Wow, a forum that is actually trying to mentor the next generation of pilots. I don't usually take place in these discussions but I could not resist this one, so, here is two cents from me, a current active duty USAF T-1 Instructor Pilot who is about to retire and join Delta Airlines as I was recently hired. Also, I currently fly and work with graduates from all of the aforementioned universities and schools to include USAFA, West Point, and the Naval Academy and all of these Military Academies were listed in the top ten schools from which you can receive the best education possible, right up there with Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Brown, Duke, etc...
Credentials:
BSBA - Finance Auburn University
MAS - ERAU (paid for by USAF)
USAF Air Command and Staff College
Flight Experience- 5000 hrs of military (C-9A, C-141B, T-37B student/IP, T-1 IP, T-38A student time); 300 hours of civilian flying time at a USAF Aeroclub in college
USAF Flight Safety School
USAF Advanced Instruments School
First and foremost, you can't compare USAFA with ERAU (Watermelon to Oranges) The Air Force Academy does not offer flight training (neither does AFROTC), rather, it merely uses it's fleet of aircraft to screen pilot candidates for aptitude and potential in whether or not the government should continue to invest millions of dollars in training and developing that person into becoming one of the world's best pilots by sending him/her to USAF, Navy, or Army helo pilot training. I know a lot of you civilian pilots will take this personnally (please don't), but hands down, you won't find better pilot training anywhere in the world outside of the USAF, Navy, or Army. That does not mean that we are better pilots, just that we have better training, equipment, more highly trained instructors, and probably more highly educated people. The U.S. government spends money on it's warriors for a reason and that is to develop them into the best trained leaders, rescuers, killers, fighters, and contingency force in the world in order to protect this country, and let me tell you, we are masters of our craft (just ask Al Qaeda, the Taliban, and every third world country we rescue from disaster when we show up). Hands down, the best training in the world. It sounds like your desires and goals do not lend itself to this dedicated lifestyle, so, the USAFA or AFROTC is probably not an option for you anyway, besides, it is very competitive to get into the military flying brotherhood and we breed some of the most intelligent folks I have ever had the privilege to serve with, fly with, flight instruct with, live with, celebrate with, party with, cry with, and learn from. ERAU or any other institution really are poor comparisons. Always consider the sources of magazines......those authors are usually uncredentialed and use words for entertainment and to make a living/sell magazines.
Second, in addition to academy grads, I work with tons of folks that got their degrees from ERAU, Perdue, Illinois, Illinois Carbondale, North Dakota, Auburn University, and many other aviation programs and I agree with the previous posts that say, get a degree in something other than aviation. Develop a diverse educational background which will serve your potential future marketability and needs. This way, if you ever lose your medical, you will have a backup plan. I'm paraphrasing but I saw the one post where the guy said that "a Finance degree would not be helpful due to the recent turmoil in the financial industry...", this is hogwash, their will always be a need for those who understand the nuances of the financial industry, banking, etc.... Also, if you would like to fly for the DEA (for whom I once interviewed with), FBI, CIA, Border Patrol, etc...they all require a 4 year Accredited UNIVERSITY degree in a technical field such as engineering, advanced mathematics, accounting, foreign language studies, and criminal justice just to name a few. So, if all you want to do is become an airline pilot one day, just go to any myriad of dedicated 141 flight schools in the united states and just dedicate yourself to being the best, most expert pilot you can possibly be. Due to the demise of general aviation since 911 with rising fuel costs, the aviation industry is forecasting a world-wide pilot shortage by 2015. Why do you think companies like Delta, FedEx, SW, Air Emirates, and others are ginning up their hiring/training departments very rapidly. Just make yourself marketable by diversifying your backround. Get as many ratings, type ratings, flying hours, and degrees that you can so that you make all other applicants pale in comparison when the Chief pilot of company XXXXX holds you application next to 10,000 other ones.
Finally, I would like to put in a plug for my Alma Mater......If you like flying, beautiful women, and college football, all located in a fair weather environment where you are close to both the Gulf of Mexico, the East Coast and you are interested in getting a degree in almost any field of study you want to include Aviation Mangement, Aviation Operations, engineering, mathematics, foreign language, criminal justice, then I've got two words for you buddy........WAR EAGLE!!!!!!
However, the average ACT score to get in as an udergrad is 26.5.
God Bless in your future flying career.