The Unseen Side of Things: FIT’s Major UnderRepresentation

By Julia Kobeszko (Packaging Design ‘25)

The Fashion Institute of Technology has over 35 baccalaureate and associate programs and according to Application and Enrollment statistics for Fall of 2022, over 8,000 students are enrolled on campus.

According to U.S.News.com, the most popular majors at FIT in 2022 include Fashion Business Management at 24% and Fashion/Apparel Design at 18%. The FIT Instagram, website, school events and internship programs center around fashion and its opportunities, giving the institution a bold and famous identity.

But what about all the other programs FIT provides? The school prides itself on its social diversity and inclusion for all students, yet fails to bring to light the success of its students studying different career paths.

I found myself asking a series of questions. What majors do we know little about and how do students feel that they fit into the FIT community? Is there anything that FIT could be doing to be more representative of their smaller degree programs? The best way to answer these questions is to speak directly with students on campus and get insight about the situation.

Interview with Evangelina Colucci (Illustration ‘25)

Julia Kobeszko: What do you think about the under-representation of your major in the FIT community?

Evangelina Colucci: I do feel the school focuses more on the fashion aspect, which I guess makes sense considering the name, but I feel like the illustration majors and other art majors are somewhat underlooked. There’s not a lot of internships for us and it is hard to land one. We think it’s slightly unfair that the majority of the internships go towards fashion and business students.

JK: How does that make you feel?

EC: It makes me sad. When I went to the internship bank there weren’t a lot of options. It would be nice if our major was given some thought once in a while.

Interview with Matthew Olfindo (Animation, Interactive Media and Game Design ‘25)

Julia Kobeszko: What do you think about the under-representation of your major in the FIT community?

Matthew Olfindo: I think it’s near nonexistent. It is still coming up though. There have been mentions of having add-ons to the major, but it’s probably not going to be coming in a while.

JK: What do you think the FIT social media can do better?

MO: Just mentioning it in general and showcasing students or other events outside of the school that pertain to it, maybe highlighting work from previous years that show where those students are now in the real world. Just acknowledgement, really.

During interview sessions, both students mentioned how the events displayed in the main level of the Pomerantz Center should be geared more towards the art majors that reside in the building, including programs like Photography and Graphic Design. This tension creates a divide between the student body.

FIT rarely posts about these majors on its social media platforms, which is strange considering the success of majors like Interior and Packaging Design. FIT is the best Interior Design school in New York and Packaging Design has a one-hundred percent rate of job offers for students. There is a lot of stigma surrounding funding, internships, and events for niche majors in our community. Just because FIT has a designated image to gear towards, it doesn’t mean other students of the school should have less opportunities. With the right social media exposure and proper resources, FIT could bring in new minds and inspire their current students further.