By Alee Hoffman

One drawback of coming to a new city for college is leaving behind all the things that we have come accustomed to. One of these things could be a good hairdresser. Boston is heavily populated by students on a budget, but does not often have student friendly prices.

A brand new ‘do by a hip stylist who is up to date on the hottest looks can set a student back anywhere from $60 to a whopping $120. This can mean eating Ramen noodles for the next week in exchange for those new bangs.

Well, students should consider themselves lucky to attend Northeastern University with Monique DeSantis, hairstylist extraordinaire, on campus.

DeSantis is a recent transfer to NU from Westchester, N.Y. Her high school had a program in which they would pay students to attend a vocational program of their choice. Coming from a family of hair stylists, DeSantis chose cosmetology. While training for her cosmetology board exams, she assisted at some of the most prestigious salons in New York, eventually working full-time after her high school graduation.

When DeSantis moved into NU at Simmons housing in January, she wasn’t planning to pursue hairdressing.

“I’m here to get an education that will hopefully lead to law school soon,” says DeSantis. However, news of her color and cut expertise spread, and soon DeSantis was back to her roots, so to speak, and had a burgeoning clientele with the girls in her dorm. Now living in Willis Hall, DeSantis, who says her success has mainly spread by word-of-mouth, hopes to keep the momentum going with the many flyers she has put up letting fellow residents know of her service.

DeSantis encourages students to use her services.

“I’m convenient, because I can go right to your dorm room. Of course, I don’t have the same set-up as a salon, but I have all the tools. You are not going to find many [cosmetology] licensed students on campus!”

As for price, DeSantis said it is based on the individual she is working with, but in general, her fee is much lower than anything found in the city.

“Because I do not have to give a percentage of the money to the salons, I can afford to keep the prices lower.”

For many students, this can be a great alternative to paying an arm and a leg to a Newbury Street salon. Some students are excited to have a fellow student who possesses these skills.

“I’d let a student cut my hair as long as I knew they had some experience and knew what they were doing,” Jess Peterson, a freshman music industry major said. “I’m always up for something new.”

Any Husky looking for a fresh and inexpensive new look for spring can e-mail DeSantis at [email protected] and schedule an appointment.