Staying in style on a college budget can be difficult, but the American Academy of Cosmetology and Massage Therapy offers a reasonable alternative for students to stay in fashion and live within their means.

David Yocum, academy director, transformed the school's building from its original use as an old movie theater. He said he gutted and remodeled the building into a state-of-the-art school to reach today's cosmetologists.

Yocum said many schools are being left in the dust with the influx of spa services. They do not have the space or the experience to train students in this growing market.

Michelle Adolph, the academy's admissions director, agreed.

"The industry itself has changed in the last few years," Adolph said. "People are recognizing how it is a feel-good industry, and if you look better, you feel better.

"When I was in high school, none of the adults got acrylic nails, but now, probably at least 30 percent of the high-school students are getting their nails done on a regular basis."

The school offers three licensed programs for the beauty industry. The first program, nail technology, is the shortest but is in the highest demand, Adolph said. This program is 350 hours, or about 10 weeks.

The second program is the skin care or massage-therapy training and is 650 hours, or about 4 1/2 months.

The final program is the full cosmetology program, which is 1,500 hours, or 10 1/2 months, long. Graduating students are trained fully in all the areas of cosmetology.

"Cosmetology used to be viewed as the ones who couldn't cut it in college, but now people are choosing it as a professional career rather than just something to get by with," Adolph said. "We have a very high expectation of our students, because they choose us because they want a higher level of education."

Yocum said the school prides itself on teaching students on the most high-tech procedures. One of those procedures is photo-rejuvenation, which has shown to even skin tones and reduce the appearance of acne.

"We need light in our skin, but we only need the good light," Yocum said. "Good light is the visible-light spectrum, which is good for your skin cells. This actually regenerates the skin cells faster and makes it healthier."

Adolph said most of the school's prices are at least half the cost of a regular salon. She said even though students perform the services, professional teachers are helping them through everything.

"Most schools require students to complete 325 hours before working on the floor, but we do more than that here," Yocum said. "They are going to have more hours under their belt for each level, because our program is all about subjective and objective testing. We know our students and know their skills."

Adolph said she hopes to improve the industry by properly training students and by educating the public. She said many people compromise quality salon products for cheaper products from discount stores like Wal-Mart, but they do not know what they are getting.

"If you go in between all the fast-food places and see the grease vat, the companies go in and buy that stuff and then use it for fillers for their make-ups, moisturizers, skin care products, hair products and things like that," she said. "To me, if it isn't professional and in a salon, then it doesn't belong on your skin or in your hair."

The chemicals in cheaper products can fool people into believing they are good for their bodies, she said.

"You know how your hair feels afterwards?" said Megan James, recent graduate from the school. "They put silicon and wax in there, and that is what makes it feel real soft."

Adolph said she didn't believe the professional products were better until she switched, and now she will not even use the cheap products on her dog.

The professional brands offer discounted prices on liters of shampoo during the fall, and the products last longer because they are concentrated so you use less, perfect for the budget of a college student.

People also struggle with properly maintaining their hair and nails. Adolph said even though the average growth is 1/8 inch per month, many people fail to realize trimming their hair actually makes it grow faster.

"Six to eight weeks is a good standard for hair maintenance," she said. "If you are growing out your hair, trimming off the dead ends actually helps it to grow better rather than just breaking off."

Yocum said the school teaches practical knowledge through professional experience.

"We basically run this school just like a salon," Yocum said. "Our goal is for the students to get that real-world experience. We really focus on quality."