From High School to Beauty School: Creating a Smooth Transition

You've been going to school with the same routine for a while now. You've got this thing down. You know what it takes to get your school year started off right. Now that high school is over, you're thinking about your next step in education.

It's time to beautify your back to school routine for cosmetology or esthetician school! How do you get ready? Where do you need to go and what do you need to buy?

Don't stress. Transitioning from high school to beauty school isn't hard. We will give you some pointers on getting ready for beauty school to help you feel confident and excited on your first day of class at Jean Madeline Aveda Institute.

Get Enrolled

If you're not already enrolled, here's your first step. Contact us to choose a program and start date. We will help you get set up to step into your future and start training for your career in the beauty industry.

Male beauty student performing salon service on a client

Find a Place to Live

Do you know where you're going to live while you go to school? Here are some tips for finding housing.

  1. Find a few friends to live with. Luckily, our University City campus is located a short walk away from the University of Pennsylvania campus. That means a lot of apartments and homes are available to students in the area. Your friends can attend college while you pursue your dreams in beauty school, all while you live together.
  2. Choose a place within walking distance. If you can find a home or apartment within walking distance from Jean Madeline, you'll cut down on transportation costs.
  3. Ask fellow Jean Madeline students. We're sure fellow students will be able to give you advice on finding housing in the area. You may even find a few cosmetology friends to live with.

Tall red brick building in front of blue sky

Plan Your Transportation

How you are going to get to and from class can have a big affect on how well prepared for school you are. Having this planned out before the first day of class can cut out a lot of back to school stress.

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, or SEPTA, is a combination of trains, trolleys, and buses that can take you all over the Philly area. Even if you are commuting from places like Doylestown, Elwyn, or Thorndale, SEPTA offers transportation that you can use to get to school. Using public transportation, like SEPTA, is usually a cheaper way to commute and can help you get on a schedule.

If you live in a suburb of Philly, plan out which route you are going to take and what time you should leave to get to school on time. You can also minimize your driving by parking your car at a train station and using SEPTA to get the rest of the way.

Illustration of SEPTA map of routes

Source: http://www.septa.org/

Get Supplies

From day one as a Jean Madeline student you will be learning a lot. You won't want to miss any golden pieces of info. Make sure you're prepared with notebooks, pens, and pencils to take notes.

In the past you have probably gone shopping for new clothes before the first day of school. Good news: this tradition can continue. You will need a few clothing items for beauty school. When you go to class and work in the student salon, you will need to wear a uniform. The top for this uniform will be provided, but you will need to get bottoms, shoes, and accessories to make your outfit you! Refer to The Guide to Shopping Like a Jean Madeline Student for more specific help on what you should get when you go back to school shopping this time around.

Close up of woman's hand carrying bags down a street

Get Excited

The final step for transitioning from high school to beauty school is to get excited. As you start your journey in beauty school, you will be learning about something that you love and enjoy. Also, you will be learning because you want to now and not because you have to. So, get excited about the new chapter of your life that is finally here. Request information on how to get started!

We can't wait to see what you become and what you do in the beauty industry!

Request a Tour

Our Admissions team would love to show you around our unique and wonderful campuses. Fill out the form below or call us at 1-877-SAY-JEAN to schedule your tour.

If you're interested in services at one of our locations, click here to browse our menu or click here to make a reservation right now online. 



Queen Village (South Philly)
315 A Bainbridge St
Philadelphia, PA 19147
Admissions (215) 574-9670
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Neshaminy Mall
528 Neshaminy Mall
Bensalem, PA 19020
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University City
3945 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Admissions (215) 386-0404
Guest Services (267) 350-8800
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