I totally disagree. I went to a State College to obtain my aviation degree and ratings and it was the best experience of my life. Not only did I learn things in college I would have never learned at some "specialty school" but I learned life experience as well. I worked my butt off going to college full time and working full time to support myself and pay for my tuition and ratings. Not only did I graduate in 2 years instead of four but I now have all my ratings including CFI, CFII, and MEI and I am debt free. I instructed for a year and now I am getting ready to apply at a regional that I highly respect and have a good relationship with through networking and a little hard work. I just wanted to give you an example of how it is possible to work hard to get where you want and not take out $100+ in loans.