Senior Story

Bailey McGrath ’20 and Victoria Bartholomew ’20 Countdown to Graduation

Bailey McGrath and Victoria Bartholomew

When Bailey McGrath and Victoria Bartholomew met as assigned roommates for NYSID’s summer Pre-college program, they had no idea that five years later, they’d share an apartment and be just months away from earning their BFA degrees in Interior Design. What they did know was that their passion for interior design went deeper than a casual interest. According to Victoria, “Bailey and I were probably the only two rising high school seniors attending the program who knew without a doubt that we were going to pursue a BFA in Interior Design, it was just a question of where.”

Making the NYSID Choice

For Victoria (Instagram: @Vic.Bartholomew), choosing NYSID meant answering the question of whether a smaller, focused college was the right place for her. Upon completion of the precollege program, she knew NYSID was the place, and the two things she questioned early on have turned into her two favorite things about the school. “I love that the school is focused with faculty that are actively working in the interior design industry, and yet accessible. There’s no “professor hierarchy” here where you can’t talk to the main professor.

The difference of NYSID’s faculty approach also became apparent to Victoria when sharing her portfolio with a group of fellow interns from other design schools. “When two students from the same school showed me their portfolios, all the projects looked somewhat similar, so I asked if it had been an ongoing group project. I was genuinely surprised when they said “No.” The professor must have directed so much in terms of what they wanted to see that the students simply executed on that, without much self-expression encouraged. That doesn’t happen at NYSID. The faculty truly know the students and they push us to tap into our instincts, backgrounds and preferences for our design work. Their aim is for our work to be near professional level. As a result, our portfolios are distinct and have tremendous life to them.”

For Bailey (Instagram: @BaileyMcGrath317), pursuing her interior design dreams at NYSID was understanding that it’s not the typical undergraduate experience many high school students seek. “The campus is New York City and my classes are a mix of recent grads as well as students with a range of career experiences. But I go visit my high school friends at other schools, have a good time and then can’t wait to get back to New York City and my classes. I’m exactly where I want to be, doing exactly what I want to be doing.”

“Faculty” and “strength of curriculum” are also what Bailey points to as key differentiators of the NYSID experience. “Right from the start, you appreciate that the faculty are real people with incredible experience who speak to you like colleagues. They care about the students and their interests. The curriculum is designed to really balance interior design and architectural knowledge including things like codes, billing and, CAD, in a way that exposes you to key things you’ll need to be a successful designer.”

New Year, New Decisions

Now embarking on their senior year, the talk is about deciding on a senior thesis topic, and excitement about life after NYSID.

Victoria came to NYSID with a focus on residential design, but her first internship at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in commercial design radically shifted that focus. “The need for a simple, straightforward approach to take on the complexities of hospitality (hotels and restaurants) design is exiting and highly appealing to me.” Her five-year goal? To be invited back to speak at NYSID. “I have loved all the speakers I listened to as a student and it would be rewarding to give back to the school. I know I’ve got the education and experience to do something amazing after graduation!”

Bailey starts her senior year with extreme confidence gathered from her summer internship with Daniel Romualdez as well as having had her design selected and installed at the prestigious Nantucket by Design. “My first installation was an incredible moment in my life. I’ll never forget the first time I saw all that conceptualizing, planning, and reworking of my designs finally realized in a tangible way within a space. I’m very grateful for the honor and experience.”

NYSID IN 3 WORDS

BAILEY: Informed, Professional, Community

VICTORIA: Passion, Friendly, Creative

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Do you know a high school student interested in interior design? Tell them about NYSID’s summer pre-college program!

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