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Evaluating Culinary Institutions
At this point you should have made a decision regarding the type of degree that you plan to earn, and whether or not you want to enroll in a private or a public institution. Since there are numerous culinary institutions in the Le Ray area and across the USA, you must create a checklist of important qualifications so that you can start narrowing down your options. Some obvious qualifiers, for instance cost and location are a good place to begin. But deciding on a school because it is the closest or the cheapest is not the best way to decide on your education. There are other variables, for instance reputation and accreditation that you must review also. Therefore, following are some critical areas that you should research for each school as you compare them and make your final decision.
Accreditation. It's important that the cooking school you choose has some type of accreditation from either a local or a national agency. As aforementioned, the accrediting organization should be a U.S. Department of Education recognized organization, such as the American Culinary Federation (ACF). ACF accredited schools have passed a detailed review pertaining to their curriculum, teachers and facilities. Therefore not only does accreditation help ascertain that you will receive quality training, but it may also help in securing a student loan or financial assistance which are generally not offered for non-accredited schools.
Age. Newer schools generally have the benefit of having modern equipment and facilities. However, they may not have been open long enough to acquire an accreditation or to establish a reputation. On the other hand, older schools may still be using their original, dated equipment, but have established a long history of success and received one or more accreditations. Also, the longer a school has operated, the more alumni the school can reach out to for its job assistance program. Obviously there is some give and take dependent on the age of the culinary schools. And older, more highly regarded schools typically update their facilities and equipment. The valuable lesson is that in the best case scenario, your chosen school will have an outstanding reputation, accreditation and a modern facility with newer equipment.
Job Placement Rates. Initially, ask what the graduation rates are for the culinary arts programs you are evaluating. Lower graduation rates are indicators that a number of students were dissatisfied with either the schools or the training and dropped out. They might also signify 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 high job placement rate, it will help confirm that it has a good or outstanding reputation within the culinary arts field, 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 attend should be within commuting distance of your Le Ray residence, unless you are able to move. You may look into attending school online, but you would still have to travel for your externship program. Conversely, perhaps you have opted to go to a specific culinary school located in another state because of its prominence and programs offered. It would be a good idea to pay a visit to the campus before enrolling, to make certain that you are satisfied with the location and your future living conditions. Inspect the training facilities personally to make sure they are modern and that the equipment is state of the art. Keep in mind also that a number of schools focus their job placement programs within their regional communities, so choose a location where you will satisfied working.
Class Sizes. The ideal way to learn how to cook is with lots of personalized instruction. If the culinary college you enroll in has bigger classes, you will probably get little personal attention from the instructors. The ideal means to evaluate the interaction and communication between faculty and students is to audit several of the classes. Ask some of the students what their experience has been. Find out if they are happy with the amount of attention they receive in class in addition to the overall training. Also, talk with several of the instructors and determine what their teaching philosophies are together with their histories and credentials.
Flexible Class Schedules. There is no sense in enrolling in a culinary arts institute if you will not be able to attend the classes. Therefore confirm that the school you decide on has available class scheduling that can fit in with your active lifestyle. If you can only attend at night or on Saturdays or Sundays near Le Ray NY due to your work schedule, check that the school you pick offers either night or weekend classes. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, make certain that the culinary arts program has a part-time offering. Also, check to see what the make-up protocol is if you must miss a class because of family, work or other commitments.
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