Sunday, February 6, 2011

Seven Cooking School Hints For The Prospective Student

By Ryan Alexander


So you've made a firm decision about your career path, and have a cooking school or two in your sights as your top prospective colleges. Stop right there. Are you aware of all of the criteria? Today, there are thousands of people across North America looking to make the same decision as you. Competing fiercely with those prospective students will be necessary, and the following seven tips will definitely put you on that road.

Have A Specific Level Of Qualification In Mind?

Some culinary schools have few choices to offer whereas others may have different program types like certificate associate degree, masters degree and doctorate programs. So, it would be better for you to decide what degree is to be pursued according to your need and remove the names of those culinary arts programs that don't fit your goals.

Get Yourself Surfing

Researching culinary arts institutes has evolved over the past five years. Whereas previously clunky paper directories used to be the avenue (and pain) of the prospective culinary arts student, the web now offer all you need. Going out of country? Search for your country, and get it going! Type in "cooking schools online" as a start, and you're likely to run into a ton of details about schools around the country.

What's Your Food?

Many culinary schools offer mixed cuisine programs, whereas highest quality cooking schools offer niche cuisine styles such as French, Italian, and Chinese, among others. One should take this point into consideration while searching for a cooking school. The choices are obvious: if French food interests you, search for a best of breed French culinary school; if you like Chinese, look for a Chinese specialized cooking program and so on.

Meet Top Quality Chefs

This isn't the 1980s. The web, blogs and cable television producers have made it so being a chef is pretty much the next best thing to being a CEO, a safari wild man. Yes, we weren't joking about movie star. The cult of celebrity when it comes to chefs likely extends to your own town, and fortunately, the smart chefs keep themselves open as a "potential mentor" to virtually everybody. Email contact often does the trick for celebrity chefs, but in-person meetings are often the best way to go about it.

See Your Favored School In-Person

Once you've created a shortlist that consists of less than five cooking institutions, it's time for an in person look. Highest quality schools have admissions staff that are ready to talk to you about your career choice. What's more, they are the knowledgebase you need. They can tell you far more than the brochures can about the programs, recent alumni, and some of the lesser known features of their culinary arts instruction. While you're there, take a tour. Look over their facilities at length, looking for evidence of any cutting edge technology and techniques. This program is a practical one, so understanding what you'll get your hands-on is key.

Just How Credible Is This Culinary Arts College?

Your diploma or certification from a culinary school will shape your future in the food and beverage industry. Always ensure that the culinary arts program of your choice is considered best-of-breed in the food and beverage industry. Having a certificate or degree from a renowned institution will virtually guarantee that you get the best possible career opportunities.

Fee Structure and Cost of the Courses

Most industry leading culinary schools offer scholarship programs. They also make provision for a part payment structure, where you have an option to pay the fee in easy installments. Make a choice as per your convenience and needs. The price of the program is considerably higher in high quality cooking schools as compared to the lower tier ones. Nonetheless, it is a one time cost which will help provide a good income for a lifetime. This greatly helps you to realize the complete value of your cooking school experience.




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