How to Know What Kind of Student Culinary Art Colleges Are Looking For
When you are trying your hardest to be recognized and stand out from the other hundreds of applicants in consideration for a spot at one of the premier culinary art colleges, there are a few things you can do.
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When it comes to applying, good recommendations trump resumes. If you’re a passionate cook who has taken the time to research and apply for a top culinary arts school, you’ve probably also got a lengthy resume to back you. You must go through your resume and see what supervisors you can ask to supply you with a letter of recommendation. It doesn’t matter if you helped cater or you worked at a five-star restaurant; the more letters you can include with your application, the better. If your bosses ask you how they should go about recommending you, it’s a good idea to let them know that specifics are key. Have them recall any recipes you created or a certain flair you added to an existing dish. Ask them to recount your skills in the kitchen, if you were able to make complex entrees come together like clockwork under tight time constraints. It’s important that your letters of recommendation be detailed since culinary arts colleges aren’t interested in vague recommendations.
See what culinary art colleges typically look for.
If your letters wow them, they’ll want to call you in for an interview, either over the phone or in person. This is where your natural charisma comes through, and if you’re going to be a head culinary professional someday, you’re going to need all the charisma you can get. Once you get to your interview, use the same strategy you did in those letters. Be prepared to talk about yourself in detail rather than in generic terms. Of course, you don’t want to get too bogged down, but when they ask for your weaknesses, be sure you have something to tell them that’s more enlightening than a three word response.
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These are the two biggest things you can do to make yourself look as good as possible to the top culinary art colleges. Your skills and passion will carry you the rest of the way.
