Best school out of this bunch-take tuition into mind also
 

I'm a senior in high school and I jsut want to know what everyone thinks about these schools that I've been accepted to

Embry-Riddle
Averett University
Dowling University
Purdue University (No word on acceptence yet)

I've also gotten $32,000 from Averett--I should let other schools know this and maybe they will offer the same, correct?

thanks a lot :)

Embry-Riddle for sure. Major in aviation. Don't ask for any scholarships, you won't need them. Your civilian flying job will pay it back in no time and you should get a guaranteed job right after you graduate...probably with a major airline.

LMAO:D. The funny thing is that they probably tell prospective students these exact things.

Purdue! Go for max male to female ratio! Nuff said...

Proof that Army pilots are dumb.(or at least this one). Worst advice ever! lol.

Don't know what Slice is talking about; it's great advice. Way better than getting an engineering degree paid for by taxpayers or scholarships...

I know Riddle is the best but you still need scholarships-Riddle is a LOT of money! And it'll take some years to get a good paying pilot job correct?

Well, when you put it that way, I agree 100%. :D

Shoot, forget Embry-Riddle. You don't even need an education. Just pick a major airline that you want to work for, go to the ticket counter and tell them you are there to pick up your captain's uniform. They will hook you up. Hell, just tell them that you want a cash advance on your first year's salary and you are only going to fly Monday through Friday with all weekends and holidays off. :p

Some people... Listen kid, forget that aviation degree. Go to your state university, work on a degree in business or engineering or the like, get your ratings at an FBO, and party like a rock star for four years. You won't regret it. :cool:

Hey People...he's in High School! He might actually believe this crap...

D22block: Everyone here is being very sarcastic. Embry-Riddle is a private college with an average flight training program and an aviation degree which is the fast-track to mediocrity.

However, it is FAR overpriced for what it offers...what little disposable income you earn as a regional pilot will be devoted solely to paying off your student loans for years (or decades). The only thing ER excels at is separating young people from their future earnings.

Despite what the ER recruiters may tell you, the aviation industry does not hold their graduates in high regard...if anything we laugh at them behind their backs for spending all that money for no reason.

To get the best value for your educational expenditure, attend a public school and earn a NON-AVIATION DEGREE (REPEAT: NON-AVIATION DEGREE) and do flight training at a club or small school at a nearby airport.

If you want to attend a flight school which will get you preferential hiring, there are several but their names all start with "United States". Refer to the military forums for more info. There are no civilian flight schools which have a "good reputation" with the airlines.

"Despite what the ER recruiters may tell you..."

I'd add high school guidance counselors. I mean, they see the nice brochure, cool website, and prolly figure that's the best advice to give some kid who wants to be a pilot when he grows up.

But through a school can't you do an internship at an airport or with an airline in the summer? Which will then let you get to know people which they say is very helpful in the airline industry.

I was also thinking if the pilot thing didn't work out for any reason, minor in airport management so I can become an ATC.

Any thoughts on both of these?

Do a search on this website for "aviation degree." Look at all the advice there.

If you still decide to major in something related to "aviation science" or "professional flight," well, you obviously don't want to listen to us anyways.

In all seriousness d22block, let me reiterate rickair7777: NON-AVIATION DEGREE.

Plus, the FAA only takes people from their CTI program (until just recently, they opened the window for one week for guys off the street and I know a lot of pilots who threw their stuff at 'em in hopes of getting a stable job with a guaranteed government retirement, me being one of those pilots). The CTI program is basically 23 schools around the country who charge you a boat-load of money to learn how to be an air traffic controller and get a two- or four-year degree at the same time. But at least you will be able to pay off your debt in less than 10 years if you take the ATC route.

Anyways, point is: NON-AVIATION DEGREE. I would recommend Underwater Basket Weaving :D

Dude. Party like a rockstar in college. I blew my college experience doing problem sets and marching around in funny uniforms and going to class. I've talked to many a airline and military pilot who actually had fun in college. I've also talked to a few people who went to ERAU and couldn't party like a rockstar because of the surplus of male pilot types at the parties and lack of female counterparts (and no money with which to party except negative money which doesn't spend well). And as for the major, take a survey of military pilots and civilian pilots and see how many majored in aviation. Show me one job that requires a degree related to aviation. Engineering, finance, econ, English, Arabic, Chinese, history, math, science...all examples of majors with more use than an aviation degree. All of which also are A OKAY with airlines. Problem is if you are a finance major you may realize how crappy being a pilot is financially. If you are an English, Arabic, Chinese, history, math, or science major, you may decide that if you are a teacher you will make more and can't be furloughed nearly as easily and end up with more time off. So, maybe majoring in Aviation is a good idea afterall. I hear they give out lots of free Kool-Aid in the aviation majors at fantastic pilot Prep Schools such as ERAU as well...even more of a bonus...

:) Kooooool-Aaaaaaid! Kooooool-Aaaaaaid! :D

YouTube - Kool-aid man(Family guy)

But the ATC industry is going to be hiring thousands of controllers soon--so how is that not a good plan to fall back on?

also by the time i graduate the economy should be good so should airlines be hiring again?

Get a pharmaceutical degree and BUY your own airplane. I have an aviation degree, don't get one.

ATC isn't an industry. Take some time to talk to them about how their pay and work rules have degraded and why they're having so much trouble staffing towers and enroute facilities.

Don't go to a school because it's one dimensional. College isn't about a degree, or studying to do something the rest of your life. It's about learning how to live and interact with people. Being able to talk about something other than airplanes is a huge plus if you're trying to make new friends.

lol is this a joke?

For some reason people always seem to forget that airlines are still businesses....if you look on Delta, Southwest, Northwest or JetBlue's career pages right now you will see that there are co-op opportinuties for people of all majors - in fact, I would guess that there are more non-aviation specifc co-ops (accounting, comm) than there are aviation. A foot in the door at a major is a foot in the door - it doesn't matter if you got it by interning as an accountant or an ops guy.

I find that the problem with aviation degrees is that aviation is not meant to be a major: most of the stuff you learn comes from hands-on flying and learning from the people ahead of you. It is not meant to be taught in a classroom and as a result in order to fill a course cataloge a lot of universities create what I call "filler classes" which really serve no purpose other than to allow the school to become accredited and swindle students' money. I had one called "Turboprop Theory" basically the user manual for a PT-6 read to us over a 12 week span.

If you want to fly, I would suggest getting a four year degree in something else that interests you and flying at an independant FBO on the side. Not only will this save you money, but also allow more flexibilty in your training. At Flight Team nationals last year I talked with some of the other team and I was appalled to hear that they were paying about $200 for a single engine, fixed gear airplane for they primary and instument training (SR22). For $200/hr you should be flying something with no less than two engines on it. The whole goal of your flying should be to get your rating as cheap as possible.

Aviation students are not the people you want to spend the next four years of your life with...unless you enjoy sitting in a dorm room with three other dudes watching Top Gun for the 12th time.

But since it sounds like you already made up your mind, at least compromise with us and do just an aviation minor or even minor in another program.

I am an aviation major who drank the cool-aid and is now going back to finish a business degree, so trust me, there's way better ways to go about getting your ratings. As PilotPip said, you should be making yourself more diverse, not boxing yourself into a very specific field.

Hell no, that's straight talk from a wise old pilot. :D

And if you believe that, I've got some ocean-front property in Montana to sell you. ;)

The ATC "industry" maybe hiring thousands of controllers soon. However, don't ever, EVER, EVER take anything in the aviation industry at face value. Nothing is what it seems and everything will be delayed. You are right though, ATC is a good career to fall back on... if you made the mistake of getting an aviation degree. No need to fall back on ATC if you have a degree which you can actually use. If you really want to be a controller, go get some first-hand information from your local towers and en-route centers.

As for the economy... who knows... :confused:

Hey d22block,

Do you see a theme here? These guys all are saying about the same thing. They have been there and done it. I have too. I didn't know how lucky I was being a dumbass in High School and not getting accepted to ER. My parents forced me to go to community college and then transfer to a four year school afterward. The community college had an aviation department where I learned to fly for a fraction of the cost. Long story short, I am a captain flying at a crappy regional with FO's who can barely afford to eat because their school loan is killiing them. Don't do that to yourself. By the way, my degree is in business and I am leaving the industry in the spring. Good luck with your decision. Be smart and party at college with actual girls. (not aviation girls, no offense) Don't do the aviation school!!! I had a blast in college, you will to if you listen to us.
Hell you may even decide to bartend like I did in college and leave with very little debt at all. Good luck!

P.S. Show this forum to your parents!!!!

Hey! Some of us didn't spend a whole lot of money. I majored in Aviation Management and it has served me well. Granted that's been a few years back but it's all relative.

d22, I would advise you to see how far the 32K would take you at each school and then make your decision. Yeah, Riddle is expensive, but I damn well bet you, apply for an aviation related job/position outside of flying with a degree from Riddle and I bet you or the person(s) from Riddle will more than likely be offered the job.



atp

Yeah, Riddle is expensive, but I damn well bet you, apply for an aviation related job/position outside of flying with a degree from Riddle and I bet you or the person(s) from Riddle will more than likely be offered the job.



I disagree with that statement. If this kid gets a MBA from any major college, they will chose him over anyone with a Riddle degree. A business is a business, they all have balance sheets, employees, HR departments, etc. (regardless if it is an airline) If he is flying most of the time in college and happens to get a management degree by taking courses like turbo-prop theory, it won't hold as much weight as someone who actually concentrates on "real" business courses. Come On Man! Just cause you spent the money, don't send this kid down the wrong path too.

Yea, man listen to these guys. They know their stuff. I'm a 19 year old college sophomore working on an AA in business at a community college and taking my PPL checkride this friday (1/9) at a small flight school. It is definitely the right way to go. My total flight training after my PPL will run me back $50,000 and college MAY cost me $5-7,000 at most (thank God for Florida Bright Futures and Phi Theta Kappa honors society). $60,000 for everything beats the hell out of $100-120,000 at ERAU.

My "dream" was to go to ERAU until these guys helped open my eyes and I looked at the facts. My best advice is pay for your PPL in cash as best you can, and maybe even grab a multi or instrument rating with ur own money as well. Hold off on that loan as long as possible. Take the college who offers you the most financial aid. Most important: have a backup plan! This world ain't easy...

Now you're comparing apples to oranges. Of course and MBA from any school should give the person who has it a leg up.



atp

The Us is printing money now, to support all the finance saving. When China stops lending money, this is the part where they realizes that The Us is just printing more money, what happends to the economy then? What happends to the dollar, compared to any other currency?

And also, the oil price is ridiculously low now, havent been this low in many decades, do anyone really dont think that the top Man on each oil producing company will twist the crane so it produces less. Then the demand goes up, and prices goes up. I know Norway is planning to reduce production. The economy will crash and burn. And money will be tight.

Do the 4 year state university thing! I started at a private university with an aviation program (Jacksonville U), then wised up after 3 semesters and left and finished my ratings on my own. But I am stuck pursuing an aviation degree online because I am already in the workforce and have too many aviation credits to throw away and major in something else. I would only tell someone to do the online aviation degree if they were already older and couldn't do four years at a real college. At least then the online school will give you over 30 credits for your pilot ratings.

I agree, a MBA versus an ER four year degree is not a fair comparison. It's like the Steelers taking on the local High School team. I personally would hope this kid realizes that this field is difficult at best, and down right terrible at worst. He should give himself as much of a chance as he can. Diversifying his education is the best way to ensure he will be prepared when it rains. One thing is for sure in this field, it is going to rain.

W.T.F. Over

Thanks a million guys for the advice! I have a lot of thinknig to do. Also I'm going to talk to a guy I know who is in the field and see what he has to say. Also what do you guys think about maybe taking the ROTC route? I'm maybe possibly thinking about it but not sure if I want to serve. But if I did, how long would I serve if I went to ERAU? Also would I definetly fly when I graduated?

Thanks a millino guys!! :D

There is a thread in the military forum dedicated to that very question.
Check it out and you'll have alot of your questions answered.

USMCFLYR

byebye:

What MarioWife is eluding to is inflation and the dollar possibly becoming worthless....(even though we know that won't happen).

Emerging markets (China, India, just to name two) are the new kids on the block. Although the US economy will bounce back and we will prosper nationally as a country, we will play second/third fiddle to these emerging markets of developing countries. The world/global economy is moving into an era of post-American influence.



atp

Funny you say that Sir, he is the one who started that thread.

Do yourself a favor and at least minor in English. That will help you a lot more than anything. If you don't believe me, go through each one of your posts, read them carefully, and try to notice a trend...I believe I addressed it in a response to the thread you started here http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/fl...tml#post499238. Just a little friendly professional advice since you do seem to want to be a professional after college.

Also in that thread you asked the exact same questions and got the exact same answers. I don't think this many people are going to lie to you. We recommend that you not major in aviation and not waste money at certain schools for a reason. I understand it is your dream to fly. We all had/have the exact same dream. There are plenty of ways to fly that you just don't see through your tunnel vision of "gotta go to the best aviation school to get the best aviation degree to get the best aviation job." Unfortunately, the best roads to your dream are a little counter-intuitive and may not make sense using the thought process you are currently using.

But do what you want; it is your life and your decision. Go to ERAU. Major in Aviation. Even with a $32k scholarship (if they will match the other school), you will not be able to tell any one of us we were wrong. You will have more debt than you can handle, will be eating ramen, will live in a box, will drive a beater, and will develop a new dream of how you plan on feeding a family (if you manage to meet someone at the male dominated school, or afterwards when you are working/gone constantly). Your dream will turn into a nightmare. It becomes a job that won't pay all your bills. Save yourself the debt from a school like that. That is our point. Pursue flying...in smarter ways. Work smarter, not harder. And, if your parents plan on paying for all of your college/pilot training, they will be tapping into their retirement for no reason. Tell them you'd rather spend $100k for a 5 year undergrad/MBA program and take flying lessons on the side.

If your approach to flying and working with a flight instructor (which most of these guys are or have been at one time) is the same as it is to being receptive to this advice from EXPERIENCED folks on here who have been in your shoes and made the exact same mistakes you are set on making, you will have a very tough time as a pilot. Open your mind; take advice, don't just ask for it.

FlyArmy speaks the truth. We are trying to help you. We can only show you the door, you are the one who has to walk through it. Good luck out there kid! Stay positive, no matter what. See you on the flip side. :cool:

AH! You have discovered my old mind trick of turning him back on himself in a never ending circle!
OK - so that isn't true. I had no idea that he had started that other thread. Oh well......:o

USMCFLYR

You have an amazing gift atp. You can take incoherent babbling and turn it into well formulated thought. If the original author would have done that, we wouldn't be analyzing his post. Good job though, I believe I came to roughly the same conclusion.