What makes you a perfect candidate for FIT? Why are you interested in the major you are applying to? The essay is also your chance to tell us more about your experiences, activities and accomplishments. (No more than 750 words, please.)
Growing up in a small town outside of Baltimore, Maryland, I have always had the convenience of a short four-hour bus ride that would expose me to the global melting pot of New York City. This is the city that possesses connotations of opportunity, glamour, and the potential to achieve one's dreams. Despite knowing this, I have always taken New York for granted, perhaps because of its close proximity and easy access. Ironically, it was while I was living and studying abroad that I discovered and understood this city's persistent importance throughout the rest of the world.
I left my small hometown and General Studies program in early 2010 and was consumed by the city of London, England. I began studying Fashion Marketing at American InterContinental University, located two miles from the city's central point. The past two years have provided the best experiences that I have had as of yet. I worked at two of the university's runway shows; both Front of House and Back of House. For the 2010 show, I worked with PR company EdenCanCan to organize and run the event and greet members of the press and industry. For the show in May 2011, I worked as an assistant to Gill Stark, the Dean of Fashion, and experienced a glimpse of the fast-paced reality of Public Relations and events.
Through my university classes, I've worked first-hand with two UK-based companies looking to rejuvenate and reposition their brands in the market: The Freudenburg Group, for their interlining and interfacing products for garment construction, and The Wimpole Clinic; a London based hair restoration clinic that was seeking innovative methods of providing their products to the mass market. It was through these two projects that I learned the essential skills necessary to organize and prepare professional presentations for clients, as well as familiarize with vital marketing tools to ensure accurate information.
Upon returning to America, I was successfully chosen as one of six selected applicants out of 1,200 for a Visual Merchandising internship at Nordstrom in Towson, Maryland. It was there that I learned invaluable styling techniques, window display composition, and the importance of understanding the consumer. One of my window designs was selected for the month of June, and I was asked to take over as the stylist for the lingerie and cosmetics departments for the remainder of my internship. In addition, I was the only intern out of six to be offered an extension to my internship.
I am applying to the Fashion Merchandising Management program because the career options and aspects are fascinating to me. I love that various demographics have a certain market for products that wouldn't necessarily suit another, and I am interested in understanding and exploring careers that relate to this aspect. I also find the relationship between the buyers and the merchants to be particularly appealing, mostly because its fast paced and constantly changing environment. I have had the opportunity to study some of these aspects of the industry already; however, these all pertained to the European market. The American market is ironically more foreign to me, and it is an unfamiliar subject that I'm excited to learn more in depth.
Throughout the duration of time spent completing my internship, studying, and traveling abroad, New York City has represented the constant that linked the mosaic of my experiences together. It was consistently referenced, admired, and looked to for inspiration. It was then that I realized this city is the heartbeat of the fashion industry, and that I needed to experience it if I was going to be successful in my career path.
I am the perfect candidate for FIT because everything that I have experienced has been earned through hard work and persistence. I left a town of 20,000 people and moved to a sea of eight million without knowing a soul, and I both succeeded and thrived. Through that experience, I gained the confidence I needed to take on New York City. These are the characteristics that this city was built on. And with such an eminent reputation, I can visualize FIT taking me to places that I can only dream of, which would result in irrevocably holding this institution in the highest regard.
