:bounce:
I had this same problem with choosing a school to attend. I definately knew I wanted to go to a school of some type, as opposed to an apprentiship. I looked into about 15 different schools, including Colorado Mountain College (which offered free ski passes :) ), The Art Institute of Dallas, Mississippi State University (where I got my first Bachelor's degree), and the Culinary Institute of America. The deciding factor for me had 3 elements:
1. Will this school have working kitchens, capable of producing quantity?
2. Will they provide a career assistance program for graduates?
3. Will going to this school prepare me for the real world, or just some collegiate fantasy world?
(4. Housing?)
I thought long and hard and finally decided on the CIA. It has working kitchens throught the program, producing as many as 300 covers a meal period. They offer an extensive Network of Graduates that have influental positions, and they have re-vamped their program (I am in the first class of this new program) to more accurately project the real world.
This was the right choice for ME, now the question is, would it be the right program for YOU? No matter what school you look at, its best to have a list of questions that is going to provide you with deciding information. Where ever you decide to go, DO YOUR RESEARCH! Its an expensive venture and not one to be entered into lightly. Please treat it like a Job hunt.
I generally found the colleges were more intersted in General education for the whole. Where as the Culinary Schools focused on the Culinary Arts.
Good luck,
Bill Mullins