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Researching Culinary Schools
By now you should have made a decision regarding the type of degree that you wish to earn, and if you would like to enroll in a public or private school. Since there are numerous culinary colleges in the San Antonio area and within the USA, you need to develop a checklist of essential qualifications so that you can begin narrowing your options. Certain obvious qualifications, for example cost and location are an excellent place to start. But deciding on a school because it is the closest or the most affordable is not the optimal way to decide on your education. There are other factors, for instance accreditation and reputation that you should review also. Therefore, following are some crucial areas that you must investigate for each school as you compare and contrast them and make your ultimate decision.
Accreditation. It's essential that the cooking program you decide on has some type of accreditation from either a local or a national agency. As previously mentioned, the accrediting agency should be a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged authority, such as the American Culinary Federation (ACF). ACF accredited schools have successfully completed a comprehensive review regarding their curriculum, teachers and facilities. So not only does accreditation help ensure that you will receive exceptional training, but it may also help in securing a student loan or financial assistance which are frequently not accessible for non-accredited schools.
Age. Recently established schools frequently have the advantage of possessing modern equipment and facilities. However, they may not have been operating long enough to garner an accreditation or to establish a reputation. On the other hand, more established schools may still be using their original, dated equipment, but have established a long track record of excellence and received one or more accreditations. Also, the much more a school has been in operation, 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 typically update their equipment and facilities. The valuable 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, find out what the graduation rates are for the culinary arts institutions you are looking at. Low graduation rates are indicators that numerous students were dissatisfied with either the colleges or the courses and dropped out. They may also signify that the teachers were not competent to teach the course of study. Ask the schools to supply their job placement rates also. If a school has a high job placement rate, it will help validate that it has a good or exceptional reputation within the cooking field, as well as a large network of professional connections. Be suspicious of any school that will not supply this information.
Location. The cooking college that you attend must be within driving distance of your San Antonio residence, unless you are willing to relocate. You may look into attending classes online, but you would still have to travel for your externship training. On the other hand, maybe you have decided to attend a particular culinary college located in a different state due to its reputation and courses 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 area and your potential living conditions. Look over the training facilities in person to make certain they are modern and that the equipment is state of the art. Consider also that a number of schools concentrate their job assistance programs within their regional communities, so select a location where you will satisfied working.
Class Sizes. The ideal way to learn how to cook is with lots of one-on-one instruction. If the culinary arts institute you enroll in has large classes, you will most likely get little personal attention from the instructors. The ideal way to assess the interaction and communication between faculty and students is to audit 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 receive in class as well as the entire course of training. Also, talk with a few of the instructors and find out what their teaching approaches are along with their experiences and qualifications.
Flexible Class Schedules. There is no benefit to in enrolling in a culinary institute if you will be unable to attend the classes. Therefore make certain that the school you select offers class scheduling that will work with your active lifestyle. If you can only attend in the evening or on weekends near San Antonio TX due to your job schedule, make certain that the school you pick offers either weekend or night classes. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, verify that the cooking institute has a part-time alternative. Also, find out what the make-up protocol is if you need to miss a class because of family, work or other responsibilities.
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