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Contrasting Culinary Institutes
At this point you should have decided on the type of degree that you want to attain, and whether or not you want to enroll in a public or private college. Since there are numerous culinary arts programs in the Newark area and within the Country, you must create a checklist of essential qualifiers so that you can start narrowing your options. Certain obvious qualifiers, including location and cost are a good place to begin. But selecting a school because it is the closest or the least expensive is not the optimal way to decide on your education. There are other factors, such as accreditation and reputation that you must review as well. Therefore, below are some crucial areas that you should investigate for every school as you compare them and make your ultimate decision.
Accreditation. It's essential that the cooking program you decide on has some form of accreditation from either a local or a national authority. As mentioned previously, the accrediting authority should be a U.S. Department of Education certified agency, such as the American Culinary Federation (ACF). ACF accredited schools have successfully completed a thorough assessment pertaining to their curriculum, teachers and facilities. So not only does accreditation help ensure that you will receive excellent training, but it can also help in acquiring a student loan or financial assistance which are generally not accessible for non-accredited schools.
Age. Recently established schools frequently have the advantage of possessing modern equipment and facilities. However, they may not have been open long enough to acquire an accreditation or to develop a reputation. On the other hand, more established schools may still be using their original, outdated equipment, but have established a lengthy track record of excellence and received one or more accreditations. Also, the much more a school has operated, the more alumni the school can solicit for its job assistance program. Obviously there is some give and take dependent on the age of the culinary arts schools. And older, more renowned schools typically update 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 state-of-the-art facility with modern equipment.
Job Placement Rates. To begin with, find out what the graduation rates are for the culinary arts institutes you are evaluating. Lower graduation rates are red flags that many students were unhappy with either the schools or the training 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 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 culinary arts community, in addition to a wide network of professional contacts. Be wary of any school that will not provide this information.
Location. The culinary arts school that you attend should be within commuting distance of your Newark residence, unless you are willing to relocate. You may look into attending college online, but you would still have to travel for your externship training. Alternatively, maybe you have chosen to attend a particular culinary school located in a different state because of its ranking and programs offered. It would be a good idea to check out the facility before enrolling, to make certain that you are satisfied with the area and your future living conditions. Tour the training facilities in person to make sure they are up to date and that the equipment is state of the art. Consider also that a number of schools concentrate their job assistance programs within their regional communities, so pick a location where you will be happy working.
Class Sizes. The best approach to learn how to cook is with lots of personalized instruction. If the culinary program you enroll in has large classes, you will undoubtedly get minimal individual attention from the teachers. The best way to assess the interaction between instructors and students is to attend a few of the classes. Ask a couple of the students what their experience has been. Ascertain if they are satisfied with the level of attention they receive in class as well as the entire course of training. Also, speak with some of the instructors and find out what their teaching approaches are as well as their histories and qualifications.
Flexible Class Schedules. There is no point in enrolling in a culinary arts program if you will be unable to attend the classes. So confirm that the school you pick provides class scheduling that can work with your hectic lifestyle. If you can only attend at night or on weekends near Newark NJ due to your job schedule, make sure that the school you choose offers either weekend or night classes. If you can only attend part-time, make sure that the culinary institute has a part-time offering. Also, ask what the make-up policy is if you need to miss a class due to family, work or other obligations.
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