Now, you have to be sure you are in the place where you want to in order to be the kind of chef you desire, for that is necessary to think about some factors, such as:
 Degrees and certification:
Studying carefully the academic programs giving by schools to find out in which one you fit best your goals. There are different alternatives; one school could offer Associate and Bachelor's Degree programs, while another one could be just a diploma or certificate courses. Some of them offer externship programs where you will be able to make real world contact improving your skills.
Curriculum:
Describe the actual courses in the program. This should be the most important fact for your decision because you have to be sure that they offer classes that cover the key and basics topics of cooking for the real world, such as:
 Starches & Baking
Fruits & Vegetables
Salads & Dressings
Stocks & Sauces
Wet & Dry Heat Cooking
Meats & Fish
Working with Knives
Poultry and Safety
Some important information you should consider is the size and format of the classes, it means, not a big place with to much individuals otherwise, a place where the environment is the right one for you giving you the chance to participate and not only looking at the instructor.
Also, the school should offers other courses and more classes like: Wines, Pastries, Nutrition, Management, Business, etc. all this is up to how much you are able to pay for.
Instructor and Accreditation:
This may be the most important factor: The accreditation of the school. An accredited school is examined by a third part to determine the working service and operation order. All about curriculum, faculty and schools facilities are carefully reviewed.
Job placement:
Nowadays, most of the culinary schools offer job placement for their students. Try to determine if your school offers this and find out the details of this kind of program, and be sure it has good contacts in the industry.
Location:
Cooking schools are coming into all over the places and the chances to find one is not too far away from home. If you want to stay close to home be sure this will be a limited choice, otherwise let the world be your limit!
Tuition:
The tuition costs of cooking schools range from a three hundred dollars per course at local community colleges to thousands of dollars per year at prestigious and highly specialized schools. Remember that this will not be the only expenses, also you have to consider:
Travel expenses
Books and cooking supplies, including uniforms
Application fees
Room and board (inside or outside the school)
Depending on what you will choose, you should expect your annual cooking school expenses to fall within these ranges:
Public University: $3,000 to $18,000.
Cooking Institute: $7,000 to $36,000.
Community College: $2,000 to $5,000.
Private University: $14,000 to $45,000.
Costs and financial aid:
Grants and loans could help you with the savings and scholarships you may have. First, check out in your school if you qualify for any aid programs. Financial aid funds can come from federal, state, institutional or private sources. Students must apply for financial aid and prove their eligibility.
Entry requirements:
This factor is important at the time to choose one school for you. Sometimes the requirements for entrance are from the basic ones until some degrees or specialities required, but the most important is to have the desire to learn.
Length of program and class schedule:
The shorter the course length, the less prepares you for an entry-level culinary position. For example, a Bachelor degree would prepare you for a management position.
Each cooking school offers different kinds of programs with different lengths, ranging from a few months to 4 or 5 years. Sometimes, the cooking arts associate degree would take from 9 months to 2 years or the Bachelor degree in culinary arts generally takes 3 years.
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