Interesting you say that. I've been gunning for the big airline in the southeast since I was a kid. Both parents worked there and it was always my dream. All pilots that I was around my whole life gave me the exact same advice of not doing aviation universities and getting a separate degree. Don't worry about GPA because they just wanted a four year degree. So I chose a state school and did political science of all things which is rather difficult. Because of that my GPA is not good either. Fast forward to now and despite being a legacy (which they have done away with that helping you), a CA at a regional, and volunteer time, I'm basically struggling to even be in the middle of the pack because they view aviation universities and GPA as the holy grail. Who knew?