[bakersam]

I have 2 choices of schools that offer baking and pastry arts certificates where I live. I have heard great things, and not so great things, about both.

My question is for people who are in, or have been through culinary school, especially in the baking and pastry arts. What are questions I should ask, or things I should look for when I am visiting culinary schools? The reason I ask is to compare schools, I know that going to culinary school isn't the biggest part of becoming a chef, that experience is, however I would like to have a basic education of the career path I have chosen.

And to those of you who read my other thread, clearly I chose to stay in the US, but I'm still deciding which school to chose. I graduate in December and hopefully I'll have chosen a school by then and start as soon as I can.
Thanks again to all of you for your help!
~Sam

[chefhow]

BakerSam, an education isnt about the college you go to, but what you put into it in my opinion. If they are both accredited schools, and recognized than I would say to ask about placement and what their track record with placement is. Are they partenered up with certain companies, resorts, hotel chains or restaurants? Who do they offer externships with? Are they specialized Pastry and Baking programs or is it a mixed degree? Ask to see the ciriculum and what the class layout and structure looks like. Is it progressive or classic? What are the instructors back grounds? Do they offer chocolate arts and get indepth with chocolate?

[D.C.]

Don't take anyone's word for what each school is like. Make an appointment with the guidance counselor for each school and visit the school for a personal tour. As Chefhow suggested, ask about the curriculum and externships. Ask about instructor backgrounds.

Also ask about class sizes and the student-teacher ratio. Large classes of 40+ are not unusual but check to see if these classes have more than one instructor. Having a master pastry chef as an instructor would be a wonderful experience ... but if you're in a class of 60 students and this person is the only instructor, how much one on one assistance do you think you'll actually be getting?

When touring the school, think about the average class size. How many work stations are in a typical lab? How many students would be distributed among these work stations? Would each student group have access to sufficient tools and equipment?

[jtobin625]

Originally Posted by bakersam

I have 2 choices of schools that offer baking and pastry arts certificates where I live. I have heard great things, and not so great things, about both.

My question is for people who are in, or have been through culinary school, especially in the baking and pastry arts. What are questions I should ask, or things I should look for when I am visiting culinary schools? The reason I ask is to compare schools, I know that going to culinary school isn't the biggest part of becoming a chef, that experience is, however I would like to have a basic education of the career path I have chosen.

And to those of you who read my other thread, clearly I chose to stay in the US, but I'm still deciding which school to chose. I graduate in December and hopefully I'll have chosen a school by then and start as soon as I can.
Thanks again to all of you for your help!
~Sam

As an admissions representative at a culinary school, I think it's great you are thinking about important questions.

It really comes down to what's important to you though. Class size? Career Services? Quality of instructors? These examples may be totally relevant or entirely unnecessary.

This would be a great question. Ask, "If I graduate from your school, will I be a chef?"

The answer is no...unless you were a chef before or if you have rich family/connections that are willing to back you. If anyone tells you otherwise, you may want to find another admissions representative or go to a different school.

Also, everyone is going to say that their school is the best option. What I would recommend doing is to get a 3rd party resource such as a hiring manager, chef, GM, etc of some local businesses that you respect. You may get a variety of answers, some saying where you should and shouldn't go but if you see that there are graduates in your area, or outside your area, getting press and actually making it in this industry, that should be your first choice.

It's ultimately what you make of it but a school's track record speaks for itself.

Good luck if you haven't chosen a school already.