Paul Mitchell Vs. Aveda Institute

jiza in buckingham, Pennsylvania said: I am begging you to get the milady book . its on www.amazon.com
the only thing you will learn at that institute and aveda for 20,000. is what the state board requires.
hair cut. 1/2 inch all over head.(blunt) manicure.wash and set.fachial.permanent wave. I think they got rid of finger waves.
this is practical test. second test is written. facial anatomy.hiv.hep. a and b. etc. and thats it. go to the cheepest school. and then go to advanced schools like www.vidalsassoonacademy.com , www.toniandguy.com , www.martinparsins.com , www.greatlengths.com , www.goldwell.com ,
get your info there. thats where you will learn how to do the real things you will need to do the things you think you are going to learn at paul mitchell.
look, you need to look at that sight.
his hair cutting class is taught by DVD! my god! you cannot learn by dvd!
please atr least check these sites out!

I agree with all of this. Your first objective should be to pass your state board, THEN get continuing education at Paul Mitchell or Aveda. In fact, you can pick up a lot of continuing education at hair shows.

baruhl in Orlando, Florida said: Thanks for the posting. I am searching for a school for my daughter. I do not want to take a loan out for $15,000 or more. I think your advice seems very reasonable. Does anyone know of a decent school in the orlando area that is decent and not pm or aveda. Also, which milady book are you referring to. There seem to be different types on amazon. Thanks.

Try your local community colleges for Cosmetology education. Most will have a program unless you live in a very rural area. Milady 2011 is the most recent one.... it has a blue background and a redheaded girl with yellow eyeshadow on the cover. Make sure you get the basic textbook not one of the supplements. The main book will cost somewhere around $70.00.

Correction: Its Milady 2012 (released in 2011)

I can't decide whether to go to PM or Aveda. I did have a tour of PM and I loved it! I still need to call Aveda to have a tour but what school will you suggest? I am in the south florida area. Feel free to email me if you went to PM or Aveda to give me some feedback on it. Email --> yousaysmile@aol.om

Does anyone have knowledge of the PM and Aveeda in Atlanta? Like tuition,quality, professionalism, etc

KittyKat in Brooklyn, New York said: Aveda is ridiculously strict. I would know. I got terminated from there TWICE for some nonsense that they accused me of which wasn't even true or proven. And what's even more funny is the school terminates you AT the 3rd week of your second quarter, (that's the week where the school now gets to keep 100% of your tuition, regardless if you completed the rest of the quarter or not). STAY AWAY from Aveda. They are a serious scam and have no humanity in a single ounce in their blood.

AVEDA did the exact same thing (and worse) to a friend of mine. She was terminated from their program after a point in time when the "institute" could keep 100% of her tuition. . . and she still has to pay back the student loans that she received. Also, they promised to help her with tuition costs. Once she was enrolled/accepted, they reneged on that promise and later expected her to fulfill ALL of the burden for tuition, books, fees, supplies, etc. They do this to A LOT of people from what I understand.

jiza in buckingham, Pennsylvania said: I am begging you to get the milady book . its on www.amazon.com
the only thing you will learn at that institute and aveda for 20,000. is what the state board requires.
hair cut. 1/2 inch all over head.(blunt) manicure.wash and set.fachial.permanent wave. I think they got rid of finger waves.
this is practical test. second test is written. facial anatomy.hiv.hep. a and b. etc. and thats it. go to the cheepest school. and then go to advanced schools like www.vidalsassoonacademy.com , www.toniandguy.com , www.martinparsins.com , www.greatlengths.com , www.goldwell.com ,
get your info there. thats where you will learn how to do the real things you will need to do the things you think you are going to learn at paul mitchell.
look, you need to look at that sight.
his hair cutting class is taught by DVD! my god! you cannot learn by dvd!
please atr least check these sites out!

I am going to go to Cosmetology school soon and am torn on where to go. In response to what you wrote, I was wondering why do you feel someone would need to go to a smaller school first and THEN go to Vidal Sassoon, Toni&guy etc? Why not just attend those schools from the jump?

snowy09 in Greenville, Mississippi said: I am exploring options for my daughter and would like to know if you know anything specific about PM in Antioch (Nashville).

I go to Paul Mitchell the School Nashville (Antioch) and i LOVE it. Best choice i have ever made in my life. The people there are amazing and the learning experience is the best. They give you all you need to be successful and they care so much about every student. The owners are very involved and do so much for the students. LOVE IT! I wouldn't change a thing about my school!

I went to a community college before transferring to a paul mitchell school... I tried aveda and they were only going to transfer 250 of my hours, whereas paul mitchell would transfer 500 hours. Aveda didn't seem to want me to attend there because they wouldn't help me try to transfer or anything, like they were "too good" or something. When I toured Aveda it seemed really stuck up and uncomfortable there. I toured The Esani Institute i Paul Mitchell partner school and I felt right at home. Everyone there seemed really friendly and they taught me so much there. I ended up transferring to another Paul Mitchell school and they did everything they would to get all of my hours from Esani and the community college I attended... so I would have to say that if your going to choose between the schools, go for Paul Mitchell because they are more laid back and they are actually interested in YOUR future :)

jen_atl in Atlanta, Georgia said: Does anyone have knowledge of the PM and Aveeda in Atlanta? Like tuition,quality, professionalism, etc

The Esani Institute

IHATEPAULMITCHELL in Carcavelos, Portugal said: I would definitely go with the Aveda Institute. I have great evidence to support my choice, that being my girlfriend showing me Paul Mitchell products and me finding them very boring and annoying. I must say I was not entertained at all. If Aveda Institute even makes products, I am 100% confident that I would like them substantially more.

My girlfriend supports me completely in my claims.

wow how simple minded are you? you haven't even tried an aweda product...

I attend PM in Birmingham and its like a messy high school, not professional AT ALL!!! All they want is $$$$$ they swear they're there for us, but they're really not. Can't confide in any of the learning leaders because everyone will know your business. People play intirely too much. We need more learning leaders. Basically everyone is full of crap. I wanted so badly to attend Aveda, but at that time they wasnt offering nite school, so I went to PM. If you are interested in attending PM in Birmingham PLEASE have your attorney read over the contract before you sign ANYTHING PLEASE!!!! There are things in the contract that they don't tell you. If you sign the contract and you want to go to another school say mid ways through. Ex. If your student loan is twenty-thousand (loan frm fafsa)if u leave the school before graduation your loans from the gov will stop, but u will have to pay PM the remainder of the tuition and if you dont they won't give you your credits that you have paid and worked for until you pay them. So you'll have to basically start from scratch. All write ups are seventy dollars. Here are some reason things that'll result in a write up...every three times that you are tardy to class, if you dont complete your work sheet for the month, parking in the wrong area. Oh yes and out of the whole time your there you get one hundred fifty hrs that you can miss from school but if you exceed 150 you will have to pay eleven dollars an hour in overages..all of this money will be due after you graduate...they will hold your hours until its all paid of. SOOOOOOOOO YEEEEEAAA...Its total crap!!!

Does anyone know how much esthetic teachers make? After 20 years in the salon industry I am looking at Aveda and PM for my certificate to teach but at $15,000 I am wondering what the income potential is?

I am currently attending The Academy Waukesha PM, i can honestly say i am having the best time of my life, i get help any second i need, u learn top of the line products, indepth salon life, not to mention hands on after only 1month of core, u are accepting guests on the floor! It gets you comfortable! Everyone is very very positive and upbeat, everything is bright, and the FIRST day of school, i got on a bus to the green bay school and got to meet John Paul Dijoria! and Winn Claybaugh! THE VERY FIRST DAY! it is family family family. the money is well worth it, you get everything from hot tools, styling tools, clippers, doll heads, dvds, everything is included! We run style shows all the time, dress up days, we have job fairs too! Where we set up our look-book, portfolios, and your favorite show of talent on your doll head! We have pow-wow every week to get everyone together and amp'd up for the week! Saturdays are fun-days where we get to do work on mannequins and participate in the many teams our school offers! The Green Team(going green), Be Nice team(giving back to the community) Design Team(participate in doing runway hair, photoshoots, traveling) Phase Two(For more advanced professionals) Cutting team, Coloring team, Make-up Team! We have the best professionals that come in like robert cromeans, and takashi! I checked into many other schools, and PM stood out most to me. I have to pay for school myself, and this school is well worth it. My friend attended Aveda the same time i started at PM and she wanted to transfer over. She couldn't she would have had to re-pay tuition in full at AVEDA!!!! WE are fun! definately you'd like PM better.

I am currently trying to decide between the Paul Mitchell school in Orlando and The Salon Professional Academy in the Villages. I'm really torn, which one is better from personal expierence? I'm going to be a full Cosmetologist, and to do that I want the school to have not just a cosmetology program but a good nail program, and skin program.

Avoid the Aveda Institute at all costs!! They will mess your transcripts up so badly that the state board will not approve your application to take your exam. and when informed about this all they can say is "you must be reading your transcripts wrong". 17 thousand dollards wasted. I cant even get another grant or student loan to pursue another career at another school. The director of the Aveda schools in the state of Florida won't even acknowledge any of my emails regarding my transcripts. The students are all brainwashed too into thinking that this is the "best" school to attend, plus it's no fun there and everyone hates eachother. If I were able to do it again, I would go with Paul Mitchell.

sandy in Indian Trail, North Carolina said: Before I got started as a Cosmetologist,I toured both schools.I like Aveda products because its natural and paul mitchell because it sells itself. When i first toured Paul Mitchell School in charlotte NC I felt Positive Energy and knew right away that would be the right school. However i still wanted to see what Aveda had to offer, so I made an appointment with Aveda for a perm. First to begin I could not find a parking space in the garage. Second the place was messy and the student who did my perm was not given the best advice by her professor. After doing my perm, she was told to cut the hair, so she combed the hair down and cut off the perm as well as brushed down the perm. Now my hair looks like crap and to top it off the management did not care or offer any advice. Therefore what school did I pick?. "Paul Mitchell" So far Im loving it!! P.S. We also have students from Aveda who's attending Paul Mitchell.

I am totally confused how r u doing now at PM i am checking that and aveda tomorrow.. can u let me know? thanks or anybody else know help!!!!!!!!!!!

Future Professional in Birmingham, Alabama said: I attend PM in Birmingham and its like a messy high school, not professional AT ALL!!! All they want is $$$$$ they swear they're there for us, but they're really not. Can't confide in any of the learning leaders because everyone will know your business. People play intirely too much. We need more learning leaders. Basically everyone is full of crap. I wanted so badly to attend Aveda, but at that time they wasnt offering nite school, so I went to PM. If you are interested in attending PM in Birmingham PLEASE have your attorney read over the contract before you sign ANYTHING PLEASE!!!! There are things in the contract that they don't tell you. If you sign the contract and you want to go to another school say mid ways through. Ex. If your student loan is twenty-thousand (loan frm fafsa)if u leave the school before graduation your loans from the gov will stop, but u will have to pay PM the remainder All write ups are seventy dollars. Here are some reason things that'll result in a write up...every three times that you are tardy to class, if you dont complete your work sheet for the month, parking in the wrong area. Oh yes and out of the whole time your there you get one hundred fifty hrs that you can miss from school but if you exceed 150 you will have to pay eleven dollars an hour in overages..all of this money will be due after you graduate...they will hold your hours until its all paid of. SOOOOOOOOO YEEEEEAAA...Its total crap!!!

Your PM School is quite the exception!!!! The worst our students get for not finishing their worksheets is not being allowed a free student service the next month. As far as right ups go.....you really have to do something severe before they right you up and the worst that happens is a suspension. Our overage fees are only 6.50 an hour. How can you complain when they allow you to miss an entire month of school in a program that lasts at best 11 months?

I would like to attend the PM school in San Diego, I need some feedback on how people like it there! thanks :)

I'm really wanting to go to a good school. I live in Nashville Tennessee and the only schools we have are PM or this school empire. Has anyone been to the PM school in Nashville? If so what did you think, and what is the tuition? Also how long is the program?!

jiza in buckingham, Pennsylvania said: BTW, AVEDA IS NO DIFFERENT! THE ONLY THING IS YOU ARE LIMITING YOURSELF TO LEARING ONLY AVEDA WAYS AND PRODUCTS.
aveda has a mile per salon . meaning each salon has to be a certain mile radius away from each other away. they are really far apart.
if you want a job, the only experience you have will be aveda. and 20,000. to pay back. and no one will care becase you will only have the basics down. and you will only assist any way.
do not move. stay where you are, save your money for advanced training!

I attend the Aveda Institute in Chicago.I move from Nebraska. At Aveda, while we do use only Aveda products (I assume PM only uses PM products as well) we learn the Milady technique as well as the Aveda technique. So, in the end, we learn two techniques: one to pass our boards, and one customized for success. Also, the fact that we only use Aveda products is better for the environment, and ourselves.

Kayla! in Avondale, Pennsylvania said: Which one is better?
PM looks slightly edgier and more like my style yet Aveda Institutes look much more professional,which leads me to believe that it is the better of the two.

Don't waste your time or your money with Paul Mitchell. Very undisciplined students and instructors.

1) Class interruption with the wii game
2) Class interruption by the instructor's friends
3) Class interruption when instructors want to play one of their many card games or other games that don't have ANYTHING to do with cosmetology.
4) Unable to find an instructor to check your haircuts and/or to even sign you off.
5) Extremely disruptive kids who never quite reached adulthood. They graduated high school but never graduated into adulthood.
6) Class interruptions when they want to collect money...during your hours..for their fundraisers...sometimes 3+ hours.

I WISH I never went there. I will always regret it. I also regret not taking the opportunity to pound a very classless piece of trash.

Future Professional in Birmingham, Alabama said: I attend PM in Birmingham and its like a messy high school, not professional AT ALL!!! All they want is $$$$$ they swear they're there for us, but they're really not. Can't confide in any of the learning leaders because everyone will know your business. People play intirely too much. We need more learning leaders. Basically everyone is full of crap. I wanted so badly to attend Aveda, but at that time they wasnt offering nite school, so I went to PM. If you are interested in attending PM in Birmingham PLEASE have your attorney read over the contract before you sign ANYTHING PLEASE!!!! There are things in the contract that they don't tell you. If you sign the contract and you want to go to another school say mid ways through. Ex. If your student loan is twenty-thousand (loan frm fafsa)if u leave the school before graduation your loans from the gov will stop, but u will have to pay PM the remainder of the tuition and if you dont they won't give you your credits that you have paid and worked for until you pay them. So you'll have to basically start from scratch. All write ups are seventy dollars. Here are some reason things that'll result in a write up...every three times that you are tardy to class, if you dont complete your work sheet for the month, parking in the wrong area. Oh yes and out of the whole time your there you get one hundred fifty hrs that you can miss from school but if you exceed 150 you will have to pay eleven dollars an hour in overages..all of this money will be due after you graduate...they will hold your hours until its all paid of. SOOOOOOOOO YEEEEEAAA...Its total crap!!!

I 110% agree. The same thing in Ohio. I wish I never went. Very undisciplined students and instructors with their constant class interruptions by both, and, with their constant waste of the students' hours to ask for money for their foundations. I received 100% on all of my test scores, however,

GC in Cleveland, Ohio said: I 110% agree. The same thing in Ohio. I wish I never went. Very undisciplined students and instructors with their constant class interruptions by both, and, with their constant waste of the students' hours to ask for money for their foundations. I received 100% on all of my test scores, however,

even though I really liked being on the floor, it happened plenty of times where I was unable to find an instructor to sign me off and/or to check my haircut. And, they tell you that they will teach you about other products besides Paul Mitchell, (when you sign up), however, that is ABSOLUTELY not true. I wish that I never went there

Paul Mitchell schools are a joke and unless you want to join their CULT then I'd suggest going elsewhere. I wish I never would have went.

I started Cosmetology School in San Marcos CA at Palomar Institute of Cosmetology and I had to move back home to Denver CO and I just got accepted at the Aveda Institute downtown Denver.
Aveda was always my dream school because of their environmental philosophy and the natural atmosphere.
I know that Paul Mitchell does not prepare their students very well for the state board exam, instead they focus on making you "salon ready". I agree this is important, but the state board exam is something like a five hour written and practical exam where you do haircuts, free sculpture nails, color, cold wave perm and they are standing over you scrutinizing your every move.

Our Instructors told us that Paul Mitchell students have recently NOT been passing the written portion of the exam, which includes anatomy, diseases and disorders, electricity and alot of technical stuff you learn in theory. At Palomar, which was only $17,000 I got out onto the clinic floor and didn't feel like I was learning anything and that the Instructors were just as catty as the students.

This whole PM versus Aveda thing is a neverending ping-pong battle, isn't it? From what I've seen, choosing for yourself which school fits you best, personally, is the only option. You'll either hate it or you'll love it. A forum on the internet can't tell you exactly what it's going to be like for you - you have to get out there and do it yourself.

With that said, seeking information is different. I live in Houston, TX, and I'm bouncing back and forth between PM, Aveda, and Regency. The tuition is basically the same for all of them, so what's the difference? I know PM is edgier, uses PM products, etc, and Aveda is a more "professional" atmosphere and uses Aveda products, but what about Regency? They look legit, but I can't find much info about them. HCC also has a cosmetology program I'm considering. I don't doubt the quality of their program (much) - they're fully accredited - but let's be honest. A resume with "Paul Mitchell School" looks more impressive to a potential employer than "Houston Community College." It might be worth shelling out more dough for PM/Aveda/Regency.

My question is this: is it worth it to go straight into PM/Aveda/Regency, or would it be wiser to get my cosmetology operator AAS from HCC and THEN move into a private cos school for continuing education? HCC would be a lot cheaper and would no doubt help me pass my boards, but I don't know that the quality of education would be as good. Then again I don't want to go straight to PM/Aveda/Regency and learn my craft well, but not well enough to pass the boards which is really what it's all about.

Both sides have pros and cons. I'm hoping to hear from someone who has experience with the same dilemma, or maybe from someone who has attended HCC's program and can give me pointers since I can't find much info on it. Thanks!

Day maker/ visionary in Fairfax, Virginia said: I attend a Paul Mitchell school in Tysons corner, before I started I visited every school within a 30 mile radius, and Paul Mitchell had the best staff, teaching/learning techniques, positive attitude, and kit(everything you need-books, tools, doll heads, makeup kit, etc.) The staff is from a wide variety of positions within the field, and they actually care about your education . They believe they NEED to cater to every leaning type, because everyone processes, stores, and releases information differently. The program allows you to have class and take clients, so that you are prepared mentally and physically for salon/spa life. You are taught important life skills, and encouraged to use them as much as possible in school, to develop good habits. At Paul Mitchell, you don't just "learn things," you grow into a well rounded, educated, and professional individual.

Does this well-roundedness include singing during a test? Or, students complaining that their arms are too tired to keep lifting them to cut a mannequin's head? Or, complaining that they are unable to listen to music and cut their mannequin's head at the same time? Or, running through the halls screaming at people and starting fights? Or, using another student's (clearly marked, with that student's initials), personal property without asking? Or, even an instructor standing on a chair and imitating a foreign accent during class? Or, an instructor imitating Justin Bieber during Core graduation, being very inconsiderate and unprofessional in regards to the student's time that was being wasted while waiting for her to snap out of it? Or, an instructor, during Core graduation, running around the school screaming because someone won a contest? Or, students, from other phases, interrupting class time to visit and talk to the Core instructor during Practical and test time? Or, the many games that had nothing to do with Cosmetology?..etc..etc..