While I've never had a bad cut here, I have to agree with Grainne in that the academy students are hit-and-miss. My last cut was just alright and the student was receptive to what I wanted, but found it difficult to adjust to changes. Of course, what was I expecting -he was just a student, but some of them are definitely better than others.
Sometimes the institute students (2nd floor, $25) will surprise you more than the Academy students (main, $35).