Atp, if I were you I would stop taking the word of the flight academies as the gospel. They are selling a product and they will say whatever they need to to convince you that going to their school is the only way to become a professional pilot. Take what they say with a grain of salt and compare it to the expert opinions of real life professional pilots like those found here on Airline Pilot Forums. You honestly will not get a straight answer from anybody because this is a matter of opinion, all you can do is weigh the facts and decide which route is the best for you to take. Not all academies are money mongering pilot factories and not all FBO's are out to milk you for everything you have and delay your training. Just do your research (Which you are doing) and make the most logical decision you can come up with.