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Evaluating Culinary Programs
At this point you should have decided on the type of degree that you wish to attain, and if you would like to enroll in a public or private school. Since there a large number of culinary arts institutions in the Pampa area and within the United States, you will want to develop a checklist of important qualifications so that you can start limiting your choices. Certain obvious qualifications, for instance cost and location are a good place to start. But deciding on a school because it is the closest or the least expensive is not the ideal way to make a decision regarding your education. There are other variables, for example reputation and accreditation that you should assess as well. Therefore, following are some crucial areas that you need to research for each school as you compare them and make your final choice.
Accreditation. It's very important that the cooking college you select has some type of accreditation from either a local or a national agency. As aforementioned, the accrediting agency should be a U.S. Department of Education recognized authority, such as the American Culinary Federation (ACF). ACF accredited schools have passed a comprehensive review pertaining to their curriculum, teachers and facilities. So not only does accreditation help confirm that you will receive excellent training, but it can also help in securing a student loan or financial aid which are frequently not available for non-accredited schools.
Age. Newer schools generally have the benefit of possessing modern facilities and equipment. However, they may not have been open long enough to earn an accreditation or to establish 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 operated, 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 cooking schools. And older, more highly regarded schools usually modernize their facilities and equipment. The valuable takeaway is that in the best case scenario, your chosen school will have an exceptional reputation, accreditation and a state-of-the-art facility with modern equipment.
Job Placement Rates. Initially, find out what the graduation rates are for the culinary arts colleges you are assessing. Low graduation rates are indicators that many students were unhappy with either the institutes or the training and quit before graduating. They might also suggest that the teachers were not qualified to teach the curriculum. Request that the schools furnish their job placement rates also. If a school has a high job placement rate, it will help validate that it has a great or outstanding reputation within the cooking community, in addition to a broad network of professional associations. Watch out for any school that will not supply this information.
Location. The cooking school that you choose should be within driving distance of your Pampa home, unless you have decided to move. You may look into attending college online, but you would still need to travel for your externship program. Conversely, maybe you have chosen to attend a specific culinary college located in another state due to its reputation and programs offered. It would be a good idea to pay a visit to the facility before enrolling, to make certain that you are comfortable with the location and your future living conditions. Look over the training facilities personally to make sure they are up to date and that the equipment is state of the art. Consider also that many schools concentrate their job placement programs within their regional communities, so pick a location where you will be happy working.
Class Sizes. The ideal approach to learn how to cook is with lots of personalized training. If the culinary institute you enroll in has large classes, you will probably get minimal personal attention from the instructors. The optimal means to assess the communication and interaction between instructors and students is to sit in on some of the classes. Ask some of the students what their experience has been. Find out if they are happy with the level of attention they receive in class in addition to the entire course of training. Also, talk with a couple of the teachers and determine what their teaching approaches are together with their experiences and qualifications.
Flexible Class Schedules. There is no benefit to in enrolling in a culinary arts college if you will not be able to attend the classes. Therefore make certain that the school you decide on provides class scheduling that will fit in with your hectic lifestyle. If you can only attend at night or on Saturdays or Sundays near Pampa TX due to your job schedule, make sure that the school you decide on offers either night or weekend classes. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, confirm that the culinary arts institute has a part-time alternative. Also, check to see what the make-up policy is if you must miss a class because of work, family or other responsibilities.
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