First of all…CIA is a great school I toured there once when I was in HS (i went to school in NY) at the time I was considering being a chef and my hs cooking class took a field trip there. Te school is wonderful, but grueling. From what i remember about the tour the campus is huge but very state of the art. They are VERY strict about attendance and conduct. The simplest things can get you expelled (so be good.lol) The instructors are TOP professionals in their fields with real experience, so bobby from burger world need not apply.lol. They are also VERY competitive for admission, so you must be an A++ student, you are not only competing with other HS students but culinary professionals seeking admittance. The students on campus seem very friendly but the instructors take their courses VERY seriously. One instructor was upset because our guide allowed us to look in the windows into his kitchen (which is the classroom)and a few students were distracted. The food on campus is great though. YUM. I wouldnt mind going back for the food. I didnt become a chef, probably because I saw how hard the orkload was at CIA and at the time I was a bit of a HS slacker. lol.

Good luck…if youre truly dedicated this is definitely the school to try for…( a few cooking shows that you see on tv are actually filmed in the school btw)

oops forgot to mention: as for clothes, everyone i saw had on chef uniform (checkered pants, white jacket w/your name, chef hat) if youre in class you wear uniform. Everyone on campus was extra friendly too. lots of students were eager to show us around when we were allowed to just roam the school fr about an hour. A few hot guys on campus that can cook too (always a bonus.) lol. YOu’ll love it there.

http://www.ciachef.edu/

http://www.ciachef.edu/california/

http://www.collegesurfing.com/ce/cia/index.htm