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Researching Culinary Schools
By now you should have made a decision regarding the type of degree that you plan to earn, and whether or not you want to enroll in a private or a public school. Since there a large number of culinary colleges in the East Orange area and across the USA, you need to create a checklist of important qualifiers so that you can start limiting your options. Certain obvious qualifications, for example location and cost are a good place to start. But deciding on a school because it is the nearest or the most affordable is not the optimal way to decide on your education. There are other considerations, for instance reputation and accreditation that you need to evaluate also. So following are some crucial areas that you need to investigate for every school as you compare them and make your final choice.
Accreditation. It's very important that the culinary institute you select has some type of accreditation from either a local or a national authority. As mentioned previously, the accrediting agency should be a U.S. Department of Education certified authority, such as the American Culinary Federation (ACF). ACF accredited schools have passed a thorough review pertaining to their curriculum, instructors and facilities. So not only does accreditation help ascertain that you will receive excellent training, but it can also help in obtaining a student loan or financial aid which are often not available for non-accredited schools.
Age. Newer schools often have the advantage of having modern equipment and facilities. However, they may not have been in operation long enough to earn an accreditation or to develop a reputation. On the other hand, more established schools may still be using their original, dated equipment, but have established a sustained track record of excellence and earned one or more accreditations. Also, the much more a school has been in business, the more alumni the school can solicit for its job assistance program. Certainly there is some give and take based on the age of the cooking schools. And older, more renowned schools usually modernize their equipment and facilities. The significant takeaway is that in the best case scenario, your selected school will have an excellent reputation, accreditation and a modern facility with newer equipment.
Job Placement Rates. First off, ask what the graduation rates are for the cooking schools you are reviewing. Lower graduation rates are indicators that numerous students were dissatisfied with either the colleges or the programs and quit before graduating. They may also indicate that the instructors were not qualified to teach the curriculum. Request that the schools supply their job placement rates also. If a college has a higher job placement rate, it will help validate that it has a good or exceptional reputation within the culinary community, as well as a broad network of professional contacts. Watch out for any school that will not provide this information.
Location. The cooking school that you choose must be within commuting distance of your East Orange home, unless you are able to move. You may consider attending college online, but you would still need to travel for your externship program. Alternatively, perhaps you have decided to attend a specific culinary institute located in another state due to its ranking and courses offered. It would be a good idea to check out the campus before enrolling, to make certain that you are comfortable with the location and your prospective living conditions. Tour the training facilities personally to make certain they are up to date and that the equipment is state of the art. Consider also that many schools focus their job placement programs within their local communities, so choose a location where you will be happy working.
Class Sizes. The ideal approach to learn how to cook is with lots of one-on-one training. If the culinary arts school you enroll in has bigger classes, you will most likely get minimal personal attention from the teachers. The ideal manner in which to evaluate the communication and interaction between instructors and students is to audit several of the classes. Ask a couple of the students what their experience has been. Find out if they are pleased with the amount of attention they receive in class as well as the entire course of training. Also, talk with some of the teachers and learn what their teaching approaches are along with their histories and credentials.
Flexible Class Schedules. There is no point in enrolling in a culinary institute if you will not be able to attend the classes. Therefore confirm that the school you choose offers class scheduling that will work with your hectic lifestyle. If you can only attend at night or on Saturdays or Sundays near East Orange NJ because of your work schedule, make sure that the school you pick offers either night or weekend classes. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, check that the culinary arts program has a part-time alternative. Also, find out what the make-up policy is if you have to miss a class due to family, work or other obligations.
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