It doesn't matter where you get your ratings, it is about your hours and pure timing and luck. Hopefully, when you finish things will be picking up but you will be competing against a lot of high time pilots that have been furloughed in the last few years.

Go to ASU, that is a no brainer. It is much, much cheaper. You may even consider doing your flight training off campus and there are a few right at the airport, IWA. The main advantage of doing your flight training through a college or university is the financial aid. I know a lot of pilots in training had to quit because they aren't getting the loans. If you go through a university the loans are government subsidized and they are still going through. Not to mention scholarships and grants.

I suggest you minor in aviation and get your bachelors in something else. Every pilot needs a back up.

Good luck and study hard. The best pilots I know were so great because they put 100% in every flight, not because they went to the top school in the nation.

Also, UND has a satellite at the same airport as ASU East. All the ground school is through a community college, Chandler-Gilbert, and it may be another option to get your training done cheaper and get a job faster. You complete the program with an associates or the equivalent in hours. There are a lot of online degrees that you could finish while you are flying the line at a regional. UND's number is 480-988-8117. It is a much smaller program than ASU but it is well ran. I would contact UND directly for info but here is the college's website:

Flight Training Center - Phoenix