Northwest College School of Beauty — Local services in Springfield

Future students Beware This review is solely for people who are considering going to Northwest for an "education" and no way reflects on some of the amazing students coming out of this school.

I attended and graduated from NW and had an extremely disappointing experience. The quality of education was far below expectations and I came in with the expectation to not really learn much outside of what I need to pass my state boards.

The facilities were subpar, with old and dirty linens being used regularly. I went 4 months without seeing a mop or even knowing the school owned one. There is wax all over the esthetics rooms. Half of our equipment was broken or did not function properly. I had a client at one point tell me that they have been using the same linens in the whole entire time that she has been coming here for five plus years. I replace my sheets at home more frequently than Northwest. 😅

The classroom time hardly provided any meaningful theory or learning; instead, it focused more on inadequate demos and minimal hands-on training. What I would call what we were doing was a free-for-all with a little bit of supervision. A significant lack of staffing meant that many of us were left to guess and figure things out on our own, which is not what anyone expects from a reputable beauty school. I won't get into the wait times that customers had to endure while students went on a wild goose chase looking for an instructor to sign off on the work.

Moreover, the management of the school was incredibly poor. The school ran haphazardly, and it was evident that there was a severe lack of organization and oversight. The turnover for the staff was absolutely. All of our management and most of the had changed people.Financial aid services were equally disappointing, as they often provided incorrect information. It sometimes seemed like the students knew what they were talking about when it came to financial aid more than the financial aid officers. Both of which were replaced while I was in school.

You're not really allowed to practice on each other and outside of hair and nails you don't really get a lot of clients that the school brings in. So be prepared to hustle for clients or be prepared to practice everything on a doll head.

While a couple of the instructors are absolutely amazing and care about their students.. The school plays favorites and picks and chooses who the rules apply to. One of the instructors on days is just a power-hungry bully who is constantly fighting with the students.

My experience here was so bad. This could probably be an essay on why you should not attend this school, but I will leave it at this summary of the nonsense you can expect from this school. I highly...

I was asked to be seated while I waited for my nail tech. I waited for about 35 minutes when they finally came to get me they said it would take about 2 to 3 hours. It was 130 when I got there and I did not leave until 630. They don’t let theirstudents use the electric file so they literally remove your gel polish with an emery board that takes a good 45 minutes per hand. I was charged $30 Students use the electric file so they literally remove your gel polish with a emery board that takes a good 45 minutes per hand then I was charged $30 for a spa pedicure The girl rub some lotion on my feet for approximately five minutes and then she started pinging my nails refused to cut my nails because her clippers weren’t strong enough to cut my nails and told me that I would not get my feet sanded or exfoliated because they were out of the brushes that do it I asked management if I could get a discount since I did not get a full pedicure and they said no. I believe management or the receptionist should tell people ahead of time if they are out of items before they pay for services and they should let you know that your polish will be taken off with an emery board. This was very time-consuming and my nails don’t even look like they got a fill And the colors don’t even match on my fingers. I didn’t want to take any more time so I just...

Let me preface my review by saying that the salon experience is different at a beauty school. There's more chatting among the students, with each other and with teachers. It's not the same level of professionalism as a regular salon, but you're paying a lot less, so this review takes that into account. To me, the price difference is more than worth it, and I like that the students think up creative ways to solve problems and ask others what they would do.

Fawndra, one of the students, did my hair. It was a tough job because I already had purple hair, but I needed the roots bleached and the whole thing redone in purple, as well as a haircut. She didn't have access to the same dye I used but she somehow pulled it off! The roots were not the same as the pre-dyed hair, but that would have been impossible for anyone to do without bleaching out the whole thing (which would have fried my hair), and anyway, I really liked the effect. They blended nicely.

I could tell she was inspired because the cut was exactly what I wanted. And my roots looked great, no brown spots and not too much overlap. If I had a suggestion or wanted to point something out, she took it very well and really listened. Great job Fawndra. And when I got the bill, I couldn't believe how cheap it was. I'll definitely be calling her back soon to...