# freshman in a culinary school, nervy



## tillie (Jan 29, 2004)

Hello. This is my first time posting here... hmm. 
I'm soon to be a freshman in college at Johnson and Wales University in Rhode Island for Culinary Arts. I am nervous because most of the income freshmen will be from trade schools, and I am not. Therefore I will be behind, I'm sure, and won't know as much as I'm probably expected to know. I am willing to work long hours. I am willing to work hard. But I'm nervous that I'll be behind from the start. Does anyone have any tips for a freshman Culinary Student... Books to read, cuts to practice, things to expect???  
Thanks!


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## suzanne (May 26, 2001)

Don't worry. For one thing, everyone will have to learn to do things *the way they are taught there*. So while they may have to UNlearn stuff first, you'll be fresh. :wink:

Don't be afraid to ask your instructors questions. Some of your classmates may hate you for it, but you're there to learn. This is just another part of working hard.

We have a couple of threads/stories here that you should have a look at. KateW has a thread right here on being a new student at J&W, so you should definitely find and read that. And if you go back to www.cheftalk.com (without the "cafe" in the middle), you'll get a part of the site that has a report by Logan Worley on his experiences as a culinary student, start to finish.

And remember that you can always ask us questions. I'm sure others will chime in with some good books you could read to get a head start. (If they don't, I will later.  )


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## katew (Feb 22, 2002)

Hi!
Suzanne mentioned me above--I'm currently a sophomore at JWU RI. I don't do the diary thing any more but you're welcome to PM me with any questions you have.
Only a handful of students in my freshman classes seemed to have any advanced capabilities or knowledge. Some will know more than you, some will know less than you. Nobody expects you to know anything. I was worried about this too. But basically they start you fresh. As Suzanne said, they want you to know things their way, so they start everyone out as if they had a clean slate, basically.
Beware of conflicting ideas from class to class. You kind of have to reteach yourself sometimes. One chef will tell you one way to make a consomme and another chef will tell you something different. Always go by what your current chef says. Be respectful, look good, sharpen your knives, all that good stuff.
Freshman have a different program now from what I went through. I heard you don't do any actual production for the dining room for the first few days. You learn techniques and then you go into making specific dishes. Correct me if I'm wrong. 
When are you starting?


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## chefbob (Oct 30, 2003)

hey Tillie, 
i was a student at JWU in providence from 98-2000 and if you need any insite feel free to contact me, my email is [email protected]. i also came like you from a non-trade school and i learned even more from the chefs.


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## chef from va (Nov 13, 2003)

i am not a student of J&W but i can tell you from my experience that many of the folks in your classes wont know as much as they think they do. like suzanne said alot of them might need to UNLEARN a few things, also NEVER BE AFRAID TO ASK!! that is one of the best peices of advice i have heard. you never know what you will learn if you ask but you dont learn anything if you just keep it in and dont ask. on a different subject you have found an awesome resource. i just found this forum in november of last year and i have learned so much from these boards its great. i come on almost every night. btw if there is anything you need any help with everyone here seems to be more than willing to assist with your questions and they seem to be very willing to hear your input on matters. have fun at J&W (good luck too). have fun on the boards. and if you need anything DONT BE AFRAID TO ASK.


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## chefashley (Dec 18, 2004)

HI, I AM ONLY A FRESHMAN IN HIGH SCHOOL, BUT I AM REALLY SERIOUS THAT I WANT T BECOME A CHEF. I WAS WONDERING IF YOU GUYS COULD TELL ME ANYTHING THAT I SHOULD KNOW? LIKE WHAT BOOKS TO READ, OR WHAT SITES TO CHECK OUT? STUFF LIKE THAT. I REALLY WANT TO GO TO JOHNSON AND WHALES, AND SO I AM WORKING REALLY HARD IN SCHOOL, SO THAT WHEN I AM A JUNIOR I CAN GO TO BOCES FOR COOKING CLASSES. :chef: 
I AM REALLY SERIOUS, AND I NEED TO KNOW SOME WAYS TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE TAKE ME SERIOULSY. 

THANKS SO MUCH :bounce:


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## tytitan (Apr 6, 2004)

I read Making of a Pastry Chef before I really decided to attend school.
So yeah check out the "Making of..." series it'll lead you to more books of interest.


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## chef from va (Nov 13, 2003)

someone recomended "becoming a chef" to me unfortunately i have not had time to read it. i highly recomend Anthony Bourdain's "Kitchen Confidential, adventures in the cullinary underbelly". Also look into the American Cullinary Federations website. if you can find a nearby chapter totalk to they can be a great resourse. personaly i have found the Virginia Chefs Assosiation tobe a wealth of knowladge (they are my local chpt. of the acf).


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