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Comparing Cooking Colleges
At this point you should have made a decision regarding the type of degree that you wish to earn, and whether or not you would like to enroll in a public or private school. Since there are numerous cooking institutions in the Henrietta area and within the Country, you must develop a checklist of important qualifications so that you can start narrowing your options. Some obvious qualifications, including cost and location are a good place to start. But selecting a school because it is the closest or the cheapest is not the best way to decide on your education. There are other factors, such as reputation and accreditation that you must review also. So following are some key areas that you must research for every school as you compare them and make your final decision.
Accreditation. It's imperative that the culinary arts program you pick has some type of accreditation from either a local or a national agency. As previously stated, the accrediting organization should be a U.S. Department of Education certified organization, such as the American Culinary Federation (ACF). ACF accredited schools have successfully completed a comprehensive assessment regarding their curriculum, instructors and facilities. Therefore not only does accreditation help establish that you will receive excellent training, but it can also help in obtaining a student loan or financial aid which are frequently not offered for non-accredited schools.
Age. Recently established schools generally have the benefit of having modern facilities and equipment. However, they may not have been operating long enough to garner an accreditation or to establish a reputation. Conversely, 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 longer a school has been in operation, the more alumni the school can reach out to for its job assistance program. Naturally there is some give and take dependent on the age of the cooking schools. And older, more renowned schools commonly update their facilities and equipment. The valuable takeaway is that in the best case scenario, your chosen school will have an excellent reputation, accreditation and a state-of-the-art facility with modern equipment.
Job Placement Rates. First off, find out what the graduation rates are for the culinary schools you are looking at. Lower graduation rates are red flags that many students were unhappy with either the schools or the training and quit before graduating. They can also indicate that the instructors were not competent to teach the curriculum. Request that the schools provide 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 excellent reputation within the culinary arts field, in addition to a broad network of professional relationships. Be skeptical of any school that will not provide this information.
Location. The culinary arts school that you enroll in should be within driving distance of your Henrietta home, unless you are willing to move. You may consider attending classes online, but you would still have to travel for your externship program. Conversely, maybe you have opted to attend a particular culinary arts institute located in a different state because of its prominence and programs offered. It would be a wise decision to pay a visit to the campus before enrolling, to make sure that you are comfortable with the area and your potential living conditions. Look over the training facilities personally to make certain they are modern and that the equipment is state of the art. Keep in mind also that many schools focus their job assistance programs within their local communities, so choose a location where you will enjoy working.
Class Sizes. The ideal way 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 limited personal attention from the instructors. 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. Ascertain if they are satisfied with the amount of attention they receive in class as well as the entire course of training. Also, talk with several of the teachers and find out what their teaching approaches are along with their experiences and qualifications.
Flexible Class Schedules. There is no benefit to in enrolling in a culinary arts program if you will not be able to attend the classes. Therefore make certain that the school you choose provides class scheduling that will fit in with your active lifestyle. If you can only attend at night or on Saturdays or Sundays near Henrietta NY due to your work schedule, verify that the school you pick offers either weekend or night classes. If you can only attend part-time, check that the culinary college has a part-time option. Also, ask what the make-up protocol is if you have to miss a class because of work, family or other commitments.
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