Here is a day in my life as a foundation student, so you can reflect upon all of the great quirks that make up Parsons, that is, if you have time to read it.
Did you watch Project Runway before attending Parsons? Did you think living in New York City was going to be full of shopping, partying and fine dining? I did. I soon found out, however, that Parsons is not anything like Project Runway, with its weekly runway shows and frequently pregnant Heidi Klum. The store I shop at most: the art supply store. Partying is way out of my time range, and instead of healthy meals, I eat snacks if there is time. Don’t get me wrong, Parsons is a blast! Between my teachers and classmates, I have met lots of interesting characters. Plus, I get to visit galleries once a week. Parsons is a lot of fun, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Here is a day in the life of Catherine, me, a foundation student, so you can reflect upon all of the great works that make up Parsons, that is if you have time to read it.
7:30 a.m.: My alarm goes off at 7:30. I have enough time to take a shower, that is, if it’s available, and if I’m lucky, I get a bowl of cereal. This is usually when I think about other students that go to so called “normal” colleges. I wonder if they have to wake up so early.
8:20 a.m.: I allow myself forty minutes to get to class. Twenty is used for walking and the other twenty for standing outside the ever popular elevators found in the 2 W. 13th St. building. After the long wait, I get the prize of being packed into the small elevator with five other people plus a number of portfolios. Needless to say, it’s not a very comfortable ride. Of course, Parsons, has a strict policy on tardiness, so even though punctuality may seem like an impossible race, lateness is not an option.
9 a.m.: 3D class begins. It’s a nice break from the morning rush. The instructor describes the new assignment, and I try to stay awake and think of creative ideas at the same time. When given a challenge to build interesting forms out of paper and wire, I get to work with tools I’ve never used before. A fun fact I found out while working with wire is, it scratches my hands…but seeing the end product makes the strange markings on my fingertips worth it.
11:40 a.m.: Exhausted from class, I have twenty minutes to walk to the next one. I make my long awaited coffee run, and this is when I realize how much the Newschool has taken over the intersection of 13th Street and 5th Avenue. Everywhere you look, you can find the stereotypical Parsons student walking quickly in their Urban Outfitter wear and a portfolio.
3:00 p.m.: I’m starving and 2D has begun. I can’t stop counting the minutes until my next break and start to think about how Parsons must dominate the Macintosh market.
5:40 p.m. to midnight: The last class of the day is finished and I am released back into reality. I walk to my dorm and drop off my things before finishing the day’s errands. Once I’m home for good, I check Facebook. Then I move onto less important tasks such as eating or completing homework. In any case, I will most likely begin to watch youtube videos and procrastinate for two or three hours. By the time I get to sleep, it’s close to midnight and I get to wake up and do it all over again tomorrow.
These are the wonderful moments that I will look back on when remembering freshman year at Parsons. These memories will be filled with those people which every Parsons student has experience (hey, you might even be one). Like the exceptionally clumsy person, for example, that knocks over everything with his or her portfolio, or the one who complains about each and every project the class is assigned; and of course, those who make everyday at Parsons a lot of fun, cracking you up for the five hours and forty minutes of drawing class or joking about the stupid 3D project you have been working on for the past two weeks. All of this adds to the Parsons “Wild Ride” rollercoaster, and even though it took some adjusting, I believe this school is the best think that could have ever happened to me.
Very interesting and helpful. Thanks for sharing! :)
Posted by: Addie | October 15, 2009 at 08:23 AM