Freshman in high school and College?

Question

What are some things I should be doing to get ready for College? I'd like to be a chef, but I'm not 100% positive yet. What are the pros and cons of this job, or anything else you know about the job? What would be this best school to go to create the dream of becoming a chef? Any help would be great! :]

Answer 1

If you can handle being in a town where mail is delivered without a street address (yes, its that small) I suggest Paul Smiths in upstate NY. Remote, yes. but it is one of the hidden gems in higher education. Small classes, very tight knit community, not a whole lot of social life within 50 miles, but their grads get jobs.

Answer 2

You should try for summer positions that will help you better understand what a chef does.  In HS, you would need chemistry (you need to know how foods interact) and often French or other foreign languages help, as good chefs often work in Europe for awhile.  

Chefs work long hours, and you start at the bottom!  Depending on how good you are, you can move up quickly--from pantry to sous chef to chef to executive chef (the one who creates new menus and oversees the kitchen).  

If you have any Career Pathways programs, concentrate in the Hospitality area if you have it.  That will help a lot.  There are both public schools (community colleges) that have good programs, as well as for-profit culinary institutes (that cost a LOT of money).  

Answer 3

If that is what you want, then you should go to a Culinary School rather than a University.

In the US, the best school is The Culinary Institute of America.  They actually do offer an Associate's degree, so you could go on for a four year degree if you want.

If you want to go into other areas of the Restaurant business, then there are a number of schools that offer bachelor's degrees in Hotel & Restaurant Administration.  Cornell, Michigan State and UNLV are the best schools for this.