Is Johnson & Wales worth it?

October 18, 2009 8:54 AM

I'm thinking of going to culinary school for baking and pastry. Right now Johnson & Wales in RI is the front runner. My question: is JWU worth it, or should I be looking elsewhere?

I live in "upstate" NY - I'm a little more than an hour north of NYC, and about an hour south of the CIA.

I really like what I've read on the J&W website, and plan to go visit the school sometime in the next few months. However, I'm having some trouble finding outside sources talking about the school or the program!

And the few that I've found (mostly on ask.meta) seem to be in regards to the culinary program, not the baking and pastry program.

So, did you go to J&W for baking and pastry? Do you know someone who did? (In a pinch, I'll take info on the culinary program, too.)

Or would you recommend a different school? Let's assume that location, as long as it is within the states, is not an issue.

I would prefer a program that will lead to a bachelors, a program that is not primarily filled with just out of high school kids, and the best bang for my buck. I'm willing to shell out the dough, but only if it will be worth it!

(Please note: I'm not asking if culinary school is a good idea/bad idea/waste of money/whatever. I'm just asking about the schools!)

Thanks!

posted by firei to Food & Drink (4 answers total)

I graduated from J&W in 1988, back when it was still Johnson and Wales College. I graduated from their now non-existent Charleston, SC campus, but spent the last three months of school at the Providence campus doing the required practicum. While I was in the Culinary program, I spent some time with people in the Baking and Pastry Arts program.

I do recall that overall, they generally seemed pretty happy with the program. I think the Baking and Pastry program was fairly new at that time, and I recall their facilities being pretty state of the art (at least from what I saw of them). Over the years, I've run into a few graduates of that program in various hotel jobs, or met them through the general socializing that restaurant folks do. I never heard any real complaints about the program, and the people I met who had graduated from it seemed to have fairly decent jobs in the industry.

As for the high school kids thing - again, I graduated over 20 years ago, so things may be a bit different now, but I was considered an 'old man' at age 22 when I started the program. The vast majority of my peers were straight out of high school. My memory maybe be faulty, but if there were 200 people in my class, maybe 10 of them were of legal drinking age (21).

As for other schools - I've heard good things about NECI, and actually looked at going there instead of J&W, but I needed to live somewhere where I could work while in school, and I didn't see that being much of a possibility in Montpelier. The people I've worked with who graduated from NECI were gung-ho for it, and I think that over all, they got a more practical education than I got at J&W.
posted by ralan at 10:03 AM on October 18, 2009

Response by poster: Thanks, Ralan, I appreciate your input!

I was looking at NECI, but I also need to work while in school, so I've nixed it for the same reasons.
posted by firei at 5:47 AM on October 19, 2009

I work at JWU, albeit in the IT department. (I went to college elsewhere, and for English at that.) So consider that my disclaimer.

Since ralan graduated I *believe* that the program's been changed a little: no longer is an Associate's degree granted after Sophomore year, for example. The emphasis on practical experience is still there, and a new building called the Center for Culinary Excellence [a rather "Iron Chef Kitchen Stadiium"-sounding name if you ask me] is due to open up Real Soon Now -- and it looks pretty sweet from outside the construction zone fencing. So JWU is certianly committed to the program.

Yes, a lot of the students are right out of high school, but not all. It's a college, you know? The continuing education program is big, but I can't say whether or not that includes culinary classes. (Call the toll-free number and ask someone from Admissions. It's why they're there! :7)

There's some web sites local to Providence that I know like to slag off the administration/campus/town/whatever, but college kids always denounce their school. (Until they graduate, and then they get all misty-eyed about it...until the Development Office starts asking for money.) Have you tried asking on ChowHound for firsthand experiences?
posted by wenestvedt at 9:30 AM on October 19, 2009

Response by poster: I didn't post on ChowHound, actually - great idea! Thanks wenestvedt.
posted by firei at 4:03 PM on October 19, 2009 [1 favorite]