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Contrasting Culinary Institutes
At this point you should have made a decision regarding the type of degree that you wish to attain, and whether or not you would like to enroll in a public or private school. Since there are numerous culinary institutions in the Paterson area and within the United States, you must develop a checklist of important qualifications so that you can start narrowing your choices. A few obvious qualifications, for instance location and cost are a good place to begin. But deciding on a school because it is the nearest or the cheapest is not the optimal way to make a decision regarding your education. There are other factors, for instance accreditation and reputation that you must review also. So following are some crucial areas that you must research for every school as you compare them and make your final choice.
Accreditation. It's important that the culinary program you pick has some form of accreditation from either a local or a national agency. As mentioned previously, the accrediting agency should be a U.S. Department of Education certified authority, for example the American Culinary Federation (ACF). ACF accredited schools have passed a comprehensive assessment relating to their curriculum, teachers and facilities. So not only does accreditation help ensure that you will receive excellent training, but it may also help in securing a student loan or financial assistance which are generally not available for non-accredited schools.
Age. Newer schools frequently have the advantage of possessing modern facilities and equipment. However, they may not have been in operation 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 Conversely, older schools may still be using their original, outdated equipment, but have established a sustained track record of excellence and earned one or more accreditations.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 placement program. Certainly there is some give and take dependent on the age of the culinary schools. And older, more highly regarded schools usually update their equipment and facilities. The valuable lesson is that in the best case scenario, your chosen school will have an outstanding reputation, accreditation and a state-of-the-art facility with newer equipment.
Job Placement Rates. First off, ask what the graduation rates are for the cooking institutes you are assessing. Lower graduation rates are red flags that a number of students were unhappy with either the colleges or the programs and quit before graduating. They can also indicate that the instructors were not competent to teach the course of study. Request that the schools supply their job placement rates as well. If a school has a higher job placement rate, it will help validate that it has a great or outstanding reputation within the culinary arts field, as well as a wide network of professional associations. Watch out for any school that will not furnish this information.
Location. The culinary arts college that you choose must be within driving distance of your Paterson residence, unless you are willing to move. You may look into attending school online, but you would still need to travel for your externship program. Alternatively, maybe you have opted to go to a specific culinary institute located in another state due to its ranking and courses offered. It would be a wise decision to check out the campus before enrolling, to make sure that you are satisfied with the location and your future living conditions. Look over the training facilities personally to make sure they are modern and that the equipment is state of the art. Keep in mind also that many schools focus their job placement programs within their local communities, so select a location where you will satisfied working.
Class Sizes. The ideal method to learn how to cook is with lots of personalized training. If the cooking program you enroll in has larger classes, you will probably get limited personal attention from the instructors. The best way to evaluate the communication and interaction between faculty and students is to sit in on 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 entire course of training. Also, speak with some of the instructors and find out what their teaching approaches are along with their experiences and qualifications.
Flexible Class Schedules. There is no point in enrolling in a culinary arts school if you will be unable to attend the classes. Therefore make sure that the school you choose provides class scheduling that will accommodate your active lifestyle. If you can only attend in the evening or on weekends near Paterson NJ due to your job schedule, verify that the school you choose offers either night or weekend classes. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, make certain that the culinary school has a part-time offering. Also, check to see what the make-up protocol is if you have to miss a class due to family, work or other obligations.
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