"The Experience"
Culinary and Food Service Degrees: A Full Menu
Author: petersons, Category: College Search
How far do you want to go in the food service industry? It’s an important question to ask yourself since your goals should dictate the type of program you attend. Food service, cooking, and management programs run the gamut from certificate programs to doctoral degrees. Whether you want to manage a local coffee bar or oversee the dietary needs of a nursing home population, the education you need is out there.
There are no free lunches
If you love to slice, dice, and sauté, the best way to get cookin’ on the chef route is by attending a culinary school. Though it may be true that many top chefs never went to cooking school, don’t count on getting to the top without it. There are lots of good cooks, just as there are lots of talented musicians, but not everybody gets to be Emeril or the Rolling Stones. Read the rest of this entry »
All About Institutional Food Management
Author: petersons, Category: College Search
Not too long ago, a relative of mine headed over to the Middle East to help set up a command center for operations in Iraq. Upon his return to the United States, one of the things he was most impressed by was the quality of food provided to the soldiers he encountered while he was over there. In spite of rugged living conditions where he was (which was outside of Iraq), the soldiers were fed high-quality, often gourmet meals three times a day — undoubtedly a welcome benefit at a time when luxuries and comfort were hard to come by. Read the rest of this entry »
The Dish on Restaurant Management
Author: petersons, Category: College Search
If you’ve ever enjoyed a fine meal in an elegant restaurant where every detail was perfect — the food, the service, the décor, the ambience — you can probably thank the behind-the-scenes manager. Or, in some restaurants, the manager may actually thank you!
Quality management means quality service
Eating can mean many things to many people, and what they want from a dining experience dictates where they eat when they eat out: fast food, themed buffets, dinner theaters, or haute cuisine. They may all be different, but they also have one thing in common — management. You’ve probably been in a place where the management was either very good or very bad and if you’re like most people, the quality of your experience did not go unnoticed. Read the rest of this entry »
A Hot Career: Culinary Arts
Author: petersons, Category: College Search
The roar of the crowd, the smell of the air, the bright lights of the cameras. With your charming personality, coy good looks, and world-renowned flair with a whisk and a designer mixing bowl, you step out to greet your adoring audience. Reflecting back on the path to your dream, you know you did not achieve your success by gourmet brownies alone.
Perhaps this seems a bit out of touch with your more realistic goal of becoming a chef, but even the most famous cooks on television acquired their skills and their success through education and experience. The path they took may have varied a little from the one you’ll take, but the basics were probably the same. Read the rest of this entry »
Design a Career in Fashion
Author: petersons, Category: College Search
Ready, set, style! If you’re one of those people who haunts the retail clothing stores, has a closet bursting with the latest styles, and who can’t resist offering wardrobe advice, a career in fashion design may be right up your alley. If you’ve got creativity, perseverance, and an artistic flair to boot, you’re on your way.
However, if you’re hoping to achieve status as a “fashion diva,” then you’ll need to work hard to establish a reputation and a clientele for your designs, as the market for designer fashion is competitive and fast-paced — but achievable if you’ve got what it takes! For those who reach the apex of this industry, the rewards can be phenomenal. Read the rest of this entry »
Choosing a Career College
Author: petersons, Category: College Search
If you’re scouting for a career college, it’s best to avoid pulling out the yellow pages and seeing where your finger lands. A career college isn’t for the vagabond type. It’s a path to your future goals and you should use care in choosing one. If your plans for the future are vague and you want to take a few classes before deciding on a course of study, a career college isn’t the place to do it. There’s not as much wiggle room for mistakes as there would be in a traditional university. Read the rest of this entry »
Career Colleges: The Right Choice for You?
Author: petersons, Category: College Search
Not the four-year-college type? Are you are looking to update your skills in a particular field of study? Perhaps you should check out the opportunities that career colleges have to offer.
What is a career college?
Thousands of students enroll in career colleges (also known as technical or vocational schools) every year. Essentially, a career college is a private or public institution that offers a range of certifications and degrees in a variety of career-specific fields. Depending on the type of career you’re interested in and the school you select, you can earn a certificate, a diploma, or a two- or four-year degree. Read the rest of this entry »
Federal Aid for Online Learning Programs
Author: petersons, Category: College Search
Pursuing a certificate or degree can cost a lot of money, but it’s usually money well spent. On average, people with undergraduate and graduate degrees make more money than those without them. However, if a college diploma passed you by while life took over, getting back into school may seem like an insurmountable task — especially when you consider the costs involved.
How do you do it? Most adult students tackle this problem by balancing a job, a family, and personal obligations with part-time college classes funded wholly or in part with federal student aid. And thanks to computer technology and changing regulations, many of them are able to attend classes via the Internet without ever having to leave the house. Read the rest of this entry »
College at a Distance
Author: petersons, Category: College Search
You chat with friends online. You study online. You game online. Could you actually go to school online?
It’s definitely something to think about.
Not so long ago, images of old brick buildings dominated our concept of a college campus. That’s now changing, and fast. As schools take advantage of technology, the classroom is becoming a much larger domain — one that extends well beyond a single building. Read the rest of this entry »
Applying to Professional Colleges for Art and Music
Author: petersons, Category: College Search
Applying to a school such as Juilliard requires a different competitive edge than applying to one like Harvard, because the goal of selective art and music colleges is to admit students with extraordinary talent. It won’t matter if you have a stellar academic record — if you don’t stand out in the fine arts, you won’t make it in.
Examine the evidence
To start, your application essay probably won’t be the thing that sways the admission committee. Most professional art and music colleges require evidence of your talent, skill, or ability. Thus, you should expect to provide that proof via an audition or a portfolio of your best work.
Check each school’s requirements carefully, as each one may have different requirements. For example, they may accept only a certain amount of submitted artwork, or you may be able to send in a videotape in lieu of a live audition. Make sure you know what’s expected and prepare accordingly.
Read the rest of this entry »