hotshot

Hey everyone. I just left Riddle because of the ridiculous expense (20k for HALF of my freshman year ). What are my best options for universities that offer flight? I've looked at Bridgewater, Daniel Webster, UND, University of Alaska at Anchorage, Jacksonville University, and Delta Connection Academy. Are these good schools, am I missing any, or should I look at a state university and major in something outside of aviation?

Thanks in advance for any responses.

de727ups

"or should I look at a state university and major in something outside of aviation?"

Yes, is this possibly an option?

hotshot

Yeah, I was actually thinking about Texas AM, possibly majoring in political science.

sinsilvia666

i instruct for a flight school who has a contract with our college which is a state school, (CCBC which is also where i learned to fly and got my degree) here in beaver falls, pa a little north of pit.

The in-state students get a 40% credit on their flying whether they are atc or pro pilot. For instance if you put 1000 in your flight account the state adds 400 equalling 1400 total to fly with. Whole degree here from private to comm multi plus ass. degree = 35k-40k total. Also you can do your cfi certificates with that discount as well and our flight school will 75% hire as soon as your done with the cfi, and u can work there while u finish the degree.

cost of living here is cheap too which is nice, and you get real flying weather experience and decision making in good hard ifr/ice up here just like the und'ers and Daniel webster people !

good luck

ILS37R

You have a lot of options available. Personally, I'd recommend enrolling at a college with a program (not necessarily aviation-related) that you'll enjoy and working on your ratings on the side. You'll most likely need the degree eventually and, if you manage your time well, you'll still have your certs in the same time frame.

That said, there's nothing wrong with an aviation degree, though most around here will tell you that the airlines really couldn't care less what your degree is in, so long as you have one. If you want to study aviation, more power to you. If you really like 19th century Russian literature, take the opportunity to get your degree in it, instead. You can train at an FBO, but if you're not going to a college with an aviation program (UND, etc.), see if they have a flight club--you could save some money and make great connections there.

Finally, Delta Connection Academy is not equivalent to the other options you mentioned. It is not a degree-granting institution and you may find it just as expensive as Riddle (and with no degree, only ratings to show for it). DCA and a lot of other flight schools/academies tout degree programs, but in actuality all they're doing is giving you the same instruction they give anyone and saying you can--with additional coursework and expense--get a degree through an actual college.

There's nothing wrong with an online degree from an accredited institution like Utah Valley State College, either, but it is something you would need to get above and beyond your "academy education." Regardless, an online degree is something you can get on your own through UVSC (or similar)--no checks made out to DCA, Wings Aloft or wherever are required.

JetJocF14

Alright the good and the bad...........

First A&M is a nop-notch school.... good

What the hell you gonna do with a political science major....bad

There is a flight school at Easterwood field....Good.. Don't know if its affiliated with A&M but they do have a club where you could get all your ratings while your working on getting your degree........ good

Its not Austin.... bad

My son and two of my nephews went to A&M or are going to Aggie land. My advice is to go to school major in something you can use and get your ratings on the side as fast as you can. You'll come out a lot smarter and way ahead on the money side of the equation.

As for me I went to a small school called Southwest Texas State and look how I turned out.........

TXTECHKA

A&M?.....Do you really want your mascot to be a little silly dog? Just messing with you, I went to Texas Tech, maybe a little bit of a rivalry there. Alright, in all seriousness now I would say go to a state school, even A&M I suppose, major in something completely outside aviation, such as business, finance, accounting, economics, etc. I wouldn't do poly sci unless you plan to take it to law school afterwards. Go to a fbo in your college town and get your ratings while going to school. You will be able to get hours much faster and cheaper than you could at a school like embry riddle or whatever and if you play your cards right you could go to a regional right after graduation rather than having to instruct after college.

That is the way I did it at Tech, I started summer before college working on my private license just for fun and then decided I wanted to do this for a living and just kept pursuing other ratings while in college. By the end of my sophomore year I was a cfi and then 3 years later (yes graduated in 5 years, not due to flying holding me back but all the frat life and having too much fun). From the time I got my cfi to the time I graduated I taught a bunch, was the corporate pilot for a medical company in Lubbock, flew part time 135(charter), flew pic church missionary trips in mex and central america and started an aircraft brokerage company. When I graduated I had 2000+ hours and 600+- multi engine hours and started class at a pretty solid regional about two weeks after I graduated. Also had zero aviation debt.

Another reason to go to a state school is the experience that you can't get anywhere else. A big state college will have lots of girls, fraternities and so much fun stuff to do. You'll have so many awesome stories from college so that when you're out and flying with some guy from riddle or whatever and they tell you a story about their airplane flying team meet or something like that you can tell them about rushing the field after your team beat a big rival or road tripping it to a bowl game or fraternity life or all the girls etc. It's a blast and I wouldn't have done a thing different if I had to go back.

navigatro

I would recommend going to a university that you can afford (read: in State), and get a Bachelor's degree in a field that:

1. you are interested in, and
2. can get you a job outside of aviation.

Do your flying on the side at an FBO, and you will save thousands. You do not want to be one of those people who owes $100,000 or more in student loans upon graduation.

If you are interested, I would consider a Nursing degree (BSN/RN), for several reasons:

1. job market is fantastic due to nursing shortage.
2. if you get a pilot job, you can pick up shifts on your time off paying $50 an hour or more.
3. if you can't get a pilot job or get furloughed, you can easily find a full time nursing job.
4. meet lots of hot female nursing students. Just add alcohol.

Good Luck!

mike734

Congrats on your decision to leave Riddle. Not enough bang for buck. Any college degree will set you up for a flying career.

Now my question for Navigatro, I have heard there is a huge shortage for nurses but the pay still seems low. $50/hr for an extra shift seems really low. That is only 100k/yr. It is one of the things that really worries me about a pilot shortage. I'm hoping a pilot shortage will give us some bargaining power but I don't see it in the nursing profession.

navigatro

That figure was for part-time pay for the midwest (range of 35-55 per hour) $100K per year is a VERY nice standard of living for this part of the country. Nurses can make a bit more in management, or with advanced degrees/training (Nurse practitioner or Anesthetist.) The pay may be higher in other areas. Nursing pay has increased over the years due to supply/demand and to increased "scope" due to advanced training/licensing. Of course the physician and nurse lobbies have been fighting their own turf wars over this.

Not sure if there really is a pilot shortage (sorry, Kit), so who knows if pilot pay will increase. My guess is that pilot wages will stagnate, primarily due to high fuel costs and competition. I would be very surprised to see Legacy pay anywhere close to the pre-9/11 contracts. My guess is that they will get back some of their losses, but cost of living increases may be the norm for the next several years. Hopefully the work rules can be improved also.