I am a high school senior. I recently just got accepted to ERAU, Dowling University, and Averett University. Now I'm just waiting on the word from Purdue. I already got $32,000 from Averett which is great!

Think the others school will also give me that kind of money if I tell them Averett did?

What are your opinions on any of these school, alumni and non Alumni?

Lastly, do you think it is a good idea to minor in ATC since the airline industry isn't hiring right now and the FAA is going to be hiring thousands of ATCs?

Thanks a lot everyone!

 

What do you want?

An ATC minor would be a good idea too.

 

sorry

I want to be a pilot more then anything. But, if they aren't hiring, I would become an ATC.

 

DO NOT minor in ATC. The FAA is hiring OFF THE STREET. That means any joe schmoe with high school diploma is getting hired to be an ATC. The ATC minor was something worth looking at back when the only way to become an ATC was through collegiate programs, or through military... but that is no longer the case.

 

The airline industry is very cyclical...there will always be times when they are not hiring (like right now). If you are serious about the profession you need to be prepared to ride out several downturns during career, and probably furlough(s).

General aviation is less cyclical, although it is impacted by economic downturns and legions of furloughed airline pilots looking for work to tide them over. Odds are you can always get a job doing SOMETHING as a pilot...if you change careers at the first sign of trouble you won't last long. The first 10-15 years in aviation are usually an uphill battle.

In the past I would have said that ATC is a good gig, but the pay and working environment are now crap...if you aren't going to fly, get an office job that pays real money and play video games on your time off.

 

I'm presently a junior here at Averett University, and I absolutely love it here. The flight program is really well structured and the instructors a very good. There are so many opportunities here, and its so easy to get involved. If you have any specific questions don't hesitate to email or pm me.

 

ERAU is a great school, but all my friends who are there (about 4) say the social life is downright terrible. It's what you make of it. I am at purdue, and I love it here. The downside of purdue is that the town blows. However, it is a real university, as opposed to riddle, which is more of a small school. As one of my friends from home who goes to riddle says 'riddle is a good school, but it's a joke of a university'.

To each his own. Purdue would be my top choice all over again, too. I think it's awesome here, if you don't mind living in Indiana, lol

The biggest downside about Purdue is that you will be surrounded by 1) Engineering kids, many of who will be incredibly smarter than you (which is very discouraging) and 2) there are many beautiful girls and frats that are distracting. However, in my case, that helped me..lol

however, like I said..a great college atmosphere for sure...except for the music scene. it blows.

 

Harry's is the great equalizer! Couple Baltimore zoos or Alabama slammers and things are all good.

 

If you're out of state, Purdue won't give you much if any scholarship money unless you're borderline Rhodes Scholar.

I graduated high school (feels like many moons ago) with a 3.7 GPA and 29 on the ACT (34 in Science) from the great state of Kentucky and I wasn't competitive for a single dollar in funds...seems as though IN schools give most of their scholarship money away to in-state kids.

UND, Riddle-Daytona, & Lewis all threw different 5-figure scholarships my way, and I still chose to attend Purdue.

Pros, in my mind, are these: 1 - Small aviation program (~600 students) out of a large university (~38000 students). This gives you a small-school feel in your speciality where professors know you on a first-name basis, as well as all the benefits of attending a large school (sports, clubs, intramurals, greek system, etc). 2 - Location. Yes WL isn't the most happening place, but you're about 2.5hr from Chicago and an hour from Indy by car...giving you an excuse to get out of town every once and a while. Its also a great area to learn to fly in. 3 - Reputation. Many folks know of Purdue outside of aviation, and inside of aviation its a well-respected name. Not to say its necessary to have a "big name" on your diploma, but the recognition can and does help.. 4. Academic variety. You can major in AvTech/ProFlight and easily get a minor in management, accounting, organizational leadership, or any number of other things that might help you reaching the "real world".

Cons of Purdue: 1. Expensive if you're from out of state, and getting more expensive every year. 2. Cold if you're not used to midwest winters. 3. The women aren't nearly as hot as those at Auburn, but hey I met my wife there so I can't complain. 4. VERY rigid flight training program, which is by design for safety's sake...but IMO creates a type of pilot very dependent on the bounds of the system and the Garmin 430, lacking somewhat in gained experience and the decisionmaking skills that only come through experience.

If accepted, you won't regret attending Purdue...well, except maybe when Sallie Mae comes calling (ouch!).

 

ERAU Prescott has a very competitive undergraduate aerospace engineering program. Going there for the AE degree would be a good backup plan for an airline career and I believe it's not that hard to get in if you have reasonable grades. I hear Prescott is not much of a town but in AE you need to be studying most of the time anyway. Purdue has an excellent reputation for its AE program, but it's much harder to get in and supposedly rather nerve wracking when you do.