How to Start Preparing for Cosmetology School

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Knowing how to prepare for cosmetology school before your first class begins is important. Students gearing up for school will help provide them with the best chance for success during their cosmetology education.

By developing good habits in your cosmetology courses, you can optimize your experience as a student.

Preparing Yourself for Cosmetology School

Students often come to the first day of class and feel slightly overwhelmed and anxious. Starting any school is an exciting time, so feeling anxious is normal.

While this feeling fades as you get used to the daily routine of beauty school, learning some essential skills can help you avoid feeling overwhelmed. Here are a few things you can do to help you feel more confident when you start cosmetology school, from the first day of beauty school to the last.

  • Before class, review your syllabus and course material
  • Get a good night’s sleep before class the next day
  • Always be on time or, even better, arrive early
  • Arrive to class organized and prepared for the lesson
  • Ask any questions you have after the instructor has explained the material

Once you start following these guidelines, you will feel more at ease when developing your beauty skills and business skills in the classroom.

In this guide, we’ll answer some basic questions you might have and fill in would-be students on everything they need to know to prepare for school and pursue a career in cosmetology.

Make Sure You Have the Prerequisites

Always check with the school you plan to attend to ensure you have all the prerequisites before applying. In many cases, this means having a high school diploma or a GED certificate. Earning a high school diploma or GED certificate is an essential step toward getting into the cosmetology school of your choice. With the certifications mentioned above, you may be allowed a place in the school offering cosmetology classes even if you meet the age requirement and have the tuition fees.

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Cosmetology School and Tuition Costs

Getting your tuition sorted out before enrolling will make everything run more smoothly during the enrollment process. Students should consider the following questions when planning for tuition for their education:

  • Are you planning to save money before you start?
  • Do you want to look into government aid options?
  • Are you going to apply for scholarships and grants?

Once students determine their solution to getting the necessary funds, they can begin planning months before the registration is due. Making a financial plan in advance to pay for your cosmetology career is a great idea. You can contact Evergreen Beauty College and talk to a financial aid representative. Here are common questions students have for representatives:

  • Will financial aid help pay all of my registration and tuition fees?
  • Can any remaining funds pay for my licensing exam?
  • How much does it cost to become a licensed cosmetologist?
  • Do students have to pay upfront for the cosmetology program, or are there payment plans?

In addition to student loans and financial aid, there are also scholarship opportunities. Students must be eligible for each scholarship they apply for. Additionally, students can apply for scholarships and financial aid collectively.

Choose a Path

There will be a few different career paths that you can choose when going to beauty school.

Consider a future career as a hair styling beauty professional, an esthetician, a nail technician, a makeup artist, a barber, or a salon owner. Students will learn where their interests lie in cosmetology school and how they can increase their chances of having a successful career. At Evergreen Beauty College, our idea of a successful career in the beauty industry is completing the cosmetology school program and passing the board exam before landing a job as a Cosmetologist.

After studying hair and facials, for example, some students might learn that they favor the esthetics program. We encourage students to specialize in the area that interests them the most. Ideally, students will want to choose their field of interest before applying to a program.

Visiting different instructors when touring the school campus will help each student sort out their decision and help them solidify where their interests are for their future careers. Talking with other students and understanding the curriculum will especially benefit students who have yet to land on a concrete decision.

Many future students enter the tour with lots of questions and leave feeling more assured about what they want.

Before You Start Classes

Before starting classes, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with their specialty. Discover the latest trends in hairstyles, learn about all of the newest products on the market, and research the types of products available on the market that are most popular. Being proactive will help make you passionate about learning and help you get a running start.

Full-Time or Part-Time?

Talk to the admissions team about whether students can attend school as full-time or part-time students. Evergreen Beauty College offers flexible schedule options to attend classes both in-person and online. The choice depends on the other demands in each person’s life.

Enrolling full-time is the fast track to graduating sooner and is ideal if students still live at home and have little to no debt. The quicker students graduate, the more quickly they can begin their careers. For students with loans, rental payments, children, and other employment obligations, attending school and taking classes in the evenings may be the best recourse to achieve a good work-life balance.

Get Advice and Get Started

For anyone seeking additional advice so that you can get the process started, our team encourages anyone to contact Evergreen School of Cosmetology with their questions or concerns. We provide tips, explain various programs and answer questions so everything about the program is explained. We can also email all documents and brochures that give students lots of information about our school and the related programs.

We would be glad to tell you how to prepare yourself for cosmetology school so that you have a great experience.

FAQs About How to Prepare Yourself for Cosmetology School

Why choose to work in a beauty salon?

Working in a salon is a happy pursuit and financially rewarding for people passionate about styling hair, barbering, or doing nails. Usually, hair stylists can make their schedules and become their own bosses. Working in a salon is ideal if you like talking with people, creative problem-solving, and are okay with standing on your feet most of the day. 

What qualities make a good cosmetologist?

Having exceptional communication skills, consulting effectively with a client, and having the skills needed to accomplish the job makes a good cosmetologist. At cosmetology school, students will learn to excel at basic and advanced techniques, work with real clients while supervised by instructors, and learn how to communicate with customers.

What is the fastest you can complete cosmetology school?

Each course varies in length depending on what students want to specialize in and if they will commit to attending school full-time or part-time. Washington State beauty colleges require 1,600 hours of cosmetology training in their programs. 

 

Author
Frank Trieu
Vice President of Business Development & Industry Relations

Frank Trieu is a cosmetology industry leader, and despite his accomplishments and accolades, he still prioritizes students on the Evergreen campus. Through building relationships within the community and local salons, retail stores, and spas, he helps facilitate job placements for aspiring beauty professionals using his expansive network.

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rachel frampton
rachel frampton
4 years ago

My sister has been meaning to go apply for a cosmetology school. Thank you for these tips; we’ll keep in mind to prepare the necessary tuition fee so there won’t be any distractions in her part. We better start looking for a cosmetology training service whilst we’re preparing the necessary requirements.

Franklin White
Franklin White
3 years ago

I’ll talk to my wife about going to beauty school because I know she would love the opportunity to go down the career path that she loves. My wife loves hair and doing her friends’ hair. I’ll talk to her about going to school for it and working with people’s hair for a living.
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megan alder
megan alder
3 years ago

I love the advice of doing research on your own before starting your cosmetologist classes, to ensure that you know something once you start, and you are not behind others. I’ve been wanting to take cosmetology classes for years now, but I’ve never taken the decision of doing it. I will definitely follow your advice now that I’ve decided to start, so I will start looking for a school that I can study cosmetology at.
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