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Evaluating Cooking Schools
At this point you should have decided on the type of degree that you plan to earn, and whether or not you want to enroll in a public or private institution. Since there are numerous culinary arts colleges in the Holbrook area and within the Country, you will want to develop a checklist of essential qualifiers so that you can start narrowing down your choices. A few obvious qualifiers, for instance cost and location are a good place to begin. But selecting a school because it is the closest or the most affordable is not the ideal way to make a decision regarding your education. There are other factors, such as reputation and accreditation that you must review as well. Therefore, below are some critical areas that you must research for each school as you compare and contrast them and make your final choice.
Accreditation. It's essential that the culinary arts school you pick has some type of accreditation from either a regional or a national agency. As mentioned previously, the accrediting authority should be a U.S. Department of Education certified organization, such as the American Culinary Federation (ACF). ACF accredited schools have successfully completed a detailed evaluation pertaining to their course of study, instructors and facilities. So not only does accreditation help confirm that you will receive quality training, but it can also help in obtaining a student loan or financial assistance which are generally 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 open long enough to garner an accreditation or to establish a reputation. On the other hand, older schools may still be using their original, outdated equipment, but have established a lengthy history of excellence and obtained one or more accreditations. Also, the much more a school has been in operation, the more graduates the school can solicit for its job placement program. Naturally there is some give and take dependent on the age of the cooking schools. And older, more highly regarded schools usually update their equipment and facilities. The important takeaway is that in the best case scenario, your selected school will have an outstanding reputation, accreditation and a modern facility with modern equipment.
Job Placement Rates. First, ask what the graduation rates are for the culinary institutions you are looking at. Low graduation rates are indicators that numerous students were unhappy with either the institutes or the training and dropped out. They might also suggest that the instructors were not competent to teach the curriculum. Request that the schools furnish their job placement rates also. If a college has a high job placement rate, it will help validate that it has a great or exceptional reputation within the culinary community, in addition to a wide network of professional associations. Be skeptical of any school that will not provide this information.
Location. The culinary arts school that you choose must be within driving distance of your Holbrook home, unless you can move. You may look into attending classes online, but you would still need to travel for your externship program. Alternatively, maybe you have chosen to attend a particular culinary college 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 sure that you are comfortable with the area and your prospective living conditions. Tour the training facilities in person to make certain they are modern and that the equipment is state of the art. Remember also that a number of schools target their job assistance programs within their regional communities, so select a location where you will be happy working.
Class Sizes. The ideal approach to learn how to cook is with plenty of personalized training. If the culinary arts program you enroll in has bigger classes, you will most likely get limited individual attention from the instructors. The ideal way to assess the interaction and communication between faculty and students is to sit in on some of the classes. Ask some of the students what their experience has been. Ascertain if they are happy with the amount of attention they receive in class in addition to the overall training. Also, speak with some of the teachers and find out what their teaching styles are together with their histories and credentials.
Flexible Class Schedules. There is no point in enrolling in a cooking program if you will be unable to attend the classes. So make sure that the school you select has available class scheduling that will fit in with your hectic lifestyle. If you can only attend in the evening or on Saturdays or Sundays near Holbrook NY because of your job schedule, make certain that the school you pick offers either weekend or night classes. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, make sure that the culinary arts college has a part-time option. Also, find out what the make-up protocol is if you must miss a class as a result of work, family or other responsibilities.
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