The Culinary Institute of Virginia (ECPI) is a complete waste of money and a total rip-off. If you are thinking about pursuing an "education" there - don't. You'll make more money and have a brighter future taking a job at a Chic Fila (and have zero debt) than you will with a "degree" from CIV.
Many of the classrooms are chaotic, and non-conducive to adult education. We experienced problems with multiple instructors who were verbally abusive, yelled at students and demeaned them publicly, and were generally unable to foster learning friendly environments.
Several of the instructors were ill prepared to manage the electronic posting and submission of assignments, and refused to give credit when electronically submitted assignments were corrupted by the website or lost.
The local "employers" attending the CIV sponsored job fairs refused to offer anything other than part time work which paid $8 an hour or less to graduates and externs.
My wife had an emergency medical situation on the Norfolk campus which forced her to take medications that made it unsafe for her to drive and was later accused of "skipping class" and "throwing her fellow students under a bus" by the instructor."
There were security and safety issues on the Newport News Campus where students threatened or accosted other students but were not handled adequately and the perpetrators are not held responsible.
CIV is a for profit business that delivers poor customer service, and a negative overall return on investment to its paying clients. If you are seeking a degree in the culinary arts, it is our opinion you would be much better served spending your hard earned money somewhere elsewhere.
22 months and over 10K in debt later: Putting my wife through CIV is one of the worst decisions we ever made and have to spend the next 20 years paying off :(
All USA
The Culinary Institute of Virginia (ECPI) is a complete waste of money and a total rip-off. If you are thinking about pursuing an "education" there - don't. You'll make more money and have a brighter future taking a job at a Chic Fila (and have zero debt) than you will with a "degree" from CIV. Many of the classrooms are chaotic, and non-conducive to adult education. We experienced problems with multiple instructors who were verbally abusive, yelled at students and demeaned them publicly, and were generally unable to foster learning friendly environments. Several of the instructors were ill prepared to manage the electronic posting and submission of assignments, and refused to give credit when electronically submitted assignments were corrupted by the website or lost. The local "employers" attending the CIV sponsored job fairs refused to offer anything other than part time work which paid $8 an hour or less to graduates and externs. My wife had an emergency medical situation on the Norfolk campus which forced her to take medications that made it unsafe for her to drive and was later accused of "skipping class" and "throwing her fellow students under a bus" by the instructor." There were security and safety issues on the Newport News Campus where students threatened or accosted other students but were not handled adequately and the perpetrators are not held responsible. CIV is a for profit business that delivers poor customer service, and a negative overall return on investment to its paying clients. If you are seeking a degree in the culinary arts, it is our opinion you would be much better served spending your hard earned money somewhere elsewhere. 22 months and over 10K in debt later: Putting my wife through CIV is one of the worst decisions we ever made and have to spend the next 20 years paying off :(