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Evaluating Culinary Arts Programs
At this point you should have made a decision regarding the type of degree that you wish to attain, and whether or not you want to enroll in a private or a public school. Since there a large number of culinary arts colleges in the Lacey area and across the Country, you need to create a checklist of important qualifications so that you can begin limiting your options. Some obvious qualifications, for instance cost and location are an excellent place to start. But selecting a school because it is the closest or the cheapest is not the best way to make a decision regarding your education. There are other considerations, for example reputation and accreditation that you must evaluate as well. Therefore, following are some key areas that you should research for each school as you compare and contrast them and make your final selection.
Accreditation. It's imperative that the culinary school you decide on has some form of accreditation from either a regional or a national agency. As previously mentioned, the accrediting organization should be a U.S. Department of Education recognized authority, such as the American Culinary Federation (ACF). ACF accredited schools have successfully completed a detailed evaluation regarding their curriculum, instructors and facilities. Therefore not only does accreditation help ensure that you will receive quality training, but it may also help in obtaining a student loan or financial aid which are generally not accessible for non-accredited schools.
Age. Newer schools frequently have the benefit of having modern facilities and equipment. 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 lengthy track record of success and earned one or more accreditations. Also, the much more a school has operated, the more alumni the school can reach out to for its job assistance program. Certainly there is some give and take dependent on the age of the cooking schools. And older, more reputable schools commonly update their facilities and equipment. The valuable takeaway is that in the best case scenario, your school of choice will have an outstanding reputation, accreditation and a state-of-the-art facility with modern equipment.
Job Placement Rates. To begin with, find out what the graduation rates are for the culinary schools you are reviewing. Low graduation rates are indicators that numerous students were unhappy with either the institutes or the training and quit before graduating. They may also indicate that the teachers were not qualified to teach the curriculum. Request that the schools furnish their job placement rates as well. If a college has a higher job placement rate, it will help validate that it has a good or exceptional reputation within the cooking community, in addition to a broad network of professional contacts. Watch out for any school that will not furnish this information.
Location. The cooking school that you attend should be within driving distance of your Lacey home, unless you have decided to move. You may look into attending school online, but you would still have to travel for your externship training. Alternatively, maybe you have opted to go to a specific culinary arts college located in a different state due to its prominence and programs offered. It would be a good idea to pay a visit to the facility before enrolling, to make sure that you are satisfied with the location and your potential living conditions. Inspect the training facilities personally to make certain they are modern and that the equipment is state of the art. Remember also that many schools target their job assistance programs within their local communities, so pick a location where you will enjoy working.
Class Sizes. The best way to learn how to cook is with plenty of one-on-one training. If the culinary arts program you enroll in has larger classes, you will most likely receive little personal attention from the teachers. The optimal means to assess the communication and interaction between teachers and students is to sit in on a few of the classes. Ask a couple of the students what their experience has been. Find out if they are happy with the level of attention they receive in class as well as the overall training. Also, speak with several of the teachers and find out what their teaching styles are along with their backgrounds and credentials.
Flexible Class Schedules. There is no benefit to in enrolling in a culinary arts program if you will be unable to attend the classes. So make sure that the school you choose offers class scheduling that will work with your active lifestyle. If you can only attend in the evening or on weekends near Lacey NJ because of your work schedule, check that the school you choose offers either night or weekend classes. If you can only attend part-time, confirm that the culinary school has a part-time option. Also, check to see what the make-up protocol is if you need to miss a class due to work, family or other responsibilities.
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