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Why culinary arts?

- Tips on Choosing a Culinary School -

Let’s face it - there are hundreds of culinary apprenticeships, vocational schools, college and university programs out there offering culinary training. So . . . how do you choose the right one for you?

You’ve already taken the first step: seeking useful information through online research. And you’ve probably requested more information from a variety of cooking programs by now. But how do you narrow down the field of culinary contenders? Since it’s your time and your money you’re investing in your future, use the following tips to help you in your search:

Step 1: Determine what you might like to specialize in. 
Yes, culinary schools often offer a broad range of career training options. But, if there is an area of study that particularly interests you - say patisserie or some other specialty - knowing this ahead of time will help eliminate schools that don’t offer the classes you’ll need. For information on the different types of careers and concentrations offered in the cooking industry try specific Google searches.

Step 2: Create a list of criteria that is important to you. 
Do you want to stay close to home, or venture off to a new city? Is the school accredited? What about tuition costs? Identifying what is important to you in your future school will help you evaluate and weed out the various programs out there. Here is a useful list of common factors you should consider: 

• Accreditation 
  Is the school accredited by a legitimate accrediting agency? A school that has been operating for more than five years should have some form of accreditation. The American Culinary Federation currently accredits 90+ post-secondary institution programs in culinary arts and food service management. 

• Career Advising, Placement, and Internships
  What types of placement opportunities are available? Since you will be attending the school in order to get a job, will the school's placement office be able to find you a good position after graduation? Select programs that include externships at leading restaurants, hotels, and resorts for real-world experience and industry connections. Meet with the career advisor and past graduates, if you can.

• Certificates/Degrees Offered
  Does the school offer the certificate you desire? Or an associate’s degree? Or bachelor’s? What about a master’s or PhD?

• Class Schedule
  Does the program sequence fit your availability? If you cannot attend a school full-time, consider part-time programs or those with more flexible scheduling. 

• Class Size
  What is the student-instructor ratio in the kitchen? Fifteen students to one instructor should be the maximum; you might prefer something smaller.

• Costs
  What is your educational budget? Tuition costs can range from a few hundred dollars at a community college to $10,000 per year from some culinary schools offering highly-specialized programs. You have not only tuition, but supplies and room and board to think about. Crunch those numbers!

• Entry Requirements
  Some technical institutes and community colleges do not require a high school diploma or even a GED. You could be in a class with students who struggle with basic reading and math.

• Faculty Size, Qualifications, and Experience
  Prior to teaching, what positions have faculty members held in the industry? Most culinary instructors will be certified by the American Culinary Federation (link here), have a university degree, and a lot of industry experience. How many are master chefs and bakers? The faculty should also be diverse as well as accomplished. 

• Financial Aid
  If cost is a big obstacle for you, don't forget to inquire about scholarships and loans, which are often available for prospective chefs of any age. Be sure to find out if the loans available are funded by private lending institutions or by the government - this makes a huge difference in interest rates and repayment options. Also look for the availability of college scholarships to supplement federal and state programs. Veterans: you will want to find out if the program is approved under the GI Bill.

• Housing Options
  If you won’t be living at home, you will need to find out your housing options. Possibilities could include living in a dorm room on-campus, or renting a room or apartment off-campus. What are options do you prefer in relation to your budget?

• Institutional Ideology
  Is the instruction core based upon occupational education? Is the school governed by the industry it serves, focusing on contemporary culinary issues? Also, what percentage of class time is spent in kitchen labs with hands-on food preparation and cooking assignments? Or, even better, does the school have a real kitchen open to the public? It is a common complaint of executive chefs that recent culinary graduates have no sense of speed. Time on the kitchen line and experience with real food service pressure is only achieved from working in a restaurant with real customers placing real orders. Seek schools that have a high level of teaching kitchens and in-kitchen instruction hours, if not a variety of high-end restaurants on campus for professional training.

• Length of Program
  How long, exactly, should it take you to earn your certificate or degree? Career culinary and cooking programs can take a few weeks to three or four years to complete. Programs that offer less than a year-long curriculum are usually certificate-based and will generally prepare you for an entry-level position. Longer, degreed programs that may take up to four years to complete will include general education and elective courses to offer a much more well-rounded education.

• Location
  Is the campus close to your home, or might it require your location? Also keep in mind that many schools concentrate on the cuisine of their particular region. . If Southwestern cuisine is your passion, then a school in the Pacific Northwest (Washington State, Oregon, northern California) might not best serve your interests.

• Program Reputation/Prestige
  Top culinary schools are ranked - like schools in any profession - by the industry they serve. You will want to choose schools with high graduation rates and high employment rates. Have graduates/alumni achieved noteworthy positions or significant industry recognition? And what culinary awards have been won by the school in local, national and international competitions?

• Public vs. Private
  Public programs often cost much less to attend, as they are usually run by the state their located in. Private programs are often more prestigious, but many may not even qualify for government-funded student loans. 

• Safety Record
  You have a right to know a school’s safety record; this information should be readily available in the student hand book. Also be sure to learn about the safety record for the surrounding community.

• School Resources
  What facilities are available to you? What kind, size, and modernity of kitchens are on campus? What about specialty equipment, learning labs, libraries, and computer access? Does the school have a student health center or counseling services?

• School Size
  Do you want an intimate campus or something larger, busier, more exciting?

• Social Opportunities
  Some culinary schools offer extra-curricular activities, such as cooking clubs and culinary competitions . . . even a school newspaper. Would these functions be important for you to participate in? 

• Student Body
  Schools can vary in the diversity of their student makeup. Some programs attract recent high-school graduates, others, the non-traditional student returning to school after spending some time in the workplace. Identify any diversity criteria - ethnicity, age range, gender, etc. - that are important to you.

Step 3: Develop a list of possible cooking schools and culinary institutes. 
Now that you have a basic idea of what criteria are important to you, contact all of the possible schools on your list for more information (if you haven’t already done so). 

Step 4: Visit the schools you are most interested in. 
After you have contacted individual schools for more information, you should be able to develop a general impression of each candidate. Were the people you communicated with friendly and knowledgeable? Did staff make a genuine effort to answer your questions in a helpful and timely manner? Is the ancillary information presented in an informative, professional manner? If you get a good "vibe" from a school you think you might be interested in - whatever the reason - trust your gut and move on to Step 5!

Step 5: Visit the schools from your list on Step 4. 
The best way to really get a feel for a culinary school is by visiting the college, touring its facilities, meeting with students, attending a class, eating in the cafeteria, and spending the night in a dorm (if possible). You have to feel "at home" and equipped to succeed at your future school, so visiting is important. If some schools on your list are just too far away to make a trip, then at least try to take a virtual tour of the campus or talk to people who have attended the school to get a feel for it. 

Step 6: Apply to all the schools that are now your finalists. 
Apply to each of the schools that feel like a good fit for your needs. Make sure you have all of the necessary paperwork on hand to speed your process: high school diploma or GED, any college transcripts, your social security number, checks or money orders to cover any application fees, envelopes, postage, etc.

Step 7: Time to look for some financial aid. 
Fastweb Scholarship Search is a great place to start. The site offers free scholarship searches based on your discipline and other factors. Also be sure to visit your local library - the reference section is a great place to thumb through massive catalogs detailing available scholarships, rules and procedures, and deadlines. And don’t forget to read up on the financial aid availability at the various schools you have applied to.

Step 8: Make a final choice among the schools that accepted you. 
Voila! Your day has come. Time to choose the school that is right for you!

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