Fall 2019 Semester Recap

I’ve been debating for a while now if I should upload a semester recap to my blog and after lots of thought, I decided why not? This time last year, I knew I was going to Kent and was scouring the internet to find out anything and everything I could about the school from other students. I knew Sophie, thechicflamingo, and watched her few videos before going but I so badly wanted to hear about someone’s classes and their freshman year. So, although this blog post may not pertain to everyone, if you find yourself at Kent within the upcoming years, I hope you come to appreciate this series.

As most of you know by now, especially if you’ve been following along for a few months, I am a freshman at Kent State University. When I came to Kent I was a double major: Fashion Merchandising and Journalism. I ended up dropping my Journalism major about half way through the semester. And not because I didn’t love it, but because it was just too many additional credit hours for me to complete. I figured that by picking up Fashion Media as a minor I would be enrolled in the same types of classes and gain the same knowledge. In fact, with my minor I will actually be in classes geared closer to my end goal than if I were to stay a Journalism major. Don’t worry, none of the classes I was enrolled in for my second major were a “waste” of my time; they all count for cores or toward my minor! Also, if you are new, my “end” goal is to work for a fashion magazine and work my way up while continuing StyledbyMcKenz. Obviously, this is subject to change over the next four years, but for now that’s the plan.

If you watch my YouTube videos or avidly read my posts, you probably have a good idea on how I’m liking school and adjusting to college life but I don’t talk about my actual schoolwork a ton so we’re going to start off with the academic recap before we hop into the fun stuff. I want to start off by sharing which classes I took, professors I had, and things of that sort. Think of this post as a “Rate My Professor” but for more than just the professor.

Fashion Fundamentals (3) 

Professor Copeland, Monday/Wednesday 11:00-11:50
Rating: 10/10
Grade: A (if I get a 70 or higher on my final tomorrow!)

I’m starting off with Fashion Fundamentals because it was without a doubt my favorite class of the semester. This is an introductory course that all Fashion Merchandising and Design majors take. It is a very large lecture with three hundred students and it’s held in Stump Theatre. Professor Copeland is very young and seasoned with experience in all different areas of the industry. She is very well spoken and her lectures were really interesting in my opinion. You learn somuch in this class as this course covers the basics in various different aspects of the industry— merchandising, marketing, design, sourcing, media, sustainability and more. She moves fast through her power points so you have to be attentive but she also asks questions often to hear from students throughout the crowd. You use your clicker for attendance in this class and although it says it is held on Friday when you sign up for the class, she does not hold class in person on Fridays. You take a weekly 20 point, open note, open book quiz each Friday. There is a mid-term, final exam, about five 20 point assignments, and a couple larger assignments throughout the course.

There is a book required for this class but it is online and free via the fashion school. You are assigned a chapter a week and the Friday quiz is based on it. I was the only one of my friends who read it and although you can get away without reading it, it was so interesting. In my opinion, the book was worth reading besides it being “required”. She also offers lots of extra credit! Professor Copeland does a lot within the fashion program and is a really awesome person to utilize while at Kent. She frequently sends out internship and interview opportunities so if you have ever need networking help, she is a good place to start.

Fashion Visuals Lecture (1)

Professor Simmons, Monday 8:50-9:40
Rating: 9/10
Grade: A

There are three lecture/lab courses you will be required (whether you’re march or design) to take at Kent. They’re Fabrics, Tech, and Visuals. When you take them depends on what’s available when you go in for scheduling but I obviously took Visuals first. You have a lecture each week in addition to the lab. This lecture introduces the basics of fashion design. You learn the elements and principles of design in depth and discuss the use of color very thoroughly. Similar to Professor Copeland, she does go quickly through her PowerPoints and she takes attendance through the clicker. You also have a clicker quiz each day during class as she presents the PowerPoint to make sure you are paying attention and listening attentively. They are ten questions and easy, but only if you are paying attention. You end up using these notes during lab to help with your assignments so take good ones.

This class is held in the same theatre and has about 175 people in it. Mrs. Simmons is an excellent professor but I found what she taught to be nowhere near as interesting as fundamentals which is the only reason I will doc it a point on my rating. You also stop meeting for lecture about 2/3 of the way into the semester and only show up to lab which is nice. There is no midterm or final for the lecture portion.

Fashion Visuals Lab (2)

Professor Simmons, Tuesday 8:00-10:30
Rating: 7.5/10
Grade: A-

In addition to the lecture, there is a lab portion for Fashion Visuals. There are multiple different teachers but I had Mrs. Simmons for the lab as well. I will admit, the mile walk to the fashion school before 8 am was not the most pleasant but it was manageable. This class is socreatively challenging if you are a merchandising student and if you are someone who isn’t hands-on like me. You do have to have materials for this class and you bring them to lab each week. There are thirty assignments, five of which are part of the final exam grade. You spend lots of time using the Color Aid pairing colors together and cutting tedious shapes for what feels like hours. You also will end up making 20 different magazine collages to represent the elements and principles of design and various different mood boards. The class is very tedious and it will push you far out of your comfort zone. You will need patience and lots of magazines— start saving them now because they are not cheap!

Although this class made me want to pull my hair out at times, Professor Simmons is super nice and she is understanding when it comes to realizing the not everyone is a design student. There are three parts to the final exam: one paper on sustainability, one infographic/video that is a group project, and one group project where you must upcycle a garment and present it fashion show style at the end of the year. The class is manageable and they say if you don’t like Visuals you’ll end up loving Tech. Stick with it; I promise it gets better and this is one of those classes that is meant to weed out the weak amongst the fashion school.

First Year Experience (1) 

Professor Mangeri, Monday 1:10-2:00
Rating: 8/10
Grade: A

FYE is a class that all freshman at Kent must take. It feels like such a waste of time but I understand why you have to take it. Almost every college has a class like this and you should appreciate it for being a grade booster. There are ten different assignments and most are just Discussion Boards on Blackboard asking you to reflect on what jobs you may want to pursue, a mid-semester check in, how you’re adjusting to school etc. You learn a lot about the Kent State shooting throughout this class as well which is actually super beneficial. It is annoying to have to go to but it really is an easy A and because you’re put with kids in your major, it’s an easy way to meet people. There is no midterm for this class and the final exam is a group project where you research a job in within your industry and present it to the class via a PowerPoint.

Media, Power, and Culture (3) 

Professor Shelton, Tuesday/Thursday 11:00-12:15
Rating: 10/10
Grade: A

Professor Shelton was without a doubt the best professor I had. He is the oldest professor I had and actually graduated from Kent State + has done just about anything you could think of under the Journalism industry. Not only was he super entertaining but he was extremely personable despite teaching a lecture of almost 200 students. This class is a first semester requirement if you’re a Journalism major but it can also count as a core class as well. I was in Journalism all throughout high school and this class is very similar to that class. Very little of the information presented was new to me; you learn the basics of the media and how media works in various other areas of the world. Professor Shelton lectures the entire class but he does so so that it is enjoyable and he will go back if you didn’t finish copying down the notes in time. He offers lots of extra credit which helps your grade. He has four open note quizzes and 4 tests throughout the semester. There is no midterm and there is an exam that you only have to take if you want the chance to improve your grade.

The quizzes are very easy if you take notes and he has a study session the evening before test days where he gives out over 1/2 of the answers for. The study sessions are extremely beneficial to go to. The tests are easy to do well on if you study and attend the session; without the session, most people do not perform well. There is no attendance for this class but I loved it so much I would never consider missing.

College Writing II (3)

Professor Rowell, Tuesday/Thursday 12:30-1:45
Rating: 10/10
Grade: A

Ms. Rowell is the youngest professor I had but she was an incredible professor at that! I was most nervous for this class since I hadn’t been in a college writing class prior and her syllabus is rather intimidating. However, she is the nicest most personable teacher you will ever have. She is under 30 years old and is on her way to becoming a full professor. She will not be staying at Kent for much longer which is a shame because I would recommend her to anyone.

You have four different “units” for her class. The first is a 5-page paper on a historical artifact. It sounds really boring but she requires you to research stuff that pertains to your major so that a) you’re more interested in it/writing about what you personally chose and b) so that you can include it in a future portfolio. I wrote mine on the printing press! The second unit is split into various different parts— cover letter, annotated bibliography, actual research, solution, and sources. In the end, it’s about 20ish pages which sounds scary but she makes it so doable; it felt like a breeze the way she spaced it out. The third unit you take one of your papers and turn it into a different mode. You can make a video, poster, or infographic (what I did) and you spend five minutes presenting it to the class. The final unit is your papers all revised and submitted as one final portfolio. She grades for completion the first time you submit your work and for accuracy when you turn in the final portfolio. This class had about 15 people in it so you knew most people by name. She does lots of interactive stuff and is so easy to talk to! She watches a lot of YouTube too so if you have any beauty guru recommendations, don’t be afraid to pass them along to her!

My Story On The Web (3) 

Professor Chritton, Tuesday/Thursday 2:15-3:30
Rating: 9/10
Grade: A

I was so excited for this class at the beginning of the semester. This used to be an online class and had a really high failing rate. They just started teaching it in person and Mr. Chritton is very funny. He is such an easy-going professor and is extremely laid back. The first week of the class you create a blog through WordPress based on any topic you want. You then spend the next ten weeks using various Adobe platforms and post your final assignments as blog posts each week. You learn basic Photoshop, Illustrator, and Premier Pro skills. I enjoyed the class but only because I knew how to complete most of these assignments on my own having already had a blog. It was easy for me to teach myself things I didn’t know and with the amount of experience I had competing my assignments was typically a breeze. However, most kids in this class struggled because as nice as Professor Chritton is, he doesn’t do a lot of“teaching”. He introduces that week’s assignment to you, shares some video tutorials, and then leaves you to it. He is rather unorganized and is slow to put in grades but because I knew what I was doing, I wasn’t ever worried about it and finished with a 100%.

On Thursdays, he tends to make class “open lab” which means if you do not need help, stay home and complete your assignment. The class was under 25 kids and he does not take attendance. There are no quizzes or tests and for the final “exam”you are required to make a video 2 minutes or longer and upload it to YouTube which was obviously fun for me. This class is a requirement for both Journalism majors and Fashion Media minors.

My first semester went really well academically. I took 16 credits and it was very doable. I didn’t have a ton of homework because I really wasn’t in a lot of core classes. I did have a lot of writing assignments across the board but I expected that coming in. In the first half of the semester Fashion Visuals probably took me about 3 hours minimum a week, outside of the classroom— so do keep that creative time in mind. I will be taking 18 credits next semester with many more core’s (gen-ed’s) so I am a bit nervous to see my work load but I know I’ll get through it regardless.

Aside from academics, my first semester at school was awesome. I came into school less than excited for college, fearing the change ahead. I realize now that it was silly to be so scared. College has been the best change of pace for me.

I am about four and a half hours from home and although there are days I wish I was closer, I love not being able to rush home the second I get uncomfortable. Growth happens outside of your comfort zone and boy have I been pushed outside of mine in every way this semester. I absolutely love all three of my roommates which has helped so much. Emma and I live very well together and that makes things really easy. My suitemates are the best and they never fail to make me laugh. We do a lot together and yet we are all very independent in our own ways.

I would say I am away from the room more than any of us. I spend an hour at the gym every day and with StyledbyMcKenz stuff I have found myself working roughly 30 hours a week. It’s a lot to balance at times but it has been incredibly rewarding for me. My roommates help me take photos in addition to Sophie who I mentioned earlier. I took on the Campus Media Manger position through Bumble, became a Pink Campus Rep, and joined a sorority. I’m an Alpha Phi! I love being so involved and yet there is still so much I would love to take on. I’m learning to say no and unlike high school McKenzie, have quickly learned that I cannot do everything; I know shocker! On top of that, I still have managed to be social. I have met some awesome girls while here at school and make it out on the weekends.

My first semester has been fun, challenging, easy, difficult, and overwhelming all at once. But in the best way possible. I’m feeling refreshed after such an incredible season of change. And as much as I love school, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to an entire month of relaxing, catching up with my people, and focusing my attention solely to StyledbyMcKenz.

Well, that’s all for now! I hope you enjoyed this post. I will be doing one of these at the end of each semester as well as recapping my freshman year entirely over on my YouTube channel when the time comes. In the meantime, make sure you stick around to get the inside scoop on what my typical days are like while I’m at school! Thank you so much for your continuous support throughout my freshman year and for allowing me to do what I do while getting a degree!

With love, McKenz

Latest Post: Wearing Color This Winter
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