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Contrasting Culinary Arts Schools
By now you should have decided on the type of degree that you want to attain, and whether or not you want to enroll in a private or a public institute. Since there are numerous culinary arts institutions in the South Houston area and across the United States, you need to develop a checklist of important qualifications so that you can begin narrowing down your choices. Some obvious qualifiers, including cost and location are a good place to begin. But choosing a school because it is the closest or the cheapest is not the best way to decide on your education. There are other criteria, for example accreditation and reputation that you need to assess also. Therefore, below are some critical areas that you must investigate for every school as you compare them and make your final choice.
Accreditation. It's imperative that the culinary arts school you choose has some type of accreditation from either a regional or a national organization. As aforementioned, the accrediting organization should be a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged authority, for instance the American Culinary Federation (ACF). ACF accredited schools have successfully completed a comprehensive review relating to their curriculum, teachers and facilities. Therefore not only does accreditation help establish that you will receive excellent training, but it may also assist in acquiring a student loan or financial aid which are generally not accessible for non-accredited schools.
Age. Recently established schools often have the benefit of having modern facilities and equipment. However, they may not have been open long enough to acquire an accreditation or to establish a reputation. Conversely, more established 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 alumni the school can solicit for its job assistance program. Naturally there is some give and take dependent on the age of the culinary arts schools. And older, more renowned schools commonly modernize their facilities and equipment. The significant lesson is that in the best case scenario, your school of choice will have an exceptional 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 institutes you are evaluating. Low graduation rates are indications that a number of students were unhappy with either the colleges or the training and dropped out. They can also suggest that the instructors were not competent to teach the course of study. Request that the schools provide their job placement rates also. If a college has a high job placement rate, it will help affirm that it has a good or exceptional reputation within the culinary arts field, in addition to a broad network of professional associations. Watch out for any school that will not furnish this information.
Location. The cooking school that you choose should be within driving distance of your South Houston home, unless you are willing to move. You may think about attending college online, but you would still need to travel for your externship training. Conversely, perhaps you have chosen to enroll in a specific culinary institute located in a different state because of its reputation and programs offered. It would be a good idea to check out the facility before enrolling, to make certain that you are satisfied with the location and your future living conditions. Inspect the training facilities in person to make sure they are up to date and that the equipment is contemporary. Remember also that a number of schools target their job assistance programs within their regional communities, so select a location where you will be happy working.
Class Sizes. The best way to learn how to cook is with lots of personalized instruction. If the cooking program you enroll in has bigger classes, you will undoubtedly get little individual attention from the instructors. The ideal manner in which to evaluate the interaction and communication between teachers and students is to sit in on a few of the classes. Ask a couple of the students what their experience has been. Find out if they are happy with the amount of attention they receive in class in addition to the entire course of training. Also, talk with a couple of the instructors and determine what their teaching philosophies are together with their experiences and credentials.
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 confirm that the school you choose provides class scheduling that can fit in with your active lifestyle. If you can only attend at night or on weekends near South Houston TX because of your work schedule, make sure that the school you select offers either night or weekend classes. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, verify that the culinary arts program has a part-time offering. Also, ask what the make-up policy is if you have to miss a class because of work, family or other commitments.
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