Student Testimonial: New York School of Interior Design Summer Pre-College Program

Carrie Finrock, 2021

Why did you choose to participate in this program?

I discovered NYSID Summer Pre-College while reviewing the College’s admissions application requirements on NYSID.edu. I already knew about NYSID’s great reputation as a college but was not aware of the summer offering courses for high school students. With the local university program I had planned to take being canceled, I got permission from my parents and time off from work to enroll in NYSID’s Summer Pre-College I, which focuses on the basics of residential interior design, drafting skills, understanding floor plans and developing a design concept and color scheme. At the end of the 10-day class, you have a design for a New York City apartment.

What was the most memorable moment of your program?

“All of it! To be honest, I went into it with relatively low, but optimistic, expectations about the online learning experience. The virtual high school experience that I had during COVID was nowhere near what on-site learning was, so I didn’t know how good a virtual experience could be. Immediately from the first day, I just LOVED it. It completely exceeded my expectations.” In fact, Carrie loved Pre-College I so much that she signed up for Pre-College II to continue the experience and learn more about interior design opportunities related to designing public and professional spaces.

What impressed you the most about NYSID’s Summer Pre-College?

“The professors! They were so smart, enthusiastic, and encouraging. They showed me how to build upon and bring my ideas to life. I am still amazed about the amount of information I learned in a four-week period. I have never had another class in school that taught me so much in such a short period of time. And the professors so clearly love what they do–both as interior designers and as teachers. Professor Pam was so passionate in the way she explained an idea she had for a bathroom that I felt like, I want to do that–I want to have a design career that excites me that much.”