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Evaluating Cooking Schools
By now you should have decided on the type of degree that you plan to attain, and if you would like to enroll in a public or private school. Since there are numerous cooking colleges in the Harrison area and within the United States, you must create a checklist of essential qualifiers so that you can begin narrowing down your choices. A few obvious qualifiers, such as cost and location are an excellent place to start. But deciding on a school because it is the closest or the cheapest is not the best way to decide on your education. There are other criteria, such as accreditation and reputation that you need to evaluate also. So following are some crucial areas that you must research for every school as you compare them and make your final selection.
Accreditation. It's very important that the culinary arts institute you decide on has some type of accreditation from either a local or a national organization. As mentioned previously, the accrediting agency should be a U.S. Department of Education recognized organization, such as the American Culinary Federation (ACF). ACF accredited schools have successfully completed a comprehensive evaluation regarding their curriculum, teachers and facilities. So not only does accreditation help establish that you will receive excellent training, but it may also help in acquiring a student loan or financial assistance which are often not available for non-accredited schools.
Age. Newer schools generally have the advantage of having modern equipment and facilities. However, they may not have been open long enough to acquire an accreditation or to develop a reputation. Conversely, older schools may still be using their original, outdated equipment, but have established a lengthy history of excellence and received one or more accreditations. Also, the longer a school has been in business, the more graduates the school can reach out to for its job assistance program. Obviously there is some give and take dependent on the age of the culinary schools. And older, more renowned schools commonly modernize their equipment and facilities. The important takeaway is that in the best case scenario, your chosen school will have an exceptional reputation, accreditation and a modern facility with modern equipment.
Job Placement Rates. Initially, find out what the graduation rates are for the cooking colleges you are examining. Lower graduation rates are indicators that many students were unhappy with either the institutes or the training and dropped out. They may also suggest that the instructors were not competent to teach the curriculum. Request that the schools supply their job placement rates as well. If a school has a higher job placement rate, it will help affirm that it has a good or excellent reputation within the cooking field, in addition to a large network of professional associations. Be suspicious of any school that will not provide this information.
Location. The culinary college that you choose must be within driving distance of your Harrison residence, unless you are able to relocate. You may consider attending classes online, but you would still have to travel for your externship program. On the other hand, maybe you have chosen to enroll in a particular culinary arts institute located in another state because of its prominence and courses offered. It would be a wise decision to pay a visit to the campus before enrolling, to make certain that you are satisfied with the location and your prospective living conditions. Inspect the training facilities in person to make sure they are modern and that the equipment is state of the art. Consider also that some schools target their job placement programs within their regional communities, so select a location where you will satisfied working.
Class Sizes. The most effective way to learn how to cook is with a lot of personalized instruction. If the cooking college you enroll in has large classes, you will undoubtedly get minimal personal attention from the instructors. The optimal way to assess the communication and interaction between faculty and students is to audit a few of the classes. Ask some of the students what their experience has been. Find out if they are pleased with the level of attention they receive in class as well as the overall training. Also, talk with several of the instructors and determine what their teaching philosophies are along with their histories and qualifications.
Flexible Class Schedules. There is no sense in enrolling in a culinary program if you will be unable to attend the classes. Therefore make certain that the school you choose has available class scheduling that can accommodate your hectic lifestyle. If you can only attend at night or on Saturdays or Sundays near Harrison NJ because of your work schedule, make sure that the school you select offers either weekend or evening classes. If you can only attend part-time, make certain that the culinary program has a part-time option. Also, find out what the make-up policy is if you must miss a class due to work, family or other commitments.
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