You are one lucky mofo

 

As a Riddle '93 Grad, i would say go to any university other than the ones listed. Check out Purdue and Auburn, they both have a small aviation dept but they are attached to a real university and you won't be cheated out of the "real" college experience. Not to mention the fact tha Riddle has gotten way more expensive since I was there.

 

Finally!
As a Purdue grad, I may be biased, but the Boilermakers have the best program out there, hands-down. They just don't advertise as much as some of the other schools.

 

Go to the best university you can academically get in to. Airlines could care less what your degree is in, much less where you got it. I went to the University of MN, and got a "real" degree in something other than aviation. I think it actually helped me in interviews to not have the degree in aviation, it seems to show a more well rounded person intellectually (plus, you may have to fall back on something else). Get your ratings and certs. at a respected local FBO, fly at EVERY opportunity, and get to know people (network). The toughest hours are the first 1000. Get on with a regional airline ASAP, and your off... Good Luck!

 

[QUOTE=QXrjdriver]I'll start by saying that all 3 schools will leave you well prepared for where you want to go in the industry. I graduated from UND in 2000 and got hired at Horizon 3 months later. After about 6 years at Horizon, I was lucky enough to get picked up by Continental, so I may be somewhat biased in my opinion.

And you think where you went to college had ANYTHING to do with Continental's decision to hire you?

 

You dont need a program that offers aviation. All you ned is a degre. It deosnt matter what it is in. I have a degree in Broadcast Journalism. They just want to see if you can comit to something for four years and complete it. Plus it is not wise to major in an aviation related field (except maybe aviation management) What if something happens where you cant fly anymore? You need something you can fall back on

 

Delta State Univ. Cheapest 4 year school that offers aviation in the world.

 

No, but it could have made the difference between a job at Mesa right off the bat and a job at Horizon, seeing that the Horizon CP is a UND graduate, and Horizon hires UND grads with low time.

I don't know anything about FIT, but if you want to get an aviation degree, I would recommend UND, Purdue, or Western Michigan. They are all "real" universities (as somebody else put it), where you can learn to fly and experience university life like other students. At any of these schools you can major in another field and still fly or major in aviation and minor in another field.

I went to UND and graduated in 2000. Hired on with an airline low time worked there for 4 1/2 year until I was furloughed and then landed a sweet corporate job (more like a hobby. Having an aviation degree WAS a factor in my landing my current corporate position (according to my boss and the CEO of the company), so don't just discount the value...

UND was a good school in my opinion, and I would go back again if I had the choice. Was it cheap? No. But education as a whole really isn't... My wife's liberal arts degree at a small college in Virginia cost just as much as my aviation degree did.

 

If I had the chance to start over I would definitely go to a small state college or community college and get a degree unrelated to flying. I love aviation and everything to do with it, but I have all my eggs in one basket. If the s*it hits the fan I am stuck with no way to make a living. Save cash by going to a state school and during the summers go to ALLATPS. You can do a rating or two each summer and by the time you graduate college you will have a few hundred hours of multi engine time as well as all your licenses. They offer CFI jobs to their program graduates, so you could jump right into being a MEI and build some quality ME time. Then get hired on at a regional carrier you like with bases where you enjoy. As soon as you finish IOE, join the Guard and fly for them. You keep your seniority at the regional while you go to the Guard. This will allow you to have a stable liveable income (twice the 1st year RJ pay) and some great flying experience. By the time you finish the Guard training and are on the regular duty (2 weekends a month or whatever) then you will have accrued 2-3 years of seniority at the regional airline you originally were hired by. You can then fly for the regional and upgrade to captain, while still flying the Guard and networking with the military guys.

 

Does UND have any aviation partners that hire out of UND