# Becoming a Pastry chef and/or pursuing a degree in food science. schools decisions....



## spaz89 (Apr 18, 2014)

I'm wondering is this is at all possible. I was trying to enroll in the baking and pastry arts program at the cia in greystone but despite my financial aid and government loans I cannot afford/ can't find a trust worthy co-signer to pay the whole tuition. My plan was to get their aos of baking and pastry arts then transfer to the hyde park campus to do their food science B.A. but if i cannot even afford the aos I doubt that this is a possibility for me(for now anyway). So now I am thinking of alternatives. I was looking into Los Angeles Trade Tech and then thinking that if I took some extra classes and completed the program I could transfer into the Cal Poly Food Science program, I think they even have agreements with them for transferring students.

I have always worked front of house for bakeries and Restaurants , since i was 17 and i'm 25 now, and I have often gotten peaks and glimpses, I've even gotten to help on some projects along side the chefs. I bake at home all the time and I know this is something I want to do, at the same time I've always been good at science, I got good grades in all my classes including passing ap tests in high school. I did one semester at a community college. I did well in My science and math classes and those are skills I want to develop as well, I think There may be something I can accomplish have both the aos in pastry arts and the b.a. in food science. I just wonder if The path I'm hoping to take is a good one? should I wait to see if i can eventually qualify for a loan and get the b.a. from c.i.a? I just think that will be the more expensive path. any advice and input would be greatly appreciated.


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## kuan (Jun 11, 2001)

Consider this advice from a person who hires food scientists and engineers.

1)  Your FS degree should be a BS, not a BA.

2)  Get your FS degree from a school with known track record in FS.

3)  A BS in FS will limit your potential to smaller companies and technician work in large companies.

4)  A BS in FS plus an AA in culinary arts will get you into a scientist position but limit the career track in that you will not have technical skills to move forward in a scientific management position.

5)  Recruiters from large companies recruit from very few schools. Ten perhaps.  Yes you can get in some other way but chances are you will not get an internship at Kellogg with a BS from Sacramento State.   UC Davis OTOH will have recruiters coming to your school


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