It Takes Just a Few Minutes to Start Your Culinary Arts Career Below!
Researching Culinary Arts Institutions
At this point you should have decided on the type of degree that you want to earn, and if you want to enroll in a private or a public institution. Since there a large number of cooking programs in the Albany area and across the United States, you need to create a checklist of important qualifiers so that you can begin narrowing down your choices. Certain obvious qualifiers, including cost and location are an excellent place to begin. But picking 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 factors, for instance accreditation and reputation that you should evaluate as well. So below are some crucial areas that you should research for each school as you compare and contrast them and make your ultimate choice.
Accreditation. It's imperative that the culinary arts school you decide on has some form of accreditation from either a regional or a national organization. As mentioned previously, the accrediting agency should be a U.S. Department of Education certified organization, such as the American Culinary Federation (ACF). ACF accredited schools have passed a thorough assessment pertaining to their course of study, instructors and facilities. Therefore not only does accreditation help confirm that you will receive exceptional training, but it can also help in acquiring a student loan or financial assistance which are often not available for non-accredited schools.
Age. Newer schools often have the advantage of having modern facilities and equipment. However, they may not have been operating long enough to garner an accreditation or to establish 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 acquired one or more accreditations. Also, the much more a school has been in operation, the more graduates the school can reach out to for its job placement program. Obviously there is some give and take dependent on the age of the culinary arts schools. And older, more highly regarded schools typically update their facilities and equipment. The important lesson is that in the best case scenario, your selected school will have an excellent reputation, accreditation and a modern facility with newer equipment.
Job Placement Rates. First off, find out what the graduation rates are for the culinary arts institutions you are assessing. Lower graduation rates are red flags that a number of students were dissatisfied with either the colleges or the training and quit before graduating. They may also signify that the teachers were not competent to teach the course of study. Request that the schools furnish their job placement rates also. If a college has a higher job placement rate, it will help verify that it has a good or exceptional reputation within the cooking field, as well as a wide network of professional relationships. Watch out for any school that will not furnish this information.
Location. The cooking institute that you attend must be within driving distance of your Albany residence, unless you can move. You may look into attending school online, but you would still need to travel for your externship training. Alternatively, perhaps you have opted to attend a specific culinary arts institute located in another state because of its reputation and programs offered. It would be a wise decision to visit the campus before enrolling, to make certain that you are comfortable with the area and your prospective living conditions. Inspect the training facilities in person to make certain they are modern and that the equipment is state of the art. Consider also that some schools target their job assistance programs within their local communities, so select a location where you will enjoy working.
Class Sizes. The ideal way 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 undoubtedly get minimal individual attention from the instructors. The ideal manner in which to assess the communication and interaction between faculty and students is to sit in on several of the classes. Ask a couple of the students what their experience has been. Find out if they are satisfied with the amount of attention they get in class as well as the entire course of training. Also, speak with a few of the instructors and learn what their teaching philosophies are as well as their experiences and qualifications.
Flexible Class Schedules. There is no point in enrolling in a culinary institute if you will be unable to attend the classes. Therefore make sure that the school you decide on has available class scheduling that can work with your active lifestyle. If you can only attend at night or on Saturdays or Sundays near Albany NY because of your work schedule, make certain that the school you select offers either weekend or evening classes. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, make certain that the cooking institute has a part-time option. Also, find out what the make-up protocol is if you have to miss a class because of family, work or other responsibilities.
Find Out More About Culinary Arts Colleges in Albany