# Questions About Garnish Your Degree



## ahk88 (Jul 23, 2010)

Hello,

I am currently a college senior about to finish a BS business degree. Unfortunately, I have no aspirations of sitting behind a desk for 40 hours a week. I have done 2 internships for my school, one for a catering company, which I loved, and one for a standard business (had my own office and everything), which I absolutely despised. It's just not for me.

What I do love, is cooking. Besides the catering company I interned for, I currently work as a line cook for a small local seafood and burger joint, and have worked as a prep cook and line cook for an actual sit down restaurant (gulf coast themed, Mexican, BBQ and seafood). I love(d) all of these jobs. I have a decent background in working in the food service industry, so I know about the fast paced and stressful work environment. 

I am interested in anyone who has encountered the same dilemma as I am now, and esspecially anyone who has participated in either the garnish your degree or advanced standing programs at Johnson and Wales. I qualify for both, but advanced standing cuts out some labs and adds some regular academic classes, which I don't need...would rather spend more time in the kitchen.

If anyone that has been through these programs could guide me the right way, or just let me know what they thought of the program and the experiences they had with it, I would be much obliged. I'm interested in if they thought the program was worth it, and where it has led them now.

Thank you all very much. 

Oh, if anyone is interested, my eventual goal would be to open my own own business as a small local caterer/personal chef.


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## greg (Dec 8, 1999)

I went through the advanced standing program. At that time, the volume cooking lab was cut out. Meat-cutting and storeroom (product ID class) were merged into one lab rotation. The academic classes were pathetically easy. So, with your line cooking experience, missing out on volume cooking shouldn't be a problem. If you think you could use more time on meat fabrication and product ID, stay away from advanced standing.


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