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Contrasting Culinary Colleges
By now you should have made a decision regarding the type of degree that you plan to earn, and if you would like to enroll in a public or private institute. Since there a large number of culinary programs in the Uniondale area and within the Country, you must develop a checklist of important qualifications so that you can begin limiting your choices. A few obvious qualifications, such as cost and location are a good place to begin. But choosing a school because it is the closest or the least expensive is not the optimal way to decide on your education. There are other factors, for instance reputation and accreditation that you should review also. Therefore, following are some critical areas that you must investigate for every school as you compare them and make your final choice.
Accreditation. It's very important that the culinary program you select has some type of accreditation from either a local or a national organization. As previously mentioned, the accrediting authority should be a U.S. Department of Education recognized authority, for example the American Culinary Federation (ACF). ACF accredited schools have successfully completed a comprehensive evaluation pertaining to their course of study, teachers and facilities. Therefore not only does accreditation help establish that you will receive excellent training, but it may also help in securing a student loan or financial assistance 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 develop a reputation. Conversely, more established schools may still be using their original, outdated equipment, but have established a lengthy history of excellence and earned one or more accreditations.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 based on the age of the culinary schools. And older, more renowned schools typically update their equipment and facilities. The valuable lesson is that in the best case scenario, your school of choice will have an excellent reputation, accreditation and a modern facility with modern equipment.
Job Placement Rates. To begin with, find out what the graduation rates are for the culinary arts institutes you are assessing. Low graduation rates are red flags that numerous students were dissatisfied with either the schools or the training and dropped out. They might also indicate that the teachers were not qualified 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 confirm that it has a good or exceptional reputation within the cooking field, in addition to a broad network of professional associations. Be skeptical of any school that will not supply this information.
Location. The culinary arts school that you choose must be within driving distance of your Uniondale home, unless you are able to move. You may consider attending college online, but you would still have to travel for your externship program. Alternatively, maybe you have opted to go to a specific culinary arts school located in a different state due to its ranking and courses offered. It would be a wise decision to check out the campus before enrolling, to make sure that you are comfortable with the area and your future living conditions. Look over the training facilities in person to make certain they are modern and that the equipment is contemporary. Consider also that many schools concentrate their job placement programs within their regional communities, so pick a location where you will satisfied working.
Class Sizes. The ideal approach to learn how to cook is with a lot of one-on-one instruction. If the culinary school you enroll in has larger classes, you will undoubtedly receive little individual attention from the teachers. The best manner in which to assess the interaction and communication between instructors and students is to audit 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 as well as the overall training. Also, speak with several of the instructors and determine what their teaching approaches are as well as their backgrounds and qualifications.
Flexible Class Schedules. There is no sense in enrolling in a culinary arts school if you will not be able to attend the classes. Therefore make sure that the school you decide on offers class scheduling that can accommodate your busy lifestyle. If you can only attend at night or on Saturdays or Sundays near Uniondale NY because of your work schedule, make certain that the school you select offers either night or weekend classes. If you can only attend part-time, verify that the culinary arts institute has a part-time alternative. Also, find out what the make-up policy is if you need to miss a class because of work, family or other obligations.
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