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 Prince George's Community College and Baltimore International.
Fastest Response From Schools
- Request Info: For the fastest information for prospective students, look at the Spotlight schools on this page.
Student Body
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Prince George's Community College and Baltimore International.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Allegany and Baltimore International.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Baltimore International and Allegany.
Excellence
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at Allegany.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
Maryland Institute College Of Art • Baltimore, MD
Studying Sculpture (completion in 2008)
• 12/13/2011
"I'm glad that I got a bachelor's degree, but I didn't really need to go to school at all. I have been cooking for 10 years, and I have progressed this far in my career because of my hard work."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | I would not recommend MICA to future chefs, because it has nothing to do with cooking. I would recommend doing internships at restaurants, traveling, and gaining work experience, instead of going for a traditional college experience. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | MICA has a great reputation for fine arts, especially sculpture. It is difficult to get into the program, and challenging for all four years. |
| Program Quality | 1 | My bachelor's degree is in fine arts, which is not directly related to cooking. I would NOT have gone to culinary school, however, because much of the opportunity to progress in my career is experience and skill-based. |
| Instruction | 5 | MICA is a great school. It is just not applicable to career preparation for being a chef. |
| How Difficult | 6 | The curriculum was difficult. MICA is a challenging school. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | MICA has studio classes, as well as academic, book-based learning. Because it is a bachelor's program, the classroom credits are as important as hands-on studio classes. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | MICA offers summer semesters and online programs. These options are mostly for post-graduate programs. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | MICA has great studio setups, video libraries and other resources, and a supply store on campus. The advisors and professors are readily available for questions and support. |
| Social Life | 4 | The school doesn't really have traditional social organizations like sports, Greeks, or organized social events. There are lots of small student groups that are dedicated to specific interests. |
| Placement Services | 6 | The career services program at MICA is good. They don't really do career placement. |
| Alumni Network | 10 | MICA has great alumni career support. However, it only supports careers in the fine arts. |
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