Cooking Colleges
How to Choose the Right One Near Auburn Alabama
You have made a great career choice to become a cook or chef by enrolling in a culinary institute near Auburn AL. You will not only learn how to cook spectacular dishes or prepare elegant desserts, you'll also be able to make a nice income doing it. But now that you've made the decision, exactly how do you go about choosing a culinary arts college? Before reaching your ultimate selection, what requirements should you review and compare among the cooking schools you are considering? Keep in mind that you must pick the ideal program and degree if you want to be a success in the restaurant and hospitality business. There are a wide variety of options to select from, beginning with a diploma or certificate program and advancing to attaining an undergraduate or even a graduate degree. You may enroll in a small culinary school, an online school, or enroll in a large culinary institute that offers advanced degree programs. The kind of degree and school you choose will undoubtedly be dependent upon how much time and money you can afford to spend, as well as your ultimate career goal. After you have decided what your primary area of interest and budget are, you can begin assessing the culinary arts colleges that meet your initial qualifications. Depending on the degree and type of culinary school you decide on, you may be working as a professional chef or cook in as little as six months. So before we dig more into the process of selecting a school, let's speak a little more about the degree and culinary school choices that are available.
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Culinary Schools
After you have made your selection regarding the type of training and degree that you would like to pursue, you can launch your search for the culinary school, college or institute that offers it. For instance, if your dream is to train to be a chef specializing in Spanish cuisine, then obviously you will concentrate on those institutes that provide the proper training. Or you can pick an institute based on its reputation or other factors (we'll review a few of those later) and then pick the most suitable degree program available that is simpatico with your career objectives in Auburn AL. However you make your choice, cooking schools typically fit within three distinct categories:
- Cooking Schools. A few cooking schools do offer degree programs, but typically they offer diplomas or certificates. Their programs tend to be more focused in nature, and they can range anywhere from 1 or 2 months to as long as 3 or 4 years.
- Community Colleges. Area community colleges tend to be more economical than the majority of private schools and a large number have exceptional programs. They almost exclusively offer Associate's Degrees and are founded and maintained by either state or local governments.
- Culinary Schools and Institutes. The more advanced training and degrees are offered by culinary schools and institutes. Several institutes provide the most highly regarded as well as the highest level of training in academia. Unfortunately, since they are private institutions they tend to be more costly than their public counterparts, some much more.
Choosing a culinary institute will not only be based on the type of degree or program you want to pursue, but also how much you have to spend on your education. If you decide to attend a public school to minimize costs, keep in mind that out-of-state residents normally must pay a higher tuition than in-state residents. In addition, numerous community colleges and regional public schools have lower tuition charges for local residents. So be sure to research the public options within Alabama and also within the Auburn AL area to discover the most economical options.
Online Culinary Arts Schools
Some prospective students may find that there are no culinary institutions that are within travelling proximity of their Auburn AL home. One solution is to attend online classes within the comfort of one's residence. The practicality and flexibility makes it the best solution for some students that continue working full-time while going to college. Plus there are more programs online than ever before that are accredited. Remember that a considerable component of the instruction will be provided through an externship. Externships are programs where students train under regional chefs or other culinary arts professionals so that they receive practical training outside of the internet classroom. Just make sure that the online school you choose is accredited by a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged agency (more on this later). So if you are dedicated enough to be able to go to classes and study in this more independent manner, obtaining a culinary arts degree online might be the ideal option for you.
Researching Culinary Colleges
By now you should have made a decision regarding the type of degree that you want to earn, and whether or not you want to enroll in a public or private college. Since there are numerous culinary colleges in the Auburn area and within the United States, you must create a checklist of important qualifiers so that you can begin narrowing your choices. A few obvious qualifiers, including location and cost are an excellent place to begin. But deciding on a school because it is the nearest or the least expensive is not the ideal way to decide on your education. There are other variables, including accreditation and reputation that you need to evaluate as well. Therefore, following are some critical areas that you will need to investigate for each school as you compare and contrast them and make your final selection.
Accreditation. It's very important that the culinary program you choose has some type of accreditation from either a local or a national authority. As previously mentioned, the accrediting authority should be a U.S. Department of Education recognized authority, for example the American Culinary Federation (ACF). ACF accredited schools have passed a detailed evaluation regarding their curriculum, teachers and facilities. Therefore not only does accreditation help confirm that you will receive exceptional training, but it can also help in securing a student loan or financial aid which are generally not available for non-accredited schools.
Age. Recently established schools generally have the benefit of possessing modern equipment and facilities. However, they may not have been open long enough to garner an accreditation or to establish a reputation. Conversely, older schools may still be using their original, outdated equipment, but have established a long track record of excellence and obtained one or more accreditations. Also, the longer a school has been in business, the more alumni the school can solicit for its job placement program. Certainly there is some give and take based on the age of the culinary schools. And older, more highly regarded schools typically update their equipment and facilities. The important takeaway is that in the best case scenario, your school of choice will have an exceptional reputation, accreditation and a modern facility with newer equipment.
Job Placement Rates. First off, find out what the graduation rates are for the culinary arts schools you are reviewing. Low graduation rates are signs that many students were dissatisfied with either the colleges or the programs and dropped out. They may also indicate that the instructors were not competent to teach the curriculum. Ask the schools to supply their job placement rates as well. If a school has a high job placement rate, it will help affirm that it has a great or outstanding reputation within the culinary arts field, as well as a large network of professional connections. Watch out for any school that will not furnish this information.
Location. The culinary arts school that you enroll in should be within commuting distance of your Auburn residence, unless you are able to relocate. You may think about attending school online, but you would still need to travel for your externship training. Alternatively, maybe you have chosen to enroll in a particular culinary school located in another state due to its ranking and courses offered. It would be a wise decision to pay a visit to the campus before enrolling, to make sure that you are satisfied with the area and your future living conditions. Tour the training facilities personally to make certain they are modern and that the equipment is contemporary. Consider also that a number of schools concentrate their job placement programs within their local communities, so pick a location where you will satisfied working.
Class Sizes. The most effective approach to learn how to cook is with lots of one-on-one instruction. If the cooking institute you enroll in has large classes, you will most likely receive little individual attention from the instructors. The ideal way to assess the communication and interaction between faculty and students is to attend several of the classes. Ask a couple of the students what their experience has been. Find out if they are happy with the amount of attention they receive in class as well as the overall training. Also, talk with a few of the teachers and find out what their teaching approaches are as well as their backgrounds and qualifications.
Flexible Class Schedules. There is no sense in enrolling in a culinary arts college if you will not be able to attend the classes. Therefore make sure that the school you decide on provides class scheduling that can accommodate your active lifestyle. If you can only attend in the evening or on weekends near Auburn AL due to your job schedule, make certain that the school you pick offers either weekend or evening classes. If you can only attend part-time, check that the culinary arts school has a part-time offering. Also, check to see what the make-up protocol is if you have to miss a class due to work, family or other obligations.
Find Out More About Culinary Colleges in Auburn
Find the Right Auburn Cooking School
A rewarding career in the hospitality and restaurant business is predicated upon picking the right cooking program. As we have covered, there are several things that you must take into consideration when comparing schools, for instance their accreditation, reputations, and training facilities. Just like any important decision, you need to start by compiling information, and the best means to do that is by contacting cooking colleges directly, either in person or by telephone. If you're uncertain about which schools to explore, you might need to think about asking chefs in your city about any culinary institutes they endorse. Afterwards go on the Web to explore those schools further before contacting them. By taking the time to exhaustively research each of your education alternatives, you will be in a better position to make an enlightened decision. And when you select the right school, you will have a terrific start toward your dream of becoming a chef in Auburn Alabama.