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Evaluating Culinary Institutes
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 private or a public college. Since there are numerous culinary institutions in the Middle area and across the Country, you will want to develop a checklist of essential qualifications so that you can start narrowing your options. Some obvious qualifiers, including cost and location are a good place to start. But picking a school because it is the nearest or the most affordable is not the best way to make a decision regarding your education. There are other variables, such as accreditation and reputation that you need to review also. Therefore, below are some critical areas that you need to investigate for each school as you compare them and make your final decision.
Accreditation. It's very important that the culinary program you select has some type of accreditation from either a local or a national authority. As aforementioned, 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 thorough assessment regarding their course of study, teachers and facilities. Therefore not only does accreditation help establish that you will receive excellent training, but it may also help in securing a student loan or financial aid which are often not offered for non-accredited schools.
Age. Newer schools generally have the advantage of having modern equipment and facilities. However, they may not have been operating long enough to acquire an accreditation or to cultivate a reputation. On the other hand, more established schools may still be using their original, outdated equipment, but have established a sustained track record of excellence and earned one or more accreditations. Also, the longer a school has been in business, the more graduates the school can solicit for its job assistance program. Obviously there is some give and take dependent on the age of the culinary schools. And older, more highly regarded schools usually modernize their facilities and equipment. The valuable lesson is that in the best case scenario, your chosen school will have an excellent reputation, accreditation and a modern facility with modern equipment.
Job Placement Rates. To begin with, find out what the graduation rates are for the cooking schools you are looking at. Low graduation rates are indicators that a number of students were unhappy with either the colleges or the courses and quit before graduating. They may also indicate that the teachers were not competent to teach the course of study. Ask the schools to supply their job placement rates also. If a college has a high job placement rate, it will help confirm that it has a good or excellent reputation within the cooking field, as well as a broad network of professional contacts. Watch out for any school that will not furnish this information.
Location. The cooking school that you attend must be within driving distance of your Middle home, unless you are able to relocate. You may look into attending classes online, but you would still need to travel for your externship program. On the other hand, maybe you have decided to enroll in a specific culinary college located in another state because of its reputation and programs offered. It would be a wise decision to pay a visit to the facility before enrolling, to make certain that you are satisfied with the area and your future living conditions. Check the training facilities personally to make sure they are up to date and that the equipment is contemporary. Consider also that some schools focus their job placement programs within their local communities, so pick a location where you will satisfied working.
Class Sizes. The ideal approach to learn how to cook is with plenty of one-on-one training. If the culinary college you enroll in has bigger classes, you will probably receive limited personal attention from the teachers. The optimal means to evaluate the interaction and communication between teachers and students is to audit some 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 determine what their teaching approaches are as well as their histories and qualifications.
Flexible Class Schedules. There is no benefit to in enrolling in a cooking college if you will be unable to attend the classes. So make sure that the school you decide on provides class scheduling that will work with your active lifestyle. If you can only attend in the evening or on Saturdays or Sundays near Middle NJ due to your work schedule, confirm that the school you decide on offers either weekend or evening classes. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, make certain that the cooking school has a part-time alternative. Also, ask what the make-up policy is if you must miss a class as a result of work, family or other responsibilities.
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