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 Johnson & Wales Charlotte, Central Piedmont Community College, Wake Technical Community College, and Guilford Technical Community College.
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 Robeson Community College, Fayetteville Technical Community College, Johnson & Wales Charlotte, and Guilford Technical Community College.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Montgomery Community College, Alamance, Lenoir Community College, and Asheville Buncombe.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Johnson & Wales Charlotte, Fayetteville Technical Community College, Central Piedmont Community College, and Sandhills Community College.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Johnson & Wales Charlotte.
Excellence
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at College of the Albemarle, Lenoir Community College, Carteret Community College, and Southwestern Community College.
Spotlight Schools Search
Spotlight North Carolina Schools Related to This Career
- Locations: Charlotte, Durham
- Programs: 12 relevant programs; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Associate, Bachelor, Certificate, Diploma
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Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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Guilford Technical Community College • Greensboro, NC
Studying Culinary Arts (completion in 2007)
• 8/10/2011
"I learned what I needed. I wouldn't have minded learning more, though."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | If they want the basics, then yes. If they want more, then I would say no. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | It's a basic community college. It doesn't seem bad, but it's not great either. |
| Program Quality | 4 | It wasn't bad. Better teachers would have been nice, though. |
| Instruction | 5 | Again, the teachers should have been better. I, however, managed to get what I needed nonetheless. |
| How Difficult | 3 | It was simple. I already knew a lot and already had passion. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | We had some classes that were just book stuff while others were held in the kitchen. We even had BBQ's and other outdoor activities. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 9 | It's great! I can take classes online or at varying times throughout the day. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | They had the essentials - nothing more and nothing less. |
| Social Life | 7 | I made good friends during class. Some are even coworkers now and two others plan on starting a company with me. |
| Placement Services | 3 | I found my own job, so I never had a need to use these services. But they are offered. |
| Alumni Network | 2 | It is not something I keep up with though it is easy to locate, I suppose. I rated it a 2 because the only reason I know of it is because I see it on the website. |
Sandhills Community College • Southern Pines, NC
Studying Culinary Studies (completion in 2010)
• 11/6/2011
"I suppose it was an average experience. I enjoyed the school, but would have preferred somewhere more oriented to my profession."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | The recommendation depends; to locals, yes. It's not a bad school for aspiring chefs in the area, but if they can afford to leave the area then that would certainly be the better option. |
| Program Reputation | I haven't heard anything either way from people in my graduating class. I don't think its something highly advertised for the school. | |
| Program Quality | 6 | I have nothing to compare to be exact here. I enjoyed my learning experience, but I am sure a school specialized in culinary arts would have been better. |
| Instruction | 8 | While I had wonderful teachers, I feel like I wasn't challenged enough. There a lot of things I did not learn until I got a job and was forced to do them. |
| How Difficult | 6 | While challenging at times, I never felt over-burdened. I have fun cooking so while I had projects or exams that could be taxing, overall I loved the work involved. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Very hands-on. Of course book learning was thrown in, but overall the focus was on doing rather than reading. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 3 | Not flexible. It is not one of their more important majors, so I had little options as to when I took what classes. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | Overall, it had a nice space. Plenty of resources available for my program of study as well as general use. |
| Social Life | 3 | Outside of my program of study I had no social interaction with the school. It wasn't heavily advertised and generally there wasn't much to be a part of. |
| Placement Services | 5 | Overall, it was not very helpful. While I have heard they have good placement for others majors, they don't have a lot of connections with the local food & service industry. |
| Alumni Network | 3 | I never heard anything about alumni during my duration there. It is obviously not an important facet of the school. |
Appalachian State University • Boone, NC
Studying Hospitality And Tourism Management (completion in 2013)
• 11/8/2011
"The education was not worth the cost. I believe I would be in a similar position without the education."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | I would recommend they starting in a kitchen and then getting a business degree from a 2 year school. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | It is considered one of the better business schools. My business teachers were very good. |
| Instruction | 5 | I learned more in the kitchen than in the classroom. Hands on experience is key |
| How Difficult | 4 | The teachers were not that knowledgeable about kitchen workings. I breezed through the program. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Appalachian was definitely more hands on than book oriented. The culture is very outdoorsy. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | I was able to arrange my classes around my schedule. I got 15 hours with 4 days off. |
| Academic Facilities | 6 | the campus is always under construction. When I got there the facilities were dated, but that has changed. |
| Social Life | 8 | Appalachian was a party school. I had many social experiences. |
| Placement Services | 4 | I did not receive any help getting employment. I was not very active in trying though. |
| Alumni Network | 4 | I have not seen any help from the alumni network. They won't let alumni come and print from campus. |
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