Which and why?

[BBlank]

I just returned from my NECI tour and I spent a week in Hyde Park in May . . .

IF you were faced with hiring someone for your kitchen and you had 2 candidates with IDENTICAL abilities but one was a CIA grad and the other hailed from NECI . . .

who gets the job and why?

[isaac]

i am at no position to answer this question. i am a student at the cia right now but steping that aside, i think that i would hire whoever had the passion to learn and who is most coachable. you wont put out food if you do not have a passion for what you do and you wont be a team player if you are not coachable.

i think the name of the school will open doors for you but they will just open.. it doesnt mean they will let you in.

i think if you have a passion and you are coachable along with having a professional attitude, on time, and a good team player then that is what counts.

on another note: to me, all schools have the same goal: to give the student the basic foundation of cooking. its WHAT YOU MAKE OF SCHOOL that counts.

[Nicko]

Orginally posted by Greg:

All things being equal between the two applicants, I would choose the NECI grad. The students there receive more attention from their instructors (7:1 student to teacher ratio) and have less of the "big name school" attitude that some CIA and J&W (J&W being my alma mater) grads can have. Also, they have more practical experience; NECI students go through two externships, not just one as in most schools.
Here's the thing, though. All things will never be equal between two students of different schools. Both are good schools; the student that has applied her/himself to learning and extracting as much info as possible from their instructors, can apply said learning in a "real world" environment" and has a good work ethic and attitude will get hired.

[Joshua Tomczyk]

It is less about what school you go to and more about what you put in.
If you are trying to decide between the two you have to look at Facilities and Instructors. I graduated from the CIA, but looked at many schools. The facilities at CIA are second to none( they have to spend allot of money to stay non-profit)
I will give the edge to CIA in instructors also, because of sheer numbers. Anyone ever heard "It's not what you know it's who you know." If the instructors see you doing a good job and working to get better, they will help you later. Finding jobs, references, etc. Of course instructors at any school would do this but there are so many more people at the CIA there is just more options. Don't forget the other students, my boss graduated from the CIA in the '80s. He was first in his class the person that was second was some guy named Todd English. CIA also has regular visits from people that are at the top of the industry. OK OK I admit I am biased towards my alma mater. Where ever you decide to go make sure to take advantage of the things they don't talk about in the Handbook.