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Researching Culinary Arts Institutes
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 public or private institute. Since there a large number of culinary programs in the Oceanside area and across the Country, you must create a checklist of essential qualifiers so that you can start narrowing down your options. Certain obvious qualifications, such as location and cost are a good place to start. But choosing a school because it is the nearest or the cheapest is not the optimal way to make a decision regarding your education. There are other criteria, including reputation and accreditation that you need to review as well. So following are some key areas that you must investigate for every school as you compare them and make your final choice.
Accreditation. It's very important that the cooking college you pick has some form of accreditation from either a regional or a national organization. As aforementioned, the accrediting agency should be a U.S. Department of Education certified agency, such as the American Culinary Federation (ACF). ACF accredited schools have successfully completed a thorough assessment regarding their curriculum, teachers and facilities. Therefore not only does accreditation help ensure that you will receive exceptional training, but it can also help in obtaining a student loan or financial assistance which are generally not accessible for non-accredited schools.
Age. Newer schools frequently have the benefit of having modern equipment and facilities. However, they may not have been in operation long enough to garner an accreditation or to develop a reputation. On the other hand, more established schools may still be using their original, dated equipment, but have established a lengthy history of excellence and acquired one or more accreditations. Also, the much more 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 culinary schools. And older, more highly regarded schools commonly update their equipment and facilities. The important 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. To begin with, ask what the graduation rates are for the culinary arts institutes you are examining. Low graduation rates are indicators that numerous students were unhappy with either the colleges or the courses and dropped out. They can also indicate that the instructors were not competent to teach the curriculum. Request that the schools furnish their job placement rates as well. If a school has a higher job placement rate, it will help affirm that it has a great or exceptional reputation within the cooking field, as well as a large network of professional relationships. Watch out for any school that will not provide this information.
Location. The culinary institute that you choose must be within commuting distance of your Oceanside residence, unless you can relocate. You may think about attending classes online, but you would still have to travel for your externship program. On the other hand, maybe you have decided to enroll in a specific culinary college located in another state because of its prominence and courses offered. It would be a wise decision to check out the facility before enrolling, to make sure that you are satisfied with the area and your future 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 many schools concentrate their job placement programs within their regional communities, so choose a location where you will satisfied working.
Class Sizes. The ideal approach to learn how to cook is with lots of one-on-one training. If the culinary arts school you enroll in has larger classes, you will undoubtedly receive limited personal attention from the teachers. The optimal way to evaluate the communication and interaction between faculty and students is to attend 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 get in class in addition to the overall training. Also, talk with several of the teachers and learn what their teaching philosophies are as well as their backgrounds and credentials.
Flexible Class Schedules. There is no benefit to in enrolling in a culinary arts institute if you will not be able to attend the classes. So confirm that the school you pick offers class scheduling that will work with your hectic lifestyle. If you can only attend in the evening or on Saturdays or Sundays near Oceanside NY because of your work schedule, verify that the school you choose offers either weekend or evening classes. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, confirm that the cooking college has a part-time offering. Also, check to see what the make-up policy is if you must miss a class due to family, work or other commitments.
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