Have you been? Have you ever lived there? Would you EVER recommend going to school there?

I live about an hour away, so I've been here many times. Montpelier is a small, fun city with a alternative lifestyle vibe. There are a handful of good restaurants, some funky (but pricey) shops, and is a mix of the tie die & dreads crowd, and the hiking/skiing crowd. It would be a good place for someone who is into the outdoors, can deal with lots of cold weather, and has a liberal slant on life. It is SMALL, and can be explored from one end to the other in an hour at most. However, it's big sister, Burlington is about 45 minutes away, and Montreal, one of the world's great cities, is about 2 hours. It's a very beautiful part of the country, but very rural once you leave the city.

Don't forget Hanover NH/Dartmouth is within an hour in the other direction. I live in NH but think of VT as more rural and also more artsy. I think there are a surprising number of people who run small businesses in the state. One time we visited Cider Hill Farm where Sarah Milek grows wonderful plants and her husband paints beautiful pictures. Way out on a dirt road.
My niece looked at a couple of very small VT college but ended up choosing a small school near Portland ME. Very small town and didn't get to Portland very much. It really depends on the school. If it's the right school and you are busy with studies, it doesn't matter where you are ... well, don't forget good coat, boots, etc.

I live near and work in Montpelier. I think zootsi gave a good summary of the pros and cons except that I would add that there is a surprisingly good arts scene for such a small city. Montpelier has an excellent classical music series, other good music, an amazing independent movie theater, a very good local theater company. there are more good places for young adults to hang out than there were about 5 years ago

What school?

NECI

That's what I assumed. I really only know it by its bakery and restaurants and catering events but I think it is a good program. There seems to be a big age range for the students which is not surprising.

I'm not concerned about my age. I'm not 80.

I may wind up in California. I'm not sure.

On my one and only visit to Montpelier, probably about 12 years ago, we ate at the restaurant run by the NECI...very charming, good food and nice experience! The proximity of the town to the rest of the East Coast would be very appealing to me...we lived in California for over five years and it's so big and isolated...a completely different (almost "opposite"--HA) experience.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

thanks musicfan. In another post I asked about cooking schools and got varied responses. The schools are expensive, the loans will be high, but it would be fun. The outcome, though is the catch. Not many people make a lot of money coming out of cooking school. For me, it is something to do. I have no idea what to do afterwards, but for right now, I would like to. The only thing, in 3 years, when I have a higher debt, making $14 an hour, I'll be wondering, why did I go to cooking school...? Its a quandry. The schools are kind of doing a full court press on people to go. They are giving grants and waiving fees just because of the compressing economy. I am going to think so more on it. Thanks very much.

Small town vs larger town....snow vs sun....both are leaps of faith.

I received an acceptance from Vermont, but it strikes me as odd. During many of the conversations and emails that I've had with them, they didn't mention needing a laptop until I received the acceptance in the mail. I have access to a laptop, but I don't own one. I'm really have a not so great feeling about it. Also, they have continued to have a great deal of difficulty with their emails. I doubt I'll go to Vermont.

Have you talked to any current students or recent alumni? Maybe you should post on Chowhound since some of the hounds are professional chefs. If considering a career in food, they might have good advice.
The administration might be mediocre but the teachers might be great.