Become a Cosmetologist | Cosmetology Schools Towanda IL

How to Find the Right Cosmetologist College near Towanda Illinois

nail technicians training at Towanda IL beauty schoolSince you have made a decision to train as a cosmetologist and enroll in a beauty school near Towanda IL, the process begins to locate and enroll in the ideal school. It’s imperative that the school you pick not only furnishes the appropriate training for the specialty you have decided on, but also prepares you for passing the licensing examination. When you start your preliminary search, you might be somewhat unclear about the distinction between beauty schools and cosmetology schools. Well don’t be, because the names are essentially interchangeable and both refer to the same type of school. We’ll talk a little bit further concerning that in the next segment. If you anticipate commuting to classes you will want to choose a school that is within driving distance of your Towanda home. Tuition will additionally be an important aspect when evaluating potential schools. Just bear in mind that because a school is the nearest or the least expensive it’s not automatically the best option. There are a number of other factors that you should evaluate when comparing schools, for example their reputation and accreditation. We will go over what questions you should ask regarding the cosmetology schools you are thinking about later within this article. Before we do, let’s talk a little bit about what cosmetology is, and what kinds of programs are offered.

Defining Cosmetology

Towanda IL makeup ar4tist applying makeupCosmetology is a profession that is everything about making the human body look more beautiful with the use of cosmetics. So naturally it makes sense that many cosmetology schools are regarded as beauty schools. Many of us think of makeup when we hear the word cosmetics, but basically a cosmetic can be anything that enhances the appearance of a person’s skin, hair or nails. If you want to work as a cosmetologist, the majority of states mandate that you go through some type of specialized training and then be licensed. Once you are licensed, the work environments include not only Towanda IL beauty salons and barber shops, but also such venues as spas, hotels and resorts. Many cosmetologists, after they have gotten experience and a customer base, open their own shops or salons. Others will start seeing clients either in their own residences or will travel to the client’s home, or both. Cosmetology college graduates are known by many names and work in a wide range of specialties including:

  • Hairdressers
  • Hairstylists
  • Beauticians
  • Barbers
  • Manicurists
  • Nail Technicians
  • Makeup Artists
  • Hair Coloring Specialists
  • Estheticians
  • Electrolysis Technicians

As previously stated, in most states practicing cosmetologists must be licensed. In a few states there is an exception. Only those offering more skilled services, for example hairstylists, are required to be licensed. Other people employed in cosmetology and less skilled, such as shampooers, are not required to become licensed in those states.

Cosmetology Degrees and Certificates

Towanda IL hairdresser cutting hairThere are primarily two options available to receive cosmetology training and a credential upon completion. You can enroll in a certificate (or diploma) course, or you can work toward an Associate’s degree. Certificate programs typically take 12 to 18 months to finish, while an Associate’s degree ordinarily takes about 2 years. If you enroll in a certificate program you will be instructed in each of the major areas of cosmetology. Briefer programs are offered if you wish to specialize in just one area, for example hair coloring. A degree program will also likely incorporate management and marketing training so that graduates are better prepared to run a salon or other Towanda IL business. More advanced degrees are not typical, but Bachelor and Master’s degree programs are offered in such areas as salon or spa management. Whichever type of program you choose, it’s essential to make sure that it’s recognized by the Illinois Board of Cosmetology. Many states only recognize schools that are accredited by certain respected organizations, including the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS). We will review the benefits of accreditation for the school you decide on in the upcoming segment.

Online Beauty Programs

student attending cosmetology school online in Towanda ILOnline beauty classes are accommodating for Towanda IL students who are working full-time and have family obligations that make it challenging to attend a more traditional school. There are many web-based beauty school programs offered that can be attended via a desktop computer or laptop at the student’s convenience. More traditional beauty schools are typically fast paced because many programs are as short as 6 or 8 months. This means that a considerable portion of time is spent in the classroom. With internet courses, you are covering the same amount of material, but you’re not spending many hours away from your home or travelling back and forth from classes. On the other hand, it’s vital that the school you select can provide internship training in nearby salons and parlors so that you also obtain the hands-on training required for a comprehensive education. Without the internship part of the training, it’s difficult to gain the skills required to work in any facet of the cosmetology field. So be sure if you choose to enroll in an online school to confirm that internship training is available in your area.

Questions to Ask Cosmetologist Trade Schools

Questions to ask Towanda IL beauty schoolsFollowing is a list of questions that you need to investigate for any cosmetologist training school you are contemplating. As we have previously covered, the location of the school in relation to your Towanda IL home, in addition to the cost of tuition, will probably be your initial qualifiers. Whether you wish to earn a certificate, diploma or a degree will probably be next on your list. But once you have reduced your school choices based on those initial qualifications, there are additional factors that you should research and consider before enrolling in a cosmetology school. Below we have put together several of those supplemental questions that you need to ask each school before making a final decision.

Is the Program Accredited? It’s necessary to make sure that the cosmetology college you pick is accredited. The accreditation should be by a U.S. Department of Education certified local or national agency, such as the National Accrediting Commission for Cosmetology Arts & Sciences (NACCAS). Schools accredited by the NACCAS must meet their high standards assuring a superior curriculum and education. Accreditation may also be necessary for securing student loans or financial aid, which frequently are not obtainable in 61776 for non- accredited schools. It’s also a criteria for licensing in several states that the training be accredited. And as a concluding benefit, a number of Towanda IL businesses will not hire recent graduates of non-accredited schools, or might look more positively upon individuals with accredited training.

Does the School have an Excellent Reputation?  Each cosmetology school that you are seriously evaluating should have a good to outstanding reputation within the field. Being accredited is an excellent beginning. Next, ask the schools for testimonials from their network of businesses where they have placed their students. Verify that the schools have high job placement rates, indicating that their students are highly sought after. Visit rating companies for reviews in addition to the school’s accrediting organizations. If you have any contacts with Towanda IL salon owners or managers, or someone working in the trade, ask them if they are acquainted with the schools you are considering. They may even be able to suggest others that you had not considered. And last, check with the Illinois school licensing authority to see if there have been any complaints submitted or if the schools are in full compliance.

What’s the School’s Focus?  A number of cosmetology schools offer programs that are expansive in nature, concentrating on all facets of cosmetology. Others are more focused, providing training in a specific specialty, for example hairstyling, manicuring or electrolysis. Schools that offer degree programs typically broaden into a management and marketing curriculum. So it’s imperative that you choose a school that specializes in your area of interest. If your ambition is to be trained as an esthetician, make sure that the school you enroll in is accredited and respected for that program. If your desire is to open a hair salon in Towanda IL, then you need to enroll in a degree program that will teach you how to be an owner/operator. Picking a highly rated school with a weak program in the specialty you are seeking will not provide the training you need.

Is Any Hands-On Training Provided?  Learning and mastering cosmetology techniques and abilities demands lots of practice on volunteers. Ask how much live, hands-on training is furnished in the cosmetology classes you will be attending. Some schools have salons on campus that make it possible for students to practice their growing talents on real people. If a beauty school provides minimal or no scheduled live training, but instead relies mainly on utilizing mannequins, it might not be the most effective alternative for cultivating your skills. So search for alternate schools that furnish this type of training.

Does the School have a Job Placement Program?  As soon as a student graduates from a cosmetology school, it’s imperative that he or she receives help in securing that first job. Job placement programs are an integral part of that process. Schools that provide aid maintain relationships with Towanda IL employers that are looking for qualified graduates available for hiring. Confirm that the schools you are contemplating have job placement programs and ask which salons and organizations they refer students to. Additionally, ask what their job placement rates are. Higher rates not only confirm that they have extensive networks of employers, but that their programs are highly respected as well.

Is Financial Aid Available?  Most beauty schools offer financial aid or student loan assistance for their students. Find out if the schools you are looking at have a financial aid office. Consult with a counselor and identify what student loans or grants you might get approved for. If the school belongs to the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), it will have scholarships accessible to students also. If a school meets each of your other qualifications with the exception of expense, do not drop it as an option until you learn what financial assistance may be available.

Enrolled in Cosmetology School near Towanda IL?

If you have decided to attend Beauty School in the greater Towanda IL area, following is some interesting and perhaps useful information about the location of your new school campus.

Towanda, Illinois

Towanda, Illinois, was named for Towanda in Bradford County, Pennsylvania. The land on which Towanda stands was first entered by Charles Badeau who had graduated from Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, in 1840, and was employed as the assistant to the chief engineer of what was then the Alton and Springfield Railroad.[3] Because in Illinois at that time it was illegal for railroads or their officials to establish new towns, much of the land was then transferred to two McLean County real estate developers Jesse W. Fell (November 10, 1808 – February 22, 1887) and Charles W. Holder (September 29, 1819 - April 30, 1900). These two men laid out the town of Towanda and filed the plat on December 7, 1854.[4] Jesse W. Fell, a native of Chester County in southeastern Pennsylvania, was a widely known land dealer in Central Illinois who played major role in founding many Illinois towns including Clinton, Dwight, Normal, Pontiac, and who was the driving force behind the establishment of the school that would become Illinois State University [5] Holder was linked with Fell in many of his town founding schemes including Normal and Larchwood in Lyon County, Iowa; the McLean County town of Holder is named in his honor. Fell association with the railroad goes back to the time when it was surveyed. On at least two occasions he was able to alter the path of the railroad to suit his own interests: organizing a bend in the road so it would pass through his town of Normal[6] and making a slight change in the survey so it would pass through the Livingston County town of Pontiac, where he had interests rather than the rival town of Richmond.[7] Shortly after Towanda was laid out most of the land was back in the hands of the railroad's land agent English-born Charles Roadnight (1814-?). Roadnight built the first warehouse in Towanda; he settled in Bloomington, had a farm in Dwight, and in 1858 later became treasurer of what was then the Chicago and Alton Railroad.[8]

Central Illinois towns of the 1830s, such as Bloomington, Lexington, Leroy and Pontiac, were usually built around a central square. In contrast, most towns of the 1850s, like Towanda, were oriented toward the railroad tracks. In the case of Towanda a diagonal main street was established parallel to the railroad, with the main building lots on only one side; the effect was to have the commercial establishments look across the street toward the tracks.[9] This was a common design in newly established towns along the Chicago and Alton Railroad and may be found, with slight variations, in places like Dwight, Gardner, Odell and Mclean; Fell's town of Normal, established at the same time as Towanda, was to have had exactly the same arrangement; except that in Normal, the original street paralleling the railroad, quickly lost its importance to the reverse side of the block. This standard town plan often left town designers with odd triangular pieces of land, where the diagonal street met with other streets which were aligned north-south or east-west. These triangles are often still in public hands. In the case of Towanda, Fell gave each of two triangular areas, one on either side of the tracks, to the town. On the Original deed they were given the name "plaza" and both have always served the city as parks.[10]

Alex Warren built the first residence in the new town and James Alexander the first warehouse. These were soon followed by Wesley Bishop's grocery and Frank Henderson's dry goods store.[11] The largest building was a two-story structure built by Charles Roadnight, which was fifty by one hundred feet; the first floor was used for stores and the second as a meeting toom. It burned about 1900.[12] In 1873-1874, wooden sidewalks were being built, followed by brick sidewalks in 1891, and concrete walkways in 1916. The town was officially incorporated in 1870. The first jail was built in the North Park and replaced at least once; the structure can not have been very substantial because in 1901 the town fathers were forced to appoint a committee to inquire into what had happened to the jail.[13] Perhaps the most exciting event in the town's history was the attack on the Buena Vista Tavern. A group of local women took exception to the amount of money their menfolk were spending on whiskey. The assmebled at the hardware store where they were issued hatchets. They then marched into the Buena Vista smashing bottles, threatening the barman, and hurling whatever they could find through the tavern windows. Each of the women was fined one dollar.[14]

Choose the Right Beauty College near Towanda IL

Towanda IL barber blow drying client's hairLocating and enrolling in the right cosmetologist school is essential to obtain the appropriate training to become a licensed cosmetology specialist. Be sure to ask all the questions that you require so as to feel confident about your decision. Be sure to compile all of the responses you get from the cosmetology school admissions departments, focus on what matters the most to you, and then use that information to compare schools. A good start in your due diligence process is to make sure that the school and program you pick are accredited and have outstanding reputations within the profession. If you start with that foundation, and address the additional questions presented in this article, you will be able to filter your list of schools so that you can make the ideal selection. Once you graduate and pass your licensing test, you will be confident that you are ready to launch your career as a professional cosmetologist in Towanda IL.

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