US Aviation Academy (which I kinda work for) also has a pipeline program with American Eagle.

As for a 4 year degree, you will need one to get into the major airlines. A great way to get a bachelors is to go to an in state school (no idea where you are but there are many). They have good programs and low tuition. On top of that the financing is usually forgiving and scholarships are abundant.

My one piece of advice (as a senior in college) is to start studying for ACT or SAT now. Its your junior year, so you should be studying all summer and take the ACT or SAT at least twice. You can get huge scholarships this way; they are automatically added on based on your scores for many college.

A couple months of hard studying for the SAT can earn you an extra $10-20k in scholarship. That is WAY more than a part time job so its totally worth skipping work or working less to study.

A lot of people on here are of the opinion you should earn a degree in something other than aviation so you have a fall back plan. This is generally a good idea but as I just mentioned in another thread, you may want to take your aviation classes through a college if financing will be a problem.

As for being a CFI at a big school, they may pay less than some places. However, they often let you fly more hours. Since your goal is earning your hours quickly, a trade off in pay may well be worth the reduced time as a CFI.