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Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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Johnson & Wales • Providence, RI
Studying Culinary Art (completion in 2004)
• 12/26/2011
"Yes. Attending this school has given me opportunities that otherwise I would not have had. There is a lot I took away from my time there and don't regret a minute of it."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Johnson & Wales is an excellent place for a culinary education, and I highly recommend anyone going into this field to try to attend. My only advice is to look for as many scholarships as possible because tuition will add up quickly. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | Johnson and Wales has one of the best reputations a culinary school. Which is known to those in the culinary field. Outside of the industry however few people know about it. |
| Program Quality | 8 | Johnson and Wales has a fantastic culinary program. The problem is that they know this and the tuition is too expensive. |
| Instruction | 9 | The instructors were by far some of the best in the field. One of my favorite instructors won Chef of the Year shortly after I graduated. However, they normally only teach classical cooking, not the shortcuts you will run into in an actual kitchen. |
| How Difficult | 7 | The actual material wasn't that bad. Once you have the basics down it keeps building upon itself. One of the hardest parts was the attention to detail with the uniforms. Chef's must be clean shaven, with polished shoes and pressed coats. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The was one of the best things about Johnson and Wales program. From the very first day I was in a kitchen, cooking and learning. I did not have to take a bunch of core classes before getting into a kitchen. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | I followed the traditional schedule, so I am not familiar with evening and summer options. | |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | Every kitchen had ample room to accommodate the students in every class. Each class was also small enough to allow plenty of time for one-on-one attention from the instructor |
| Social Life | 7 | Social life was descent. I am not a very social individual though so I mostly kept to myself. |
| Placement Services | 10 | Due to the school's reputation and opportunities I received, I was promoted to Sous Chef at a fine dining steakhouse three months before I even graduated. |
| Alumni Network | 7 | I have fallen out of contact with the school and alumni, but this is not due to a lack of effort. I get an alumni magazine update in the mail every so often. |
Johnson & Wales University • Providence, RI
Studying Food Service Management (completion in 1997)
• 1/11/2012
"JWU was a great experience. I learned a lot from them, and the name has opened a lot of doors for me."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I'd recommend JWU in a heartbeat, but I'd also recommend saving some money by going to a smaller two year culinary school first, and then transferring to JWU after earning your Associate's degree. I went to the Academy of Culinary Arts at Atlantic Community College first, got an A.S. JWU accepted that degree, which allowed me to continue on to a B.S. without spending as much money as my peers, yet I have the same B.S. from the same university that they do. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | JWU is well known in the industry. It has a name that hospitality people know. |
| Program Quality | 10 | At the time, Johnson & Wales University was ranked #2 in the country below CIA. The campus is top notch even today. |
| Instruction | 10 | The instructors and teachers have real world experience, the chefs were masters in their fields. |
| How Difficult | 10 | I transferred in to JWU with a 2 year degree from a small culinary school in Mays Landing, NJ. I was accepted into their honors program and achieved a B.S. in 14 months instead of two years. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The culinary arts portion was almost 100% hands on, it had to be. The chefs worked closely with the students to ensure technique was correct. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | Classes were offered at all times to accommodate those who needed to work. I personally chose all afternoon classes, I wasn't working at the time but was able to sleep late every day with my classes taking place from noon to 5pm. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | For Culinary Arts majors, their kitchens are top notch with all the latest equipment, and there's enough of everything for all their students. Academic classes took place in their city campus and the buildings were new or renovated and all in nice areas. |
| Social Life | 8 | I made some of the best friends of my life, however JWU isn't the type of school with a major sports team or events such as those you'd find in a state school. |
| Placement Services | 10 | They held many job fairs with top notch companies. I was trying to get into a hotel chain at the time and they had every major hotel company present at their job fairs. From one of these job fairs I accepted a job with Hyatt, who moved me across the country to work in one of their hotels. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | While I receive and read their quarterly alumni magazine, I haven't utilized any of their services. I know they have meetings in the city where I live now. |
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