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Evaluating Cooking Schools
By now you should have made a decision regarding the type of degree that you want to earn, and if you want to enroll in a public or private institute. Since there are numerous culinary colleges in the Wauwatosa area and across the Country, you must develop a checklist of essential qualifications so that you can start narrowing your options. A few obvious qualifications, including location and cost are a good place to begin. But picking a school because it is the closest or the least expensive is not the ideal way to decide on your education. There are other variables, for instance accreditation and reputation that you need to review as well. Therefore, below are some critical areas that you should investigate for each school as you compare and contrast them and make your ultimate selection.
Accreditation. It's very important that the culinary arts school you select has some type of accreditation from either a local or a national agency. As mentioned previously, the accrediting organization should be a U.S. Department of Education acknowledged agency, for instance the American Culinary Federation (ACF). ACF accredited schools have successfully completed a comprehensive review relating to their course of study, instructors and facilities. Therefore not only does accreditation help establish that you will receive exceptional training, but it can also help in obtaining a student loan or financial assistance which are frequently not accessible for non-accredited schools.
Age. Newer schools often have the benefit of having modern equipment and facilities. However, they may not have been in operation long enough to acquire 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 obtained one or more accreditations. Also, the longer a school has operated, the more alumni the school can solicit for its job assistance program. Obviously there is some give and take dependent on the age of the culinary schools. And older, more reputable schools commonly modernize their facilities and equipment. The important lesson is that in the best case scenario, your selected school will have an outstanding reputation, accreditation and a modern facility with newer equipment.
Job Placement Rates. Initially, find out what the graduation rates are for the cooking schools you are examining. Low graduation rates are signs that many students were dissatisfied with either the schools or the programs and quit before graduating. They can also suggest that the instructors were not competent to teach the curriculum. Request that the schools supply their job placement rates also. If a school has a higher job placement rate, it will help verify that it has a good or outstanding reputation within the culinary community, in addition to a large network of professional relationships. Be wary of any school that will not supply this information.
Location. The cooking institute that you enroll in must be within commuting distance of your Wauwatosa home, unless you are willing to move. You may think about attending classes online, but you would still need to travel for your externship training. Conversely, perhaps you have opted to enroll in a particular culinary college located in another state because of its ranking and programs offered. It would be a good idea to pay a visit to the campus before enrolling, to make certain that you are comfortable with the location and your potential living conditions. Check the training facilities in person to make sure they are up to date and that the equipment is state of the art. Remember also that some schools focus their job placement programs within their local communities, so choose a location where you will satisfied working.
Class Sizes. The ideal way to learn how to cook is with a lot of personalized training. If the culinary school you enroll in has bigger classes, you will undoubtedly get minimal individual attention from the instructors. The optimal way to assess the interaction between instructors and students is to attend some of the classes. Ask some 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 overall training. Also, talk with a few of the instructors and find out what their teaching philosophies are together with their backgrounds and credentials.
Flexible Class Schedules. There is no benefit to in enrolling in a culinary arts institute if you will be unable to attend the classes. Therefore make certain that the school you decide on has available class scheduling that will fit in with your active lifestyle. If you can only attend at night or on Saturdays or Sundays near Wauwatosa WI due to your work schedule, check that the school you decide on offers either weekend or evening classes. If you can only attend on a part-time basis, confirm that the cooking college has a part-time alternative. Also, check to see what the make-up policy is if you need to miss a class because of family, work or other responsibilities.
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