Heyas,

I can only agree with what the above posters said. As far as the flying goes, go the least expensive way possible. Everyone's tickets look the same as everyone else's, and airlines don't care where you get them.

State school/flying on the side is the LEAST expensive way to go about it. Even if you slack, you can CFI part time your last two years of school, and come out with some decent time (probably about 135 mins), and more importantly, GREAT contacts by the time others are just finishing up their aviation degrees.

You can really work the expense side if you are willing to do Community College for 2 years, then finish up at a four year school. If you're really cheap, live with the folks for the first 2 years. Guys and gals are coming out the other side of "aviation" degrees with crippling debt, and no realistic way of making it back, or even paying it off for decades. By using the resources available to you in-state, the flying part almost is paid by the difference.

Sure, people claim that you can "intern". Those positions are relatively few, and in the big scheme of things, not worth commiting to only an aviation degree. Get something useful, like engineering, or something that you can build on in grad school if you have to (business, sciences, etc).

If you absolutely HAVE to go "name brand" (and pay high tuition), at least go to a university that deserves it. Purdue has top 10 departments in almost every category, and you get that "real" university experience to boot.

My 0.02...YMMV

Nu

I had as much fun as I think you could possibly have going to a large state school during college, and I don't have any regrets about taking roughly two and a half years off from flying so I could have fun in college, yet alone not having gone to a pile-it college.

That said, if I had to do it all over again, I would have picked my school from using two factors.

1- How many days a year that girls would be suntanning in the quads and parks wearing bikini's

2- Football stadium say...ohhh.....70,000+

Seriously man...No one is going to care if you went to Embry Riddle. You have a good 40+ years of flying airplanes left in you...Enjoy your early 20's...The airplanes aren't going anywhere.

I'll throw it out there, I'm a Purdue Grad. If I could do it over again, I'd still do the Aviation degree, but would've gotten a second major while I was there. I've only been out 5 yrs, but I really never feel like going back to school unless I have to. The money wasn't bad, the atmosphere was great, and I did meet my wife there(Lots of girls @ Purdue!!!). E.R. Does have a lot of sunny days!

So where are you now? did you CFI there or go right to the regionals? Was ERAU also one of your choices? And any debts still left from school?

Ewfflyer, did you know a dude (03 purdue grad, AV major) named seth by any chance?

I went to Purdue in the early 90s. Let's be honest, I enjoy flying but there is so much more to life and college than burning up the pattern. Visited Riddle and while the campus was in DAB, I couldn't handle that many cool guys wearing Ray Bans. Annapolis was first choice but knee surgery ended that (no waiver), but going to a school in a major conference with sports, etc. is a great experience.

I graduated from Riddle with an aviation degree in 2001.

Riddle is a fun school and does a reasonable job at education/flight training. However, most public schools do the exact same thing. I do not regret my decisions for they have led me where I am at now. However, please listen to this; an aviation degree will not give you a career advantage. Those that are after your money will try very hard to convince you otherwise, and they can be convincing. However, they are blowing smoke up your ass. You are far better served to go to a public school and then get your pilot's ratings at the local FBO.

The FBO I instructed at was very particular with the instructors they hired (they kicked those with time-builder mentalities to the street). This FBO has far better flight training than Riddle; and the owners truly care about your training progress.

What others have said is very true, get your degree in a non-aviation field. I have an aviation degree and following September 11 in 2001 when there were very few pilot jobs it earned me a job bagging groceries at Safeway for a while.

DONT GO TO ERAU!! it's that simple. why in the world would you wanna go to a four year sausage fest. i went to a community college for a year and then attended BYU for 3 years. i graduate this april with a degree in geography. while attending college i have worked as a bartender/waiter to pay for my ratings at a local flight school. i have my ppl and instrument ratings and am debt free! its nice. trust me dude it's way better to do it this way. if you go to a big aviation university you are just another aviation major building up mountains of debt with no back-up degree. i wanted to go to erau before i came to BYU but thankfully my cfi knocked some common sense into me! i am very happy with my choice!

Definitely Averett University. They are way more hands on and way more cheaper.....

Purdue...but I'm biased.

The entire Aviation Technology department is ~600 students, out of approx. 38,000 students on campus. This means, as previously mentioned, a HUGE opportunity for non-aviation related friends and activities. Mine included running, swing dancing, intramural sports, and athletic dept. videography...and I still did plenty of "airplane nerd" stuff!

Additionally, even as an out-of-state student, it was STILL at least 20% cheaper than going to ERAU-Daytona.