Spring 2021 Semester Recap

I’ve been meaning to write my spring semester recap for weeks now but, as you can tell, I’ve clearly been on summer mode! This semester, though good, was exhausting as heck and I’ve needed a few weeks of downtime before cranking out the back-to-school content.

If you’ve read my blog before then you’d know at the end of each semester I like to sit down and share a little recap—everything from the professor I had, the grade I received, and what I’m really learning about as a Fashion Merchandising student at Kent State University. I also share a bit about my personal experiences and social life regarding the semester so you can get the full feel of what went down.

As of this semester, I was considered a Junior by credits (came in with AP credits from high school); however, this is my second year at Kent. I’m living at home this summer and will return to Kent in August for one last year on campus. Next summer I will be fulfilling my Internship credit and in August I will leave for Italy. I will spend my final semester studying abroad in Florence with my two best friends, graduating in December of 2022 (just one semester early).

Phew, now that you’ve gotten the update, let’s move on into the class recap. I know every school handled this Covid semester a little differently; Kent kept most of its classes online with the exception of a few labs and upper-level courses. I, however, took a total of 15 credits this semester, all of them given online.

checkout my previous semester recaps for more info
freshman fall 2019 recap // freshman spring 2020 recap // sophomore fall 2020 recap 

FASHION BRANDING (3)

Professor Valendza
Rating: 10/10
Grade: A
All Online

As you may know from reading my other semester recaps, the initial fashion courses you take are Fashion Tech, Fashion Fabrics, and Fashion Visuals. In these lecture + lab combo courses you dive headfirst into the reality of a fashion career. These are said to be some of the most challenging courses you’ll take throughout your four years and are designed to “weed out the weak”.

I took the last of these three courses last semester and I definitely felt like my major courses lightened up a bit this time around. Fashion Branding was the easiest of the courses I took. This class is entirely self-taught and very manageable, running on a two-week cycle. At the beginning of each cycle, Professor Valendza posts a lecture. She records small voiceovers over certain slides, but for the most part, it’s just something to read and take notes on.

At the end of the week, you will complete a 40 point quiz. The following week you will complete a 40 point discussion board post that is rather short. This cycle will repeat every two weeks, with new topics. The content you’re learning about is very similar to Fashion Retail Industry which you will take the semester before. There are two exams, 100 points each, that are open book. With good notes and a complete study guide, you are on track to a high A in this class.

FASHION APPAREL ANALYSIS (3)

Dr. LB
Rating: 9/10
Grade: A
All Online, meeting times Tuesday 12:30-2:00

This was my second time having Dr. LB and she is just the sweetest. It’s very obvious that she is passionate about what she is teaching and she does it well. The only reason I am knocking this course down a point is that she leads it all through a website called Top Hat rather than Blackboard. There’s nothing necessarily “wrong” with this, it’s just annoying to have to set up yet another account. This website allows her to meet virtually with us every week, presenting her material live while giving us interactive questions and quizzes for attendance points.

From the way clothes hang to why they fit the way they do, to how materials are sourced and what makes a brand truly “sustainable”, I learned more throughout this course than I ever could have imagined. In fact, most of the information I learned throughout this course I was able to apply the very next day when reviewing clothing on my YouTube channel. Suddenly, everything came full circle and I was able to analyze garments the way the designer intended.

examples of take-home assignments 

Her lectures can be a bit long and boring but are overall very informative. After the lecture each week you have an “at-home assignment” that consists of more lecture slides, a few readings, and a short quiz. Some of the quizzes are multiple-choice whereas others require you to physically take items out of your closet and study the different stitches, seams, and materials. Tedious, but necessary for any career in this industry. There is no final exam, just a three-part group project.

PRINCIPLES OF MARKETING (3)

Dr. Lawrence J Marks
Rating: 10/10
Grade: A-
All Online

I was very excited to take Marketing this semester as it taught me the opposite side of my job. I speak with marketing managers daily when partnering with different brands and this class really showed me what things they are looking for, why they communicate the way they do, and how Economics all ties into it.

Dr. Marks is an older gentleman that has taught this class for many, many years. He is such an enthusiastic professor and it’s obvious he has done everything in his power to adapt to online learning for the benefit of his students. He posts hour and a half lectures twice a week. They are not live, so you are able to watch them whenever it’s convenient for you. They are hard to sit through at times, but I appreciate actually seeing and hearing from a professor when taking an online course.

Each week there is a 10 question quiz and an extra credit opportunity that you absolutely should be completing. These assignments are what bumped me to an A at the end of the semester. While this material is not hard, there is SO much material to study for each exam. Reading through your notes is crucial to pass and one bad exam can really hinder your overall grade. They are proctored and timed so prepare wisely!

VISUAL DESIGN AND MEDIA (3)

Grad Student Amina
Rating: 7/10
Grade: B+
All Online, meeting times Friday 8:00

Visual Design and Media was my first upper-level course of college and it sure gave me a run for my money. I was .2 away from an A in this course and it’s safe to say I’m a little bitter about it—this was my first B at Kent. This course is a requirement for all Fashion Media minors, which I am.

Because of Covid, this course was taught by a Grad student rather than a professor of the Visual Communications school. While she was very friendly, it was evident that she was newer to this material and slower to provide feedback— I’m giving her some grace because I know it can’t be easy spending your first year teaching online.

Each week throughout this course you complete an assignment using different Adobe software. While I definitely have some skill in In Design, I’m not as rehearsed in Photoshop and Illustrator so some weeks were harder than others. Plus, you are essentially teaching yourself everything as her live meeting times were essentially just a “heads up” of what work was due. There were many times I wanted to pull my hair out over this class.

examples of graphic design work completed

On top of the weekly assignments, you also have four big projects. After choosing a nonprofit you will be designing different postcards, resumes, brochures, and Instagram slides for them to theoretically use. I wish this course was taught a bit differently because these skills are some of the most important when pursuing a career in the digital side of fashion.

FUNDAMENTALS OF MEDIA MESSAGES (3)

Professor Cindi Deutschman-Ruiz
Rating: 7/10
Grade: A-
All Online

Fundamentals of Media Messages is another course required for Fashion Media minors and one I had a love/hate relationship with. I want to start off by saying that all three professors who teach this course have a 2/5 or lower on Rate My Professor so my expectations going into this class were low.

I absolutely loved the content of this course. I was the Editor In Chief of my school’s newspaper and have extensive knowledge in the journalism field. Post-grad I would like to pursue a career in Fashion Journalism and this class prepares you on how to write blog posts, press releases, radio news reports, and more. It’s essentially applying everything you learn in a Journalism 101 course.

Because I had lots of prior experience in these areas, I was able to keep up with this course, making As on most of my assignments. However, I’ve been told by many other friends taking this class, that it was absolute hell for them. While self-teaching is not ideal, it wasn’t even possible with this class as there were no lectures and very minimal resources to fall back on— just assignment after assignment and tons of busy work to complete.

Addiotnaly there was no consistency to this course whatsoever. Some weeks the modules opened on Monday, others on Thursday. Not to mention, there is a different due date for each assignment in the module. I prefer a course with some routine and this one was far from it.

While this professor ripped my work to shreds some weeks, others she awarded me with extra credit for moving her to tears with my writings. It was hard to gauge what she would like and what she would dock me three letter grades for but nonetheless, I made it out with an A. If you’re taking this course soon, good luck Charlie!

“THE REST” IN REVIEW

I cried and cried about moving back to Kent to begin my sophomore year and looking back, I can’t help but think how silly I was to do so. I had an incredible year, I really did. While there were definitely aspects I missed from normalcy— walks to class with friends, football games, actual sorority events, going out, etc, there was something I loved so much about the change of pace. If there were a way to combine the two years, I would be thrilled. I need a happy medium of it all.

roomies/friends from the house

I finished up my time in the sorority house and honestly, I’m so glad. I loved my apartment but I will not miss living with thirty girls. However, I am grateful for the timing of it all. We had not one sorority event this year besides virtual recruitment and chapter over Zoom each Sunday. Living in the house was the only thing that kept me from feeling like we were paying for nothing. There’s always something going on there—someone’s birthday, Bachelor Monday, a movie night you name it.

my best friends + future roomates 

While it did bring me and Emily closer than I ever could have imagined, and a few more friends in Alpha Phi, I’m so excited to live with Olivia and Lauren again next year (my freshman year suitemates). I’ll be living in an apartment off-campus and can not wait to start decorating.

always a reason to celebrate Styled by

I wasn’t involved in any extracurriculars this semester—no Bumble or Pink and I took a step back from the fashion magazine, A Mag. I definitely missed being a part of a school organization but being able to dedicate that extra free time to Styled by McKenz was so good for me. My brand grew immensely second semester; although 30-45 hours a week was a breeze some and demanding as heck others.

Sundays at Schoony

I finally made the guy friends I was hoping for and spent practically every weekend at Schoonover stadium watching them do their thing. I was heavily involved with my high school’s baseball program so this place quickly felt like my home away from home. While some of my peeps graduated in May, others will be back for one last season. Regardless, I’m so grateful for guys that keep me grounded and laughing till my stomach hurts.

I’m so sad at the thought of having just one year left in Kent. Never in my wildest dreams did I think a little ole town in Ohio would come to mean so much to me. I miss it already and yet I’m taking time to appreciate this last “normal” summer at home. Not only do I deserve it, but I really need it after such a crazy year. Best of luck if you’re headed to Kent soon; message me on Instagram if you have more questions or just want to chat.

With love, McKenz