pioneers—John Martin, John Chisom, and John Craig—purchased land from Hoka, a female Chickasaw landowner, as a site for the town.[4] They named it Oxford, intending to promote it as a center of learning in the Old Southwest. In 1841, the Mississippi legislature selected Oxford as the site of the state university, which opened in 1848.
Find the Right Cosmetology Training Program near Oxford MS
Locating and enrolling in the right cosmetologist program is important to receive the proper training to become a licensed cosmetology practitioner. Be sure to ask all the questions that you need to in order to feel positive about your decision. Don’t forget to collect all of the responses you receive from the cosmetology school admissions departments, focus on what matters the most to you, and then utilize that data to compare schools. A sensible start in your due diligence procedure is to make certain that the school and program you decide on are accredited and have impressive reputations within the field. If you start with that base, and address the additional questions supplied in this article, you will be able to narrow down your list of schools so that you can make the proper choice. And when you graduate and pass your licensing test, you will be confident that you are qualified to start your new career as a professional cosmetologist in Oxford MS.
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