Did you make the decision to attend cosmetology school or you are currently attending?
If so, are you trying to figure out how you will succeed?
No worries my friends.
I spent nearly two years in cosmetology school as a part-time student, and today I am sharing some cosmetology school tips, how to survive, and how to ace your state board exam even if you run out of time.
Sounds like something you’d be interested in?
By nature, I am a planner so prior to starting cosmetology school I did my research and thought of every possible scenario.
But even with much preparation, I still felt unprepared in many ways.
What really helped me succeed was my ability to learn and adapt quickly.
I had no idea what my instructors or classmates would be like, so going in I decided to be open to all opportunities.
I created a game plan that would help be successful to the very end, and today I want to help you out with some tips.
10 COSMETOLOGY SCHOOL TIPS YOU MUST KNOW:
1) Know your purpose:
In cosmetology school you will be challenged, so much so that you may even want to quit after the first week.
But, always go back to the drawing board to define and redefine the purpose of you attending cosmetology school.
It may because you love styling hair, caring for the skin, nails, etc.
Ultimately the purpose of cosmetology is not only to train but the end goal is to obtain your license.
Stay focused on the end goal and you will be able to ace your state board exam.
2) Budgeting:
When I made the decision to attend cosmetology school, I had to make some extreme life changes and it all started with a budget.
I paid for school out of pocket.
And I cannot tell you how fulfilling that was but it took some discipline.
I even had to move out of my luxury apartment to rent a room in a stranger’s home.
And because I had my finances in order it allowed me to focus more on the task at hand – learning the science of cosmetology and eventually obtaining my license.
A practical tip would be to use an Excel spreadsheet to have a visual of what comes in and goes out each month.
3) Follow the rules:
The third cosmetology school tip I have to share with you is that all schools will have strict rules for their cosmetology program.
There will be things you can and cannot do.
One of the basic rules for my school was that everyone had to wear black scrubs and close-toed shoes.
No exceptions.
Do you know how irritating it was for me to not only have to purchase scrubs out of my small budget, but I had to switch out of my corporate America attire 4 days out of the week to get to school.
When in doubt about following the rules, always remember they are there for uniformity of the program and not necessary to hurt you.
4) Respect:
This may be a posted note on your cosmetology program walls, but it’s more common sense.
Show respect and you will get respect.
And if respect is not being given to you, let someone in authority know.
5) Show up prepared:
To succeed in cosmetology school and get good grades, you will have to come prepared every day.
So that means, dressing for success in your uniform, bringing your kit with your materials, studying for those important chapter tests.
Also, be prepared to perform whether on a mannequin head or a real person.
Never show up ill-prepared because that will give the impression that you are not serious.
6) Be creative:
Cosmetology school tip number 6 is simply to be creative.
We all know you are talented, but are you showing up with creative juices every day?
You don’t only have to demonstrate this with your hands.
This can also be demonstrated in the book learning part of the program.
Also be present, participate in discussions, ask questions, share your experience, make it a goal to get a 100% on every test.
If there is a creative competition, decide that you will be placed first, show ambition to succeed.
Let your talent shine because no one will be able to take it from you.
7) Make friends:
You will have to make friends.
Making friends will help you learn the not so fun topics like chemicals.
You will have people to talk to on your lunch breaks and after class.
The friends you make in cosmetology school can become life-long friends or even business partners in the future.
Stay out of the drama.
Don’t burn any bridges.
Help a struggling classmate when they are in need, this will go a long way.
It may even earn you extra credit, it did for me!
8) Practice makes perfect:
This statement is especially true in cosmetology school.
Those pesky per rod sets will take practice.
Oh, and those finger waves will take even more practice.
Be patient with yourself.
Your mannequin head will become your best friend. At times you will want to throw the mannequin head out the window, but I assure you this is ok to feel this have that feeling.
Take a breather outside, call a family member or friend, cry your eyes out if needed, but always go back and try again.
9) Time management:
Cosmetology school can go by really slow or really fast, it all about your productivity and how you manage your time.
Time management is a skill you will need when working in a salon to manage your bookings.
Those are one of the top business skills you will need.
On any given day in cosmetology school, you can start out for a few hours in the classroom learning. Then, the next two hours are spent on the floor learning shampooing, hair cutting, nails, facials, etc.
After that, your teacher calls on you to manage the front desk, then you have to put practice into play and shampoo a client’s hair.
Later on, you have to take the chapter test before going home.
That is what a typical day in a cosmetology program looks like, so you must remain organized and a master of your time.
10) Study, study, study:
My final cosmetology school tip to share with you is to study and to study hard.
You cannot skip over a chapter because it’s boring or because you do not understand it.
If you skip over it, I can guarantee you that this same topic will show up on your state board exam.
10 COSMETOLOGY SCHOOL TIPS AND YOUR STATE BOARD EXAM
Now that we have the 10 cosmetology school tips out of the way, I want to help you ace your state board exam.
When I sat for my state board exam, I actually make a HUGE MISTAKE by thinking I was done with the entire exam, only to find out in the last 10 minutes or so that I had another section to complete.
I ran to the test administrator and told her, and her answer to me was “I cannot reset it, just continue.”
Well while panicking, I continued taking my state board exam until I ran out of time.
After I walked out of room to get my results, and with my heart beating fast, I read PASSED on the sheet.
I could not believe it.
Although I lost time, I still passed and I can only credit this to my study habits.
To study for my exam created a robust 3-month study system and now it is all inside of my FREE Cosmetology State Board Exam 5-day boot camp email course.
In this free course, you will learn Study Exam Tactics to Pass on Your First Try like I did.
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