Culinary Institute of America Top Questions

The most frustrating thing about school would be time management, you really need to know how to manage your time well or you will struggle a lot. Also if you put everything off for the last minute , that doesn't go over very well here. The chefs can tell if you actually put effort and heart into what you made or what ever it is that you are doing. You are expected to be the best, you are expected to be professional at all times, which for some people that havn't fully matured, it can be hard for them.

At times the Chefs/Professors forget that they are stil supposed to be teaching. At a certain level they expect you to know the information/technique. Sometimes you only get assigned a task once and never do it again. It's hard to imporve in areas if you are not assigned that particular task in a class, and the Chefs still expect you to be able to do it.

The tuition and trying to stay enrolled based on financial reasons

The most frustrating thing about my school would be the meal plan. I don't think that my school serves enough diverse food for the students, and I also think that they need to allow meal swipes on the weekends. Students who don't have extra meal swipes can't buy food on campus on the weekends. It becomes difficult for student who don't have extra money or don't have a car to drive off campus.

It is a workplace enviroment, so the most frustrating thins are generlly the same: people with diffrent work ethics, large work loads in a sort time frame, and working with some many chefs and instrutore with varying rules and expectations.

i think the most frustrating thing would be some of the class scheduals.

The most frustrating thing about school is definatly time management. through all of the classes we take making time for homework and school activities is an absolute problem. Always make time for your studies first. Once they are completed, get involved

In all honesty the most frustrating thing about the CIA is the attendance policy; while it makes since if you are not in class you can't earn a grade, this often leads to students attending class when sick, indangering others.

The most frustrating thing about my school would have to be that the classes are so short, as soon as you get to know your professor you are advancing to the next level.

The most frustrating thing is about how rude the students and professors can sometimes be.

The most frustrating thing about my school is the limited transportation they provide. I often find myself bored on the weekends. Also I find my dorm bathrooms disgusting.

I'm in the bachelors program, and sometimes I feel like the classes are worthless......Like i'm not learning anything. Others are really good though.

I would have to say the tuition, and the confusing grants. Most of the school grants are only for either a semester or a year, they however, will not tell you this until after you start.

It is very frustrating that the curriculum goes so fast. I think The Culinary Institute of America is known for being the best culinary school, yet we don't have simple classes you would expect, like a course dedicated to cheese, for example. I would like to know everything about anything food related, and frankly, I dont.

The most frustrating aspect of The Culinary Institute of America is the portion of the student population who believes that they can achieve success in the hospitality industry by coasting through, or settling for average. This is an industry that relies onthe efforts and hard work of individuals who care deeply about food and cooking. Graduation should not be the endpoint at the CIA, or any university. Dedicating yourself completely to a culinary education is just the first step in a lifelong educational process. It is frustrating that a portion of students don't understand that.

no meals on the weekends, lack of baking and pastry specialization, tuition costs

The people

Time management skills seem to grow with time. Getting really good grades seems to be sacrificed if you want a booming social life. When you first start you tend to pick the extremes, but as time goes on it becomes easier to handle both.

I feel, at times, that I am not recieving the most help I need when it comes to finding financial aid or assistance in other areas. I feel that administrators are very hard to get a hold of or even locate sometimes.

It is very boring on the weekends, and the school is out in the middle of nowhere, so its hard to get off campus if you dont have a car. It is also frusterating that we do not have a weekend meal plan. Sometimes the classes can get very large, which makes it hard to get one on one time with chef or to get good feedback.

I will say in my case the most frustrating thinga about my school was financial aid. I was accepted to the school when I was 17, had to work 2 jobs to save $4,000 so I could attend school two years later at $2,000 a month payments. I figured I would pay the first two months and after that I would just have to trust that they will keep me at the school based on my good grades. It worked, but it was so frustrating being one of the students who couldnt afford school. Have a financial plan.

The most frustrating thing about this school is the tuition. My father and mother earned $2,000 less than last year and I am rewarded with $5,000 less in scholarship money from The Culinary Institute of America. The scholarships that I earned last year on merit have been removed. I am quite upset over that.

Unclear directions with one class - Computers in the Food Business. The teacher will assign something and give no true, clear directions. Then, when you present your findings to her, she says that's not what she was looking for. In that case, what in the world are we supposed to be looking for?

The people who work at the Bursar's office and financial aid office.

Ditto. (See above answer)