Does anybody know...FCI in NYC?

[Novani]

HI All..

Just wonder if there's anybody know more about French Culinary Institue in NYC? Or maybe you've taken the program there before.
I'm debating between FCI and ICE. Any input?

All input will be appreciate it...thank you....

[Whatshisname]

I was recently in the same position as you. I had narrowed down my school choices to FCI and ICE. I toured both schools and sat through a class at each. In the end, I decided that ICE would be the best choice for me. Here is an email that I sent to FCI to explain my decision --

Jock -

Thank you for following up. I appreciate all that you and Peter did to help me make my choice of schools.

I have decided to attend ICE and have enrolled in their program. If I was in your position, I would want to know why, so here are some of my reasons. First, let me list some of the positive things I saw at FCI.

* Professionalism - everyone was very professional and the school was well organized and staffed.
* Staff - some very big names in the food industry are associated with FCI. However, I have also heard that you rarely see some of them, such as Jacques Torres.
* Thorough Program - the pastry arts program at FCI is 600 hours of classroom instruction, whereas ICE is 400 classroom and 200 externship. I would prefer to spend more time in the classroom because I can always get a stage when I finish school.

Now, let me talk about some of the deficiencies I found.

* Student to Instructor Ratio - 22 students in the class and only one of the two instructors was actively interacting with the students. The other instructor was off to the side working on other projects.
* Instructor/Student Interaction - the environment was one of more formal instruction with information being passed from the instructor to the students with very few questions being asked. ICE has more of an open rapport between the students and the instructor with questions being constantly asked during the instructor's lecture and demo. A smaller class size makes this feasible.
* Cost - FCI is very expensive and I did not find enough reasons to justify the extra cost. I am attending ICE and taking both their pasty arts and culinary management programs at the same time. They offer a discount when taking these two programs together, plus an out-of-state discount of $4,000. My total cost is $30,000 compared to $37,000 for only pastry arts at FCI.

Those are the factors that led me to choose to attend ICE. I hope you appreciate my candor. I give it with the intention of helping you understand why someone may choose your program over another.

You should definitely take a tour of each school and form your own opinion, but I hope this helps.

[ashleyforte]

I'm coming to the FCI from Arkansas in January.

I haven't gotten to tour the school, but the advisors and staff have been so helpful to me, since I'm so far away.

Sure, it's expensive, but think of it as an investment. Tour both schools, and go with your gut. What works for me may not work for you.

If expense is an issue (and it was for me to), weigh all of your options. If ICE is cheaper, it may be a better option.

What it all boils down to is this: it's your future, and it's important. You have to trust yourself throughout this. Make sure it's right for you before you shell out the money.

God bless, best wishes, and good luck!

Ashley

[AngeliaB]

I attended ICE and i think its a GREAT school lol. I cant speak on the money aspect because i did their workstudy program to pay all of my schooling off but I can say this, They make it easy for you by getting all of your tools, knives, and books and things for the actual class. They provide you with a set of Wushtof knives and an assortment of other things you will need in class.

The class size is great, but what you may find to happen in your class is that the class may be smaller than the initial 16 that can sign up for that class. I have seen a class as small as 6 people.

Most importantly though to me is the Chefs are wonderful wonderful wonderful people. They are at the school alllll the time after class, before class doing parties and other such things there so they are always always availible to you and if you need to talk to them or you have questions or you just want them to show you something you may have missed in class, then they are there for you. I found just that alone to be so great.

I cant tell you how much i enjoyed going to that school. I can honestly say the only thing i did not like was that the classes went so fast. But I think that is one of the things the chefs understood to so they made it clear that if you did not get it in class, just find them and ask them for their help later.

[Novani]

HI all,

I really appreciate all the inputs..
In fact I actually decided to go to ICE since it's cheaper and I don't see a whole lot difference in the program and I think ICE has a good reputation in the industry.

Anyway, thank's again...