Here are some tips for selecting schools, based on an analysis comparing each school to all others across dozens of factors:
Schools Concentrating On Chefs
- Focus: For schools with a focus on this career area, look at Des Moines Area Community College, Kirkwood Community College, and Eastern Iowa Community College District.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Eastern Iowa Community College District, Iowa Central Community College, Indian Hills Community College, and Kirkwood Community College.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Iowa Central Community College, Indian Hills Community College, Eastern Iowa Community College District, and Des Moines Area Community College.
Spotlight Schools Search
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
Sort Reviews By:Sorting by: • Show All Details • Hide All Details
University Of Iowa • Iowa City, IA
Studying Culinary Arts (completion in 2009)
• 8/18/2011
"I think they helped me out a lot. It was a very relaxing atmosphere."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Yes, it is a great program. I had a lot of fun learning. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | It's a great school. They teach you everything you need to know to be a chef. |
| Program Quality | 8 | The instructors helped out a lot. The school had all the resources I needed to learn. |
| Instruction | 9 | They helped a lot and taught me what I needed to know. Additionally, they helped us pick the careers we would want to get into. |
| How Difficult | 3 | I am a quick learner. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Most of our work was hands on. I think we learned a lot more doing hands on work than we did from reading textbooks. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 3 | You had to make it to class, though sometimes you could come in for weekend classes. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | They had all the stuff I needed to learn. The teachers helped me learn what I needed to know. |
| Social Life | 10 | Everyone there was friendly and I enjoyed the athletic events. |
| Placement Services | 5 | I do not know about the job placement services. I found my own job. |
| Alumni Network | 7 | The alumni association is okay. They give a lot of support to the school. |
Kirkwood Community College • Cedar Rapids, IA
Studying Culinary Arts (completion in 2012)
• 1/10/2012
"I earned a great education and had fun in the process! It left me feeling very comfortable at my first job."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | It is excellent for the price! I would recommend this school to anybody. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | Everybody knows Kirkwood has the best culinary program in the state. It has the best community college program the United States. |
| Program Quality | 9 | Kirkwood was an awesome school, they taught me so much! I have substantial knowledge of almost every type of cuisine. |
| Instruction | 10 | The instructors have all been chefs for years and they really know what they are talking about. I would be proud to work with them any day of the week. |
| How Difficult | 7 | I felt like a natural in the school, it really wasn't too difficult for me. The hard part was learning how to tell temperatures by touch, but once you get that you can learn anything. Knife techniques can be tough too. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | It was almost all hands on, we were learning to cook. I love that factor, I learn way better with a hands on experience. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | There were many classes, and you had to go every day, so it wasn't that flexible. It was still worth going though and I really enjoyed my experience. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | They have all brand new equipment and great teachers. We had all the resources we could possibly ask for. |
| Social Life | 4 | I mostly just cooked, and didn't deal with the rest of the school too much. The culinary part is separated from the rest of the school, almost isolated. |
| Placement Services | 8 | I got a job and was promoted right away. I am really happy with the pay. |
| Alumni Network | 6 | I don't know anything about the alumni network. I cook with one girl who graduated there and she was pretty good, not great. |
Review your current or past school and help others make better career decisions.