Parson's School of Design pre-college summer

Hi, anyone have experience with the pre-college summer programs at Parsons and Parsons Paris? My kid wants to apply to fashion design school for college. We are hoping the Parson's program would be more than a boondoggle and my kid would be able to create a legitimate portfolio to use to apply to colleges. I get that it really depends on the kid and what they put into it. I'm wondering if these programs are set up with these goals in mind. If they're worth the time and money and if they are a legitimate gateway into art/design schools.

Any feedback based on experience would be great! 

Thank you!

Parent Replies

New responses are no longer being accepted.

How fun! I am not familiar with the Parsons program, but I'd like to suggest The School of the New York Times Summer Academy. They have a couple of fashion focused courses including "The Future of Fashion" (https://nytedu.com/courses/pre-college/the-future-of-fashion/). Course offerings change from year to year. I'm not sure if any this year have a direct design component or are more industry focused.

My daughter attended SoNTY the past two summers. The program is exceptional - high quality instruction from persons prominent in their fields and engaged and mature peer group. The residential component is run in a way that is both safe and supports age-appropriate growth and independence.  The best part is living right in the heart of Manhattan for two weeks.

The program is competitive and the admissions cycle is open, so if you're interested, don't delay.