Get free BS or go full time flight program?
 

My niece's dad has worked for a university (UNC in Greeley, CO) long enough that his kids get free tuition. She's a bit of a wiz-kid and already has an associates in finance at 18y/o. She's only done a discovery flight and loved it and wants to do everything she can to get a seniority # asap without going into Riddle levels of debt. She's open to relocating anywhere to find the best program at the best price.

Options as I see them:
1) Keep getting more degrees for free (non-aviation related): BA, Master etc for free while driving down to KBJC and doing McAir or Western's 141 program and then instruct with them until 1,500hrs.

2) Transfer to a university with an aviation program and hopefully be able to cut off a year bc of all of the existing associates to get the 1,000hr restricted APT.

3) Go military for 3 years to get the GI Bill then go a pricey school like Riddle

4) Find an online accredited aviation university that has a partnership with any Denver/Greeley/Ft Collins flight school and get a restricted ATP that way

5) Something else I'm not thinking of that you'd recommend

Thanks for the help!

1.) By a country mile.


Who is responsible for the seniority # panic?
Take the free way and flight instruct till 1500 hrs.
CFII, MEI, aerobatics, check instructor, asst chief 141 etc.

Do you want to go fast or go far?

Combine 1 and 4. Figure out what courses can be taken for free at UNC that will transfer to the online aviation university. That will make the shortcut in 2 even faster.

Somewhere like Thomas Edison State University should take almost all of the required courses as transfer. 2-3 classes should be all that's necessary for less than $5k. The process could also be accelerated with online courses from Study.com and Sophia that are only hundreds of dollars each.

With some hard work she could probably have her degree before she even gets 1,000 hours instructing.

Maturity can’t be taught it needs to experienced and that takes time.
You need a certain amount of maturity and credibility to be taken seriously.
Being a wunderkind makes the fall so much harder when reality bites.

Start flying yesterday. She can do college in her spare time once she's a CFI or at a regional airline.

Free school by a long shot… fly on the side around full time school, holidays, and during the summer. If a close FBO exists then maybe add some flying during the week.