Modeling & School

A common question that I get from model hopefuls has to do with the concept of pursuing a modeling career as well as school. Others worry that their parents won't approve of them doing both and many wonder if it's even possible to do so. So can someone do modeling and still go to school? To keep the answer to this question simple: YES, YES, and YES!!!

HIGH SCHOOL

While I do strongly encourage education and not putting studies on the back burner, that doesn't mean that the two can't coexist because they can but it's up to you to make it work. There are plenty of high school students who also model part-time. Any modeling agency acknowledges that school is important and they will work around your school schedule. If you're wondering how often you'll need to miss class, that all depends on what type of model you are. Needless to say if you're a fashion/runway model and are always traveling and are high in demand, chances are you'll have to stick to homeschooling. But if you are a fashion model who does mostly local stuff or a commercial/print model (whose gigs typically stay close to home as well), you can expect anywhere between 2-3 times a month where you may have to miss school, give or take (it also depends on the season and if there is a lot of demand for models).

That being said, most shoots do not last longer than 4 hours (8 hours max) so you may only need to take a half day and leave school in the morning and be back by lunch or a little afterwards. So chances are you won't be missing entire days on end. Plus, these are excused absences since the agencies require underage models to use work permits, which are totally in accordance with school policies so don't fret if you think you'll be racking up a score of absences on your permanent record (parents, feel free to breathe a sigh of relief).

However, it is your responsibility to make the two work together and to keep your parents off your back. Unless you completely neglect your homework and other school-related stuff, you'll be more than able to do modeling and still maintain good grades and participate in extracurricular activities. I did modeling in high school and was still a part of three school clubs and maintained a 3.5 GPA.

COLLEGE

The great thing about college is the fact that you get to control your schedule. This makes it easy to juggle modeling and school. However, there may still be times when you'll have to miss a class or two in order to go to a go-see or a photoshoot. As long as you can maintain your grades and don't fall behind, you can reach a perfect balance between the two as well. When I was in college I cut back on the modeling because I was very focused on getting my degree. But that doesn't mean that I turned down a lot of work but there were times when I had to choose between the two. There are many top models who manage to do both college and modeling, while a few took a break from the industry altogether in order to get their degree. Do whatever works best for you and your plans for the future.

So to sum things up, if you're worried about whether or not you'll be able to do both, relax because yes, school and modeling can go together...it may take a little work or no effort at all but either way, if your goal is to pursue your education and manage a modeling career, you've got the green light.