It Takes Just a Few Minutes to Start Your Culinary Arts Career Below!
Researching Culinary Arts Colleges
At this point you should have decided on the type of degree that you plan to attain, and if you would like to enroll in a public or private institute. Since there a large number of cooking colleges in the Maspeth area and across the Country, you must develop a checklist of important qualifications so that you can start limiting your choices. Certain obvious qualifications, for example location and cost are a good place to begin. But picking a school because it is the closest or the least expensive is not the ideal way to decide on your education. There are other considerations, for example reputation and accreditation that you must assess also. So below are some crucial areas that you need to research for every school as you compare them and make your final decision.
Accreditation. It's essential that the culinary arts school you select has some form of accreditation from either a local or a national authority. As previously mentioned, the accrediting authority should be a U.S. Department of Education recognized authority, for instance the American Culinary Federation (ACF). ACF accredited schools have successfully completed a comprehensive evaluation pertaining to their course of study, instructors and facilities. So not only does accreditation help confirm that you will receive excellent training, but it may also assist in acquiring a student loan or financial aid which are often not available for non-accredited schools.
Age. Newer schools generally have the advantage of possessing modern equipment and facilities. However, they may not have been operating long enough to earn an accreditation or to cultivate a reputation. Conversely, more established schools may still be using their original, outdated equipment, but have established a sustained track record of excellence and received one or more accreditations. Also, the longer a school has been in business, the more alumni 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 schools. And older, more reputable schools usually modernize their equipment and facilities. The significant 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 newer equipment.
Job Placement Rates. To begin with, find out what the graduation rates are for the culinary arts programs you are looking at. Low graduation rates are indications that many students were dissatisfied with either the schools or the programs and quit before graduating. They may also signify that the instructors were not competent to teach the curriculum. Request that the schools provide their job placement rates also. If a college has a high job placement rate, it will help verify that it has a good or excellent reputation within the cooking field, in addition to a wide network of professional associations. Watch out for any school that will not provide this information.
Location. The cooking school that you attend should be within commuting distance of your Maspeth home, unless you can relocate. You may think about attending school online, but you would still need to travel for your externship program. On the other hand, perhaps you have chosen to enroll in a specific culinary arts school located in another state due to its reputation and programs offered. It would be a good idea to visit the facility before enrolling, to make sure that you are satisfied with the area and your prospective living conditions. Look over the training facilities in person 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 regional communities, so choose a location where you will be happy working.
Class Sizes. The ideal way to learn how to cook is with a lot of personalized instruction. If the culinary school you enroll in has larger classes, you will most likely get minimal individual attention from the instructors. The optimal manner in which to evaluate the interaction and communication between faculty and students is to sit in on several of the classes. Ask some of the students what their experience has been. Ascertain if they are satisfied with the amount of attention they receive in class in addition to the overall training. Also, speak with a couple of the instructors and learn what their teaching styles are together with their backgrounds and qualifications.
Flexible Class Schedules. There is no point in enrolling in a culinary school if you will not be able to attend the classes. So make sure that the school you choose provides class scheduling that can work with your busy lifestyle. If you can only attend in the evening or on weekends near Maspeth NY because of your job schedule, make certain that the school you choose offers either weekend or night classes. If you can only attend part-time, verify that the culinary institute has a part-time alternative. Also, ask what the make-up protocol is if you must miss a class because of work, family or other obligations.
Find Out More About Culinary Arts Institutes in Maspeth