CIA vs FCI vs J&W vs Cornell

Right, so it seems that these 4 schools are the top in culinary courses and hospitality (mainly Cornell for that). The problem is of course which to choose, in terms of both course and school.

All 4 schools are pretty darn expensive, so lets forget price for the moment and start with CIA.

CIA: Big, established and obviously so well known. Now ive heard TONS of stuff about it, both good and bad, but it seems like a pretty good place to go to if you just want a pure culinary course.

FCI: Same as CIA really, except maybe smaller, but from what ive read, its reputation is well earned and the its quite highly respected.

J&W: Seems to offer the most balanced as you can take culinary AND hospitality. Its also a university instead of just a pure cooking school/hotel management place. The issue of course, is it as good as the first two?

Cornell: No culinary courses, but they do have an exchange with the CIA for that part. Also a university and not just a cooking school, but would it be too business like for me as i prefer cooking?

These are my thoughts so far on the subject, and am having a very hard time too choose. Anyone else with any thoughts?

Of course, sorry about that.

I'm thinking very much to be come a professionally trained chef, ive got a bit of part time experience in a few cafes and restaurants that total probably under 5 months. I'm 19 years old right now but ill be 20 by the time i finish my national service in the army and go to school then. I'm pretty passionate about food, in general, and i do enjoy cooking. During my time when i was working part time i did find it very tough though as most people would know about the F&B industry.

After talking to quite a few family members are just other people in general, they have advised me to go to take a hospitality course, probably in hotel management as it is seen as "safer" which i can see why. It makes sense, but looking at the curriculum as such from most hotel management schools (Cornell, Le Roche, etc) they all seem more business minded then anything else. I could be wrong of course, but it just seemed to financial orientated for me then anything else, and not something that would have had enough of a F&B expereince that i wanted.

I'm saying money isn't a problem right now, not because i can easily afford either, i can't, but if i'm able to single out which school i think may be best for me based on course and merit, if money seems to be the biggest issue for me getting in, atleast i know which to go onto next. As it is, i think all 4 schools seem to be very roughly around the same price anyway.

Of course there's the other route as many have also mentioned, to go persue what you wish in perhaps a totally different field and just start from the bottom like many others being a commis/busboy or whatever and training through hard work and determination. To be fair, i'm gonna admit and say that ive grown up with a pretty good life, and after knowing what its like to go out and work part time and being in the army, i'm more then ready to jump back into school then go straight to work again.

So as it is, right now i'm torn between these four, i'm not excatlly quite sure what i want, i just now that i think the best would be something to do in the F&B industry, whether its managing a restaurant or cooking as a chef.

Thanks for any advice given.

Hmm, i think ive made some wrong impressions here.

Firstly i know how hard it is too cook, ive heard all the stories, ive done some time working as a commis and it was hard as heck.

The thing is, i had a mixed reaction coming back from the experience, i enjoyed some times, when you get the rush as i'm sure you all do after ending the service, too see all the food going out (and looking good). I wanted to learn more, but i wasn't sure if its what i wanted for the rest of my life.

The thing is i dont think i'm all that creative at cooking. I can come up with a few ideas here and there, and i reguarly do just for the fun of it more then anything else. At the end of the day, i enjoyed the cooking, but maybe not the reality that comes with being in the profession full time - the low pay, the long hours, physical and mental challenge that is in the kitchen and of course the brutal turn over of the restaurant industry itself.

Also just to clear, my parents aren't the ones that are pushing me in any lofty goals, their all coming from me. My parents are really quite happy for me to pursue any of these vocations.

As i was discussing with a friend of mine, my dream, and this i know is really something that is going to be incredibly hard to acheive, is too reach the heights and level of the names that we often hear all the time - Adrias, Keller, Bras, Blumenthal, so and so forth.

I get that mostly you learn the profession by just working on it, not by "studying" it, but at the same time, the child left in me has realise that school is so much better then work, no matter what, and i would like to "study" what i THINK right now, i would like to do in the future.

I understand the fact that these four schools ive named have a reputation of being there just for the sake of having a name on your degree or diploma, but the matter of fact is, i feel (and im hoping it is) that what i learn can also easily be applied to other job areas incase cooking doesn't work out.

Going back to not being creative, i also wonder if its because i am still unsure of the basics, that after i go to culinary school and i guess probably work a bit (since assuming i spent all that money and time) i would start coming out with more things.

Ultimately what i'm afraid is persuing this course of action that ends up as a waste, or that i finish the course, spend all that money and realize i dont want to do it as a profession. But at the same time, i could come away from all this and just affirm my passion for doing it.

So yeah, this is the dilema im facing, whether i should go into this course plan or not, to take up culinary or hospitality or at the end of it, just find something else..