Parsons students are often stereotyped as the New School students with the least social life, the least sleep and the most work. Unfortunately, that doesn’t exactly translate into the most ideal friend-making atmosphere, but we’re here to help. Follow our simple instructions below and watch as your Snapchat bestfriends list fills with tons of Parsonians.
1.) Never ever say art school is easy. Trust us, just don’t do it. Don’t be that guy. That guy gets paint brushes and protractors thrown at him by students who have spent over 48 hours at school with no sleep or shower, running on diet solely of coffee and cigarettes.
Think about it this way, you can write a 10 page paper in one night, but can you create an entire ball gown in one night? Yeah, that’s what I thought.
2.) Forget the stereotypes. Parsons has 11 other majors than just Fashion Design. Rich snobby fashionistas are not the only students who go to the school. Although these students definitely exist, they only make up a tiny portion of a plethora of individuals from diverse backgrounds with diverse aesthetics and styles. The New School was found to have the highest percentage of international students among all U.S. universities, according to U.S. News & World Report in 2014, and over 40% of Parsons students are international, according to data collected by the school in the same year. Be open to learning a new language or traveling across the world to visit your best friends over holidays. There’s more to Parsons than just fashion.
3.) Find a place in your brain where you can conceptualize everything in some way or another: dog food, pencils, the smudge on the table, the baloney sandwich you ate for lunch, pieces of chewed gum on the sidewalk, anything. Professors love deep conceptual thinking; they eat it up. Even if you have no idea what is going on in a fellow classmate’s presentation and you’re expected to comment, lie, lie, lie. It will save your own ass too. Always act like your fuck up is intentional — for why your photo is blurry, that line is crooked, or your hem is uneven.
I once bullshitted a heart wrenching concept based on saran wrap and I swear my professor was close to tears. True story.
4.) Be nice during crits. Remember how deeply invested everyone is in their work and respect that. Don’t be jealous of other’s work. (Complement them to their face and then be jealous with a group of fellow bitter students later. Remember, mutual jealousy or dislike makes great common grounds for small talk leading to longer lasting relationships.) But, if it’s obvious someone is putting in no work, call them out on it.
5.) Accept the fact that sometimes you will suck. Yeah, you were the best in your high school at whatever artsy thing you did then, but so was everyone else who’s now at Parsons. It’s a battle of the best of the best. Embrace that fact that you suck. Be willing talk to about how much you suck in great detail. Prepare examples of your sucky-ness.
6.) Be willing to lend your supplies and knowledge. (But at the same time, be fully aware that most of the things you lend people you are probably never going to see again in your life.) In addition, do not abuse the system. For example, don’t borrow someone’s fabric scissors to cut up paper; this is a one way ticket to having absolutely no friends in the fashion department.
7.) Carry cigarettes on you at all times — even if you don’t smoke. Your nicotine obsessed classmates will be forever loyal.
Hell, they might even forgive you for burning them during crit in last week’s class.
8.) School attire at Parsons requires balancing the fine line between making some effort and not trying too hard. Despite popular belief, Parsons student don’t dress like it’s a runway show. Don’t expect to see students in heels in class. However, don’t expect to see students in Uggs either. Unless thesis is your excuse, Uggs and sweats are not allowed. Comme des Garcons sneakers is one example of the preferred footwear, but being unique in your dress and style is the best way to be.
9.) Always be up to date on the latest gallery openings in Chelsea, the most recent runway show or the newest Kardashian Instagram post. Also, be able to have intelligent conversations about current events in the art world with your classmates and professors. Note that the correct and only term of admiration that should be used is “aesthetically pleasing.” “Pretty” or “cute” are not words that should be leaving your mouth. Ever.
10.) Remember that the best friends are made through mutual struggle. Whether it’s all nighters in the studio, sewing over your finger, spilling paint on your nearly finished painting, spending all day in the dark room, or losing the hours of work spent on your crashed illustrator file. We’ve all cried at 4am trying to finish a huge project due at 9am. We all can relate.
As a last tidbit of advice, always keep in the back of your mind that the people sitting next to you in your Parsons classes could potentially become very successful in your industry of choice. Once again, Parsons is the best of the best. You don’t want to walk into an interview to discover the person sitting across from you is that classmate whom you told their inDesign skills were trash and their concept was shit 3 or 4 years ago. Be a genuine person during your time at Parsons, but also keep in the back of your mind that you are networking. Before saying anything to anyone, think of what future unemployed, starving you could possibly need from this person. Remember this and you’ll do just fine.
Julia is the current Senior Photo Editor for the Free Press. She is in her senior year at Parsons, majoring in Photography and minoring in Art History. Julia is originally from Boston and is patiently awaiting her return there after college. She is a wiener dog and pizza enthusiast and finds herself most at home when she is near the ocean.
