Questions and questions
There is a huge difference in sound attenuation between the non powered headsets and noise cancelling modrls. DC has great customer service. Their standard model is certainly less expensive. I was given a 10 year old used one, and sent it in to be refurbished, using it for a year before buying a Bose. The DC is now a spare in the back. The noise cancelling keeps my mind a little fresher during the day. The whiz wheel E6B helps you understand what you are calculating, rather than providing a number, like an electronic model. They aren’t quite as accurate as an electric one, but still work just fine for your purposes.
Foreflight is the standard for an EFB. I used an iPad mini on my lap and being right handed, a kneeboard on my right leg. I believe it is very poor form for an instructor not use one to write weather, taxi clearances, frequencies, headings and etc, as it teaches the students that it is good enough to just to try remember it, and it is not. The law of primacy is so important as a student will model the instructor’s habits and behavior. I wrote the ATIS and copied the exact same taxi clearances down every day, day after day, to set the example for my students. I didn’t need to do so, but I did so as I wanted to ingrain the habit in them. Sporty’s sells a military style model that has a raised writing platform and a spring to hold a pencil at the ready. The lighted model is not needed. Don’t fall for buying the fancy folding stainless and cordura ones with iPad mounting. They are pretty cumbersome and not nearly as utilitarian as the military style.
Don’t get zoned in on staying at one school. You already have a four year degree. Just concentrate on getting the best education and being better than average. Be strategic and be prepared to change schools as your needs change. Keep in mind all schools, even colleges are businesses and they do not put the student’s needs above their own, as it is just a business.
Perhaps an institute of higher education may not the best choice for you. Go visit several, talk to the students, talk to the instructors, be skeptical and remember you are the employer, so interview them as if you were going to hire them for your business. After all, you ARE going to hire them to provide you with a service! Some schools are better than others.
Good luck and make good choices in chasing your career!
Gumby