<p>Daughter just looked at both programs and loved them both. She wants to get her degree in baking and Pastry. She is a strong academic student and loads of ECs. Any suggestions on which way to go?</p>
<p>No direct experience, but I recall a couple of CIA threads. You might want to try using the search function.</p>
<p>A friend of mine went to JWU in Denver and after nearly 2 years decided culinary was not the route for him. Unfortunate, though, because NONE of his credits transferred so he’s basically starting over 
next year. He did say, however, that the culinary instruction was amazing and that he learned a lot. While he was not interested in pastry, he is a fabulous cook and one of my favorites to invite to a BBQ. He’s developed some really quirky hobbies that stemmed from his time at JWU. I must caution, however, that illegal drugs are pretty mainstream among the chef crowd and that (if your daughter is unaware) she should be informed of what’s out there. Legend has it that famed chef Emeril Lagasse was kicked out of JWU for a cocaine problem.</p>
<p>On the other hand, I’ve worked at a country club since early 2005 and our executive chef was trained at CIA. He does amazing work and can be quite fun to work with. He comes up with very innovative dishes and speaks very fondly of his time at CIA. I’m kind of obsessed with Food Network, and one of their shows is called “Dinner Impossible.” It’s like a challenge for this one crazy chef to complete some kind of “make dinner for 1000 people in 5 hours” mission, and one of them was at CIA. From the looks of it, and after watching some of its students cook and its instructors judge, it seems like a pretty solid institution.</p>
<p>Also, the location of CIA in New York makes it a great place to learn culinary arts outside the classroom. New York has so many great restaurants that there are lots of opportunities for her to get some great “externships,” but cost of living is also really high. </p>
<p>Good luck to your daughter! Make sure she REALLY wants to do pastry before committing to a culinary school.</p>