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Researching Culinary Arts Colleges
At this point you should have made a decision regarding the type of degree that you plan to earn, and if you want to enroll in a private or a public institute. Since there are numerous culinary arts schools in the Woodmere area and across the USA, you will want to create a checklist of essential qualifiers so that you can start narrowing your options. A few obvious qualifications, including location and cost are an excellent place to start. But selecting a school because it is the closest or the least expensive is not the best way to decide on your education. There are other factors, such as reputation and accreditation that you must review as well. So following are some crucial areas that you should research for every school as you compare them and make your final decision.
Accreditation. It's very important that the culinary arts college you select has some form of accreditation from either a regional or a national agency. As mentioned previously, the accrediting agency should be a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged authority, for example the American Culinary Federation (ACF). ACF accredited schools have passed a comprehensive evaluation relating to their course of study, teachers and facilities. Therefore not only does accreditation help ascertain that you will receive quality training, but it may also assist in securing a student loan or financial aid which are frequently not offered for non-accredited schools.
Age. Newer schools generally have the benefit of having modern facilities and equipment. However, they may not have been operating 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 lengthy history of excellence and earned one or more accreditations. Also, the longer a school has been in operation, the more graduates the school can solicit for its job assistance program. Obviously there is some give and take dependent on the age of the cooking schools. And older, more reputable schools usually update their equipment and facilities. The significant lesson is that in the best case scenario, your selected school will have an outstanding reputation, accreditation and a modern facility with newer equipment.
Job Placement Rates. First, find out what the graduation rates are for the culinary arts schools you are evaluating. Lower graduation rates are indicators that numerous students were unhappy with either the institutes or the programs and dropped out. They can also signify that the instructors were not competent to teach the course of study. Ask the schools to furnish their job placement rates also. If a school has a higher job placement rate, it will help verify that it has a great or exceptional reputation within the culinary 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 enroll in should be within commuting distance of your Woodmere residence, unless you are able to relocate. You may think about attending college online, but you would still have to travel for your externship training. Alternatively, perhaps you have opted to enroll in a specific culinary arts institute located in a different state because of its prominence and programs offered. It would be a good idea to check out the facility before enrolling, to make certain that you are comfortable with the location and your prospective living conditions. Inspect the training facilities personally to make sure they are up to date and that the equipment is state of the art. Remember also that a number of schools focus their job assistance programs within their local communities, so select a location where you will enjoy working.
Class Sizes. The best approach to learn how to cook is with plenty of one-on-one training. If the culinary college you enroll in has bigger classes, you will undoubtedly get limited personal attention from the instructors. The best manner in which to assess the communication and interaction between teachers and students is to attend some of the classes. Ask a couple of the students what their experience has been. Ascertain if they are pleased with the amount of attention they receive in class in addition to the entire course of training. Also, speak with several of the teachers and find out what their teaching approaches are along with their backgrounds and qualifications.
Flexible Class Schedules. There is no point in enrolling in a culinary arts program if you will be unable to attend the classes. So make sure that the school you decide on has available class scheduling that will fit in with your hectic lifestyle. If you can only attend at night or on weekends near Woodmere NY because of your work schedule, verify that the school you pick offers either weekend or night classes. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, verify that the culinary college has a part-time option. Also, check to see what the make-up protocol is if you need to miss a class because of work, family or other commitments.
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