How to Pick a Cosmetology College near Graham Texas
Once you have decided to become a cosmetologist and enroll in a beauty school near Graham TX, the process starts to search for and enroll in the best school. It’s important that the school you choose not only provides the appropriate education for the specialty you have chosen, but also preps you for passing the licensing exam. When you begin your preliminary search, you might be rather unclear about the contrast between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don’t be, because the names are pretty much interchangeable and both pertain to the same type of school. We’ll talk a bit further regarding that in the upcoming section. If you intend on commuting to classes you will want to find a school that is within driving distance of your Graham home. Tuition will also be a critical aspect when assessing prospective schools. Just bear in mind that because a school is the closest or the lowest cost it’s not automatically the best option. There are many other considerations that you should weigh when reviewing schools, for instance their reputation and accreditation. We will examine what questions you should ask regarding the cosmetology schools you are thinking about later in this article. Before we do, let’s discuss a bit about what cosmetology is, and what kinds of programs are available.
What is Cosmetology
Cosmetology is a profession that is everything about making the human anatomy look more beautiful with the use of cosmetics. So of course it makes sense that a number of cosmetology schools are referred to as beauty schools. Most of us think of makeup when we hear the word cosmetics, but basically 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, most states require that you go through some type of specialized training and then become licensed. Once you are licensed, the work environments include not only Graham TX beauty salons and barber shops, but also such businesses as spas, hotels and resorts. Many cosmetologists, after they have acquired experience and a clientele, launch their own shops or salons. Others will begin servicing customers either in their own homes or will go to the client’s residence, or both. Cosmetology college graduates go by many professional 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 already mentioned, in the majority of states working cosmetologists must be licensed. In certain states there is an exemption. Only those offering more skilled services, such as hairstylists, are required to be licensed. Other people employed in cosmetology and less skilled, including shampooers, are not required to be licensed in those states.
Cosmetology Degrees and Certificates
There are basically two avenues offered to receive cosmetology training and a credential upon completion. You can enroll in a certificate (or diploma) program, or you can work toward an Associate’s degree. Certificate programs generally require 12 to 18 months to complete, 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. Shorter programs are available if you wish to focus on just one area, for instance hair coloring. A degree program will also probably include management and marketing training in order that graduates are better prepared to run a salon or other Graham TX business. Higher degrees are not common, but Bachelor and Master’s degree programs are available in such areas as salon or spa management. Whichever type of program you choose, it’s essential to make sure that it’s certified by the Texas Board of Cosmetology. A number of states only approve schools that are accredited by certain highly regarded agencies, for example the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS). We will review the benefits of accreditation for the school you decide on in the next section.
Online Beauty Programs
Online cosmetology classes are advantageous for Graham TX students who are employed full time and have family commitments that make it difficult to attend a more traditional school. There are a large number of web-based beauty school programs available that can be attended by means of a home computer or laptop at the student’s convenience. More traditional beauty programs are often fast paced since many programs are as short as six or eight months. This means that a substantial portion of time is spent in the classroom. With internet courses, you are covering the same amount of material, but you are not spending many hours away from your home or commuting to and from classes. However, it’s vital that the school you pick can provide internship training in nearby salons and parlors in order that you also obtain the hands-on training necessary for a complete education. Without the internship portion of the training, it’s impossible to gain the skills required to work in any area of the cosmetology industry. So don’t forget if you decide to enroll in an online program to verify that internship training is available in your area.
What to Ask Cosmetologist Schools
Below is a series of questions that you need to look into for any cosmetologist training school you are considering. As we have already discussed, the location of the school in relation to your Graham TX home, together with the expense of tuition, will undoubtedly be your primary qualifiers. Whether you wish to earn a certificate, diploma or a degree will undoubtedly be next on your list. But once you have reduced your school choices based on those preliminary qualifications, there are additional factors that you should research and consider before enrolling in a cosmetology school. Below we have compiled several of those supplemental questions that you need to ask every school before making a final selection.
Is the Program Accredited? It’s important to make certain 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). Programs accredited by the NACCAS must comply with their high standards guaranteeing a quality curriculum and education. Accreditation may also be necessary for securing student loans or financial aid, which often are not available in 76450 for non- accredited schools. It’s also a requirement for licensing in some states that the training be accredited. And as a final benefit, numerous Graham TX employers will not employ recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or might look more positively upon those with accredited training.
Does the School have an Excellent Reputation? Any cosmetologist institute that you are seriously evaluating should have a good to exceptional reputation within the field. Being accredited is an excellent starting point. Next, ask the schools for endorsements 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 services for reviews together with the school’s accrediting organizations. If you have any connections with Graham TX salon owners or managers, or any person working in the trade, ask them if they are acquainted with the schools you are looking at. They might even be able to recommend others that you had not looked into. And finally, contact the Texas school licensing authority to see if there have been any complaints filed or if the schools are in complete compliance.
What’s the School’s Specialty? A number of cosmetology schools offer programs that are comprehensive in nature, concentrating on all facets of cosmetology. Others are more focused, providing 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 imperative that you select a school that specializes in your area of interest. If your intention is to be trained as an esthetician, make sure that the school you enroll in is accredited and well regarded for that program. If your aspiration is to launch a hair salon in Graham TX, 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 provide the training you require.
Is Enough Live Training Provided? Practicing and refining cosmetology skills and techniques demands plenty of practice on volunteers. Ask how much live, hands-on training is provided in the beauty classes you will be attending. Some schools have salons on campus that enable students to practice their developing skills on real people. If a beauty academy furnishes limited or no scheduled live training, but instead relies mainly on the use of mannequins, it might not be the most effective alternative for developing your skills. Therefore search for alternate schools that provide this type of training.
Does the School Provide Job Assistance? Once a student graduates from a beauty school, it’s important that he or she gets support in landing that initial job. Job placement programs are an important part of that process. Schools that furnish aid develope relationships with Graham TX employers that are searching for trained graduates available for hiring. Verify 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 confirm that they have broad networks of employers, but that their programs are highly respected as well.
Is Financial Assistance Offered? Many cosmetology schools provide financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Check if the schools you are considering have a financial aid office. Speak with a counselor and identify what student loans or grants you may qualify for. If the school is a member of the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), it will have scholarships offered to students also. If a school satisfies all of your other qualifications except for cost, do not omit it as an alternative until you learn what financial aid may be provided.
Enrolled in Cosmetology School near Graham TX?
If you have decided to attend Beauty School in the greater Graham TX area, following is some interesting and perhaps useful information about the location of your new school campus.
Graham, Texas
The site was first settled in 1871 by brothers Gustavus A. and Edwin S. Graham, primary shareholders in the Texas Emigration and Land Company of Louisville, Kentucky. The brothers moved to Texas after the Civil War, and after buying 125,000 acres (510 km2) in then-vast Young County, helped to revitalize the area, the population of which had become badly depleted during the war. During that same year as when Graham was settled, the Warren Wagon Train Raid occurred about 12 miles north of the city. In 1872 the Graham brothers purchased a local saltworks and established the town of Graham and set up the Graham Land Office. The saltworks was not a profitable venture as the salt was too expensive to ship and was closed in a few years.[4]
New families started to arrive, and the brothers began promoting the sale of homesites and doing civic improvements.[4] A post office opened in 1873, and after Young County reorganized the following year, Graham became the county seat. The town's newspaper, known as the Leader and still in existence today, was first printed in 1876, the same year that the first temporary courthouse was built. Other businesses from these early years included a gristmill, sawmill, cotton gin, a brick kiln, two hotels, and several stores.[5]
On February 15, 1877 the city was the site of the organizational meeting of the group that became the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, created to police ranching and put a stop to cattle rustling.[6] Founding officers included pioneer ranchers James C. Loving (son of Oliver Loving), Col. C. L. (Kit) Carter, and C.C. Slaughter. A three-story limestone courthouse was built in 1884, and it was replaced by a new courthouse in the early 1930s. The 1884 structure's east door still stands on the courthouse square. From 1879-1896, Graham was the seat of a Federal District Court overseen by Judge A.P. McCormick; his jurisdiction extended over all of Texas north and west to New Mexico.[5][6]
Find the Right Cosmetologist College near Graham TX
Picking and enrolling in the right cosmetologist school is important to get the appropriate training to become a licensed cosmetology specialist. Be sure to ask all the questions that you need to in order to feel certain about your decision. Make sure to consolidate all of the responses you get from the beauty school admissions departments, focus on what matters the most to you, and then employ that data to contrast schools. A good start in your due diligence procedure is to make sure that the academy and program you choose are accredited and have outstanding reputations within the profession. If you start with that foundation, and answer the additional questions supplied in this article, you will be able to filter your list of schools so that you can make the ideal choice. And when you graduate and pass your licensing test, you will be confident that you are prepared to start your career as a professional cosmetologist in Graham TX.
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