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 Seattle Central, South Puget Sound Community College, South Seattle Community College, and Clark.
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 Bates, South Seattle Community College, Renton Technical College, and Seattle Central.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Clover Park Technical College, Renton Technical College, Walla Walla Community College, and Skagit Valley College.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Walla Walla Community College.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Skagit Valley College and Edmonds Community College.
Spotlight Schools Search
Spotlight Washington Schools Related to This Career
- Locations: Seattle
- Programs: 12 relevant programs; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Associate, Bachelor, Certificate, Diploma
Le Cordon Bleu Schools North America
- Locations: Seattle
- Programs: 10 relevant programs; click the school name for details.
- Degrees: Associate, Certificate, Diploma
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Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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South Seattle Community College • Seattle, WA
Studying Culinary Arts And Restaurant Management (completion in 2003)
• 9/23/2011
"I am satisfied with my school, SSCC. I feel like I received enough hands-on training in a variety of fields. However, I'm not "very satisfied" due to the lack of more specialized areas of cooking. In my opinion, the school should also assist more with job placement."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Yes, in the Seattle area, this school is one of the best. The environment that you are in, which can be very stressful, sets you up for future work, and gives you the experience you need to be on your own in this field. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | South Seattle CC, despite being a community college, is one of the most highly rated culinary arts schools in the Seattle area, more so than the Seattle Art Institute. During my time there, I was introduced to several people who switched to the school from others due to the cost and lack of actual hands-on education. |
| Program Quality | 7 | South Seattle CC was very accommodating in the Culinary Arts program, and gave its students opportunities to cook for its restaurants, pastry shop, short order breakfast, and cafeteria. The school definitely "catered" to the culinary program. |
| Instruction | 6 | The teachers were knowledgeable and experienced in the industry. Some of the teachers were exceptional and kind, while others were temperamental. Very few were lacking in the skills to teach. |
| How Difficult | 8 | This was a full time job. South Seattle starts it's C.A. program as early as 6:30 AM and, depending on the classes, went until 4:30 PM. It was packed every day, running around, prepping food, cooking food, packaging food, etc. In addition, students were constantly being tested in food sanitation and cooking procedure knowledge. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Most of the learning at school was hands-on. Every day started out with a Theory class that was book learning, but that was 1 hour worth of class time, compared to 5-6 hours of hands-on time in the kitchen, pastry kitchen, or restaurant. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 1 | This program was a do or die program. The hours were set Mon-Fri, each "station" had set days/times, and this were not negotiable. Only the traditional college classes, such as English, Math, etc, were available as evening or online classes. The only exception was that the school ran all year long, so summer quarter remained busy. Also, any students who missed two or more days in a two week period failed their station/credit-period. There was no getting around this. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | Teachers were always available to answer questions, either via email, in the class rooms, over the phone. There were classrooms and quiet areas that students could retreat to for study. Students were encouraged to take advantage of all of these things. |
| Social Life | 5 | I was very focused on the program and did not participate in many school activities, but since SSCC is a community college, they did not focus on athletics or parties, although these were offered. Social events were limited to the group or study a person was participating in. |
| Placement Services | 3 | This is one area in which I wish that SSCC had helped more. They really did not offer any job placement assistance, but did not have any problem giving references to students. |
| Alumni Network | 3 | I did not participate with the alumni network, nor was it really emphasized. I know they did have a network for students, but it was neither advertised nor encouraged. |
Indian Heritage • Seattle, WA
Studying Basic (completion in 1995)
• 12/9/2011
"The school provided a way to make more than minimum wage and to start a career, instead of just a job."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | If the school that I attended was still open, of course I would recommend it. |
| Program Reputation | Not open now. | |
| Program Quality | 10 | Very professional and worth the time. |
| Instruction | 10 | The instructors explained things very well, and confidence was instilled in all of the students. |
| How Difficult | 5 | As with everything, there are good days and bad days. Incorporation is key in cooking. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | We were exposed to many different learning styles. The program was a quick course to help inner-city kids have a chance at a career. The public schools just don't cut it for most. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | There were a lot of low-income students, and they had to revolve their school schedule around the reality of money. |
| Academic Facilities | 1 | Very small building with very limited resources. |
| Social Life | The experience was different for each individual student. | |
| Placement Services | 5 | The school did not provide much job placement for its students. |
| Alumni Network | 6 | The school is very accredited with the local community, dealing with a lot of low-income students. |
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