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Evaluating Cooking Institutions
At this point you should have made a decision regarding the type of degree that you want to earn, and if you would like to enroll in a public or private college. Since there are numerous culinary institutions in the Angleton area and within the Country, you will want to create a checklist of essential qualifications so that you can start limiting your choices. Certain obvious qualifiers, including cost and location are an excellent place to start. But picking 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 considerations, including accreditation and reputation that you must evaluate as well. Therefore, following are some critical areas that you must investigate for each school as you compare and contrast them and make your ultimate decision.
Accreditation. It's imperative that the cooking college you select has some form of accreditation from either a local or a national agency. As previously mentioned, the accrediting authority should be a U.S. Department of Education recognized authority, such as the American Culinary Federation (ACF). ACF accredited schools have passed a detailed evaluation relating to their curriculum, instructors and facilities. Therefore not only does accreditation help establish that you will receive quality training, but it may also assist in obtaining a student loan or financial assistance which are often not offered for non-accredited schools.
Age. Newer schools generally have the advantage of having modern facilities and equipment. However, they may not have been open long enough to earn an accreditation or to cultivate a reputation. On the other hand, older schools may still be using their original, dated equipment, but have established a long history of excellence and obtained one or more accreditations. Also, the much more a school has been in operation, the more graduates the school can solicit for its job placement program. Obviously there is some give and take dependent on the age of the culinary arts schools. And older, more reputable schools typically modernize their equipment and facilities. The valuable 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, ask what the graduation rates are for the culinary colleges you are evaluating. Lower graduation rates are indications that a number of students were unhappy with either the schools or the programs and dropped out. They may also indicate that the instructors were not competent 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 validate that it has a great or outstanding reputation within the cooking field, in addition to a large network of professional relationships. Be wary of any school that will not furnish this information.
Location. The culinary arts college that you choose should be within commuting distance of your Angleton home, unless you can move. You may think about attending classes online, but you would still have to travel for your externship training. Alternatively, perhaps you have opted to go to a specific culinary school located in another state due to its ranking and courses offered. It would be a wise decision to visit 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 certain they are modern and that the equipment is contemporary. Consider also that many schools concentrate their job assistance programs within their local communities, so pick a location where you will be happy working.
Class Sizes. The best method to learn how to cook is with a lot of personalized instruction. If the culinary arts school you enroll in has bigger classes, you will undoubtedly receive little personal attention from the teachers. The optimal manner in which to evaluate the interaction between teachers and students is to sit in on several of the classes. Ask some of the students what their experience has been. Find out if they are satisfied with the level of attention they get in class as well as the entire course of training. Also, talk with a few of the instructors and learn what their teaching philosophies are as well as their histories and qualifications.
Flexible Class Schedules. There is no benefit to in enrolling in a culinary arts college if you will be unable to attend the classes. Therefore make sure that the school you select has available class scheduling that will accommodate your active lifestyle. If you can only attend in the evening or on Saturdays or Sundays near Angleton TX because of your work schedule, check that the school you pick offers either weekend or evening classes. If you can only attend part-time, verify that the cooking institute has a part-time option. Also, ask what the make-up protocol is if you need to miss a class because of family, work or other commitments.
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