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 Tri-C and Columbus State 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 Tri-C and Cincinnati State.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Tri-C, Sinclair Community College, Zane State, and Cincinnati State.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Cincinnati State.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of University of Akron and Hocking.
Excellence
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at University of Akron.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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Hocking College • Nelsonville, OH
Studying Culinary Arts (completion in 1987)
• 10/2/2011
"I would have liked to have gone to a bigger school. But at the same time I did learn a little at this school."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | If you don't have plans on working for Gordon Ramsay, you will do okay at Hocking College. If you plan to work outside of Southeastern Ohio you will need to choose another school. |
| Program Reputation | 4 | Somewhat frowned upon in some circles. Not as prestigious as some of the French cooking schools. |
| Program Quality | 5 | I have been out of school for awhile, but when I went the school was considered to be very good and unique. Now, I think they are rated as average, and of course there are better schools. |
| Instruction | 5 | In some areas we were ill prepared. They could have given us more advice on the ownership and management of a small business in addition to being the chef. |
| How Difficult | 6 | The program wasn't rocket science, but it did take a bit of skill and study. You had to know how to cook a little and be familiar with a kitchen. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | They had you buy a lot of books you never used. Most of your training was in the kitchen at the motor lodge the school ran - free labor for them, hands on training for you. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 2 | You take classes when they say - there is no flexibility. You work around the school's schedule. |
| Academic Facilities | 3 | When I went, the facilities were almost pitiful - no real support or study system. I have heard it's better now. It would have to be. |
| Social Life | 2 | A lot of drinking and drugs - not a good atmosphere. There was some racial tension and lots of smoking and drinking. |
| Placement Services | 2 | Non existent, they could careless if you get a job. They only tell you the success stories of former students. Not the ones working in Fast Food or those who are jobless. |
| Alumni Network | 3 | Not so good here. They don't follow through with the students. Once you have quit paying them, they forget your name. |
University Of Akron • Akron, OH
Studying Culinary Arts (completion in 1986)
• 12/13/2011
"The reputation of the UA Culinary program has opened doors for me. I feel that the program is well-regarded in the foodservice industry."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | UA is a good Midwestern school to pursue a culinary education. It is a good school to learn the basics. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | It's not the Culinary Institute of America, but it provides a good basis to enter the industry. There are many worse options for a culinary education. |
| Program Quality | 8 | UA Culinary could provide a more in-depth immersion into baking and pastry work. The remainder of the culinary program is quite adequate. |
| Instruction | 7 | Instructors are qualified to teach the current curriculum. More guest instructors would add to the current roster of instructors. |
| How Difficult | 6 | Culinary work is very demanding. The UA coursework does not always present the demanding nature of the industry. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Hands-on learning is essential to learning the culinary trade. Book learning occurs in off-hours and weekends. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 3 | UA runs a small program with little choice for class scheduling in the Culinary major. There are many early morning and late-night classes. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | There have been many improvements made at UA since I attended the university. I would say that they look tremendous, but I have not personally experienced these upgrades. |
| Social Life | 5 | Fraternity/Greek life is quite active. Many Culinary students participate in university activities. |
| Placement Services | 4 | Job placement services are rather poor at the university level. Internet job searches are far more productive at the chef level. |
| Alumni Network | 4 | While I am aware of a few fellow students in the industry, I have not met them at university functions. Better networking would improve contact between alumni. |
Columbus Culinary Institute • Columbus, OH
Studying Culinary Arts (completion in 2009)
• 1/11/2012
"Although many people from another local culinary schools claim that we are not a "real" school, I believe I got a better education than they did. As mentioned earlier, it was a perfect mix of book and hands-on learning, and we got to experience many things that those attending a public community college might not get to experience."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Even though the cost of CCI is incredibly high, it is worth it. All the classes are tailored to the culinary arts, and there are no extra classes that don't pertain to the degree. |
| Program Reputation | Columbus Culinary Institute has only been around for about 6-7 years. In that time there have been many curriculum changes and several different directors. I believe that in time we will shine as an outstanding school, but since it is so young there hasn't been time yet. | |
| Program Quality | 10 | I believe I received the best training I could from a new school. Our courses provided insight not only into the art of cooking but into the environment as well. |
| Instruction | 10 | All the Chef Instructors are highly qualified. They have real-life experience, they truly care about the students, and they make everything a personal experience. |
| How Difficult | 5 | Many people in my class struggled with the academic classes, but excelled at the actual cooking labs. I was prepared to be challenged in both areas, and I succeeded. A lot of people go to culinary school thinking that it's just an elaborate cooking course, and are sorely disappointed when they realize it's an actual school. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | I would say it is a perfect mix. We learned from the book, and then executed with our hands. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | There are four different schedules for each day, ranging from a 6:00 AM start to a 12:00 PM start. They also offer weekend activities and after school meetings. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | The teachers I had were not only knowledgeable in their area of expertise, but many of them had worked in the culinary arts as well. They all made sure to have the academic classes tie in with our culinary experience. |
| Social Life | 8 | Other than having a few bad apples, most of the people I went to school with were amazing. Being with the same people five days a week for almost two years straight builds a lot of camaraderie. |
| Placement Services | 5 | As I stated earlier, I think CCI needs time to stake its claim in the culinary world. If more employers were willing to take on students, the job placement would probably work better. |
| Alumni Network | 3 | We were always told that we could come back any time for assistance with anything - finances, job, etc. This may be true, however, they don't make it readily available for the average working person. |
Columbus Culinary Institute • Columbus, OH
Studying Culinary Arts (completion in 2009)
• 1/12/2012
"I learned, improved, and now have a good job. I love my work."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Employment post-graduation. It wasn't too complicated and I worked while studying. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | Well-established major. People have been employed. |
| Program Quality | 7 | I learned a lot. I never took classes at any similar school, so it is difficult to compare. |
| Instruction | 5 | Some were excellent and had real-world experience. Some were too theory-based. |
| How Difficult | 5 | I was working at my own speed. There was a lot of instruction and assistance. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | A lot of book was taught in the learning kitchens; theory in practice. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | I had a lot of weekend classes. I also attended classes at night and around my other work commitments. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | Five well-equipped kitchens. Excellent learning environments. |
| Social Life | Not the reason I attended. | |
| Placement Services | 7 | I worked immediately. I also worked during school. |
| Alumni Network | 4 | I was never fully exposed to an alumni network. There are some excellent chefs who are alumni. |
Polaris • Cleveland, OH
Studying Food Science (completion in 2010)
• 3/6/2012
"This was a good school for me. I'm glad I went there."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I am glad I went there. I learned a lot and got a job after graduating. |
| Program Reputation | 6 | It is a trade school, so it is an average school. I am glad that I went there. The program was good overall. |
| Program Quality | 6 | The program helped me a lot in some aspects, but others I had to learn on the job. I wish my school would have taken food sciences a bit more serious. |
| Instruction | 6 | We learned most of the necessary things. Some things I had to learn on the job which caused me to lower my rating. |
| How Difficult | 5 | The program was easy. It did not challenge me and we did not have much of a work load. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Most of our work was hands on. We did have book-work as well. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | They were very flexible. I worked as well as when I took classes and they helped me around my schedule. They offered a wide variety of classes. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | They had a good facility. It was new and was above average. |
| Social Life | 5 | I did not get involved in this too much. I didn't have a lot of time. |
| Placement Services | 7 | They helped get me a job right away. The career service assistance folks knew how to help me. |
| Alumni Network | 7 | There were a good amount of connections once I graduated. Also, there were always people to talk to. |
Cincinnati State • Cincinnati, OH
Studying Culinary Arts (completion in 2013)
• 3/13/2012
"It left me in a good position in life. I feel very confident that I will be successful all my life."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Cincinnati State is growing by the numbers every quarter with new culinary students. It is definitely a great place to learn. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | Well renowned school, especially for culinary. Also offers many more programs than just culinary. |
| Program Quality | 9 | Very good school. School is in the top 5 among culinary programs. It graduates over a 1,000 students a year in culinary arts. |
| Instruction | 9 | School provided me with a sense of promise and made me felt like they cared. Also made coop-ing very easy and found me a job. |
| How Difficult | 5 | Depends on how much time and effort you want to put into it. If you really enjoy cooking, you would have no problem getting through the program. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Cooking is hands on. Everything we did was hands on, from cutting up meat to making cakes. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | Classes for the most part were easy to schedule. For culinary classes, you had to pre-register even earlier then normal GED classes, which was annoying sometimes. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | There were plenty of resources. The library was open til 2 am 7 days a week. |
| Social Life | 5 | It's not know for sports or a social atmosphere to say the least. The school tried very hard to make a fun social atmosphere by giving away prizes and school gear on certain days, but the students never took it seriously. |
| Placement Services | 9 | Co-op was made out right away. Counselors made it their job to help students find a career after school. |
| Alumni Network | Don't know enough yet to rate. The school's culinary program has only been around for less than 10 years. |
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