Preparing for Culinary, Travel and Hospitality School

If you are considering going to school for studies in culinary, travel and hospitality, your post-secondary planning process should begin as early as high school. Culinary, travel and hospitality programs can be competitive and rigorous; therefore, it's important to plan your high school courses accordingly. Because this field involves lots of interpersonal interaction, some of the classes that you will want to take are English, speech/communications, and math to ensure that you are well prepared for the schools that make your list. Business courses, languages, and computer and keyboarding skills are also beneficial for certain programs in this field.

If you are still in high school, and are thinking about going to school for culinary, travel and hospitality studies, there are several additional things that you can do to prepare and increase your chances of being accepted:

Undertake to read and study independently. This is a good way to develop interests, expand your knowledge and improve your vocabulary and reading comprehension skills needed for these specialized programs. This will also help you if admission requirements include an interview, since you will be able to impress the committee with the knowledge you have built up of terms and issues specific to this area of study.

Admissions committees are often interested in a student's prior experience in the field, which can be developed through participating in extracurricular or community activities. Consider joining or even starting school clubs, whether related to your area of interest or not, and explore clubs that may exist in your community. This is also a good way to develop demonstrated leadership skills, which are an important aspect of any competitive application.

Work on your work ethic. This is a fast-paced, high-volume field and work experience - paid or volunteer - can therefore increase your chances of being admitted and is an achievement often regarded highly by admissions committees.