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Contrasting Cooking Colleges
By now you should have decided on the type of degree that you wish to earn, and if you would like to enroll in a private or a public institution. Since there a large number of cooking colleges in the Lancaster area and within the USA, you need to develop a checklist of important qualifications so that you can start narrowing your choices. Some obvious qualifiers, such as location and cost are a good place to begin. But choosing a school because it is the closest or the most affordable is not the optimal way to make a decision regarding your education. There are other factors, including accreditation and reputation that you should assess also. Therefore, below are some key areas that you should investigate for each school as you compare them and make your final selection.
Accreditation. It's essential that the cooking program you decide on has some form of accreditation from either a local or a national organization. As previously stated, the accrediting authority should be a U.S. Department of Education recognized agency, such as the American Culinary Federation (ACF). ACF accredited schools have successfully completed a thorough assessment regarding their course of study, instructors and facilities. Therefore not only does accreditation help ensure that you will receive excellent training, but it may also assist in securing a student loan or financial aid which are often not accessible for non-accredited schools.
Age. Recently established 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 develop a reputation. Conversely, more established schools may still be using their original, dated equipment, but have established a long track record of success and acquired one or more accreditations. Also, the longer a school has been in business, the more graduates the school can reach out to for its job assistance program. Certainly there is some give and take based on the age of the cooking schools. And older, more reputable schools commonly update their facilities and equipment. The significant lesson 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. First off, find out what the graduation rates are for the culinary schools you are evaluating. Lower graduation rates are signs that many students were dissatisfied with either the institutes or the courses and dropped out. They might also suggest that the instructors were not competent to teach the course of study. Request that the schools furnish their job placement rates also. If a school has a higher job placement rate, it will help affirm that it has a good or excellent reputation within the culinary field, in addition to a broad network of professional relationships. Be skeptical of any school that will not provide this information.
Location. The culinary arts college that you attend should be within commuting distance of your Lancaster home, unless you can move. You may think about attending classes online, but you would still need to travel for your externship program. On the other hand, maybe you have opted to go to a specific culinary arts school located in another state because of its ranking and courses offered. It would be a wise decision to pay a visit to the campus before enrolling, to make sure that you are comfortable with the location and your prospective living conditions. Tour the training facilities in person to make certain they are up to date and that the equipment is state of the art. Remember also that some schools concentrate their job placement programs within their local communities, so select a location where you will satisfied working.
Class Sizes. The ideal approach to learn how to cook is with plenty of personalized training. If the cooking program you enroll in has bigger classes, you will most likely receive limited individual attention from the teachers. The optimal manner in which to assess the communication and interaction between faculty and students is to sit in on a few 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 get in class in addition to the overall training. Also, speak with a few of the instructors and find out what their teaching approaches are along with their histories and credentials.
Flexible Class Schedules. There is no sense in enrolling in a culinary arts institute if you will be unable to attend the classes. Therefore make sure that the school you select offers class scheduling that will work with your active lifestyle. If you can only attend at night or on weekends near Lancaster TX because of your job schedule, make sure that the school you choose offers either night or weekend classes. If you can only attend part-time, confirm that the cooking college has a part-time offering. Also, find out what the make-up policy is if you need to miss a class because of family, work or other responsibilities.
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