Kent State vs Embry-Riddle
 

I'm currently taking classes online at ERAU and planning on transferring to the main campus in Daytona Beach, FL for fall 2015. I have the post 9/11 GI bill and was planning on using this for all of my academic cost at ERAU, however now I'm reconsidering. I recently was notified that if I were to attend a public state university, such as Kent State, the GI Bill would cover my cost for not only the academic requirements, but the flight cost as well. In your opinion, would it be wiser to save my money and go to Kent, or pay the flight fees at ERAU? Which graduates (KSU vs ERAU) earn a higher salary 1 to 3 years after graduation?

Kent State vs Embry-Riddle
 

I graduated from OSU in 2010 and when I left, it didnt matter where your degree was from. However, my student loan debt was almost $50k LESS than a ERAU grads.

Being raised in Ohio, I know some friends that go to kent (one flight related) and they all say they love it. It's a moderately sized school with a diverse student body. Flight expenses are definitely the biggest cost, so if you can get that covered I would definitely go that route.

I attended the ERAU Daytona Campus for some time and partially enjoyed my time there. The warm weather is great, plus the beach is less than 15 minutes away. The student population is okay, as you may know it is about 85% male. However, I was not a fan of the flight department. Like many will say, it is definitely over priced and the in house check ride process is a pain. But if you stick with it you can have a degree and your multi-engine commercial cert. in 3-4 years.

If you're thinking about a public school, you might want to consider the University of North Dakota. They're considered to be an alternative to ERAU and have a great flight department.

With regard to pay, it varies. Assuming you're aspiring to be a professional pilot, most new hires in the industry make about the same, regardless of where you went to school. Be aware you need 1000 total flight hours if you graduate from a part 141 school (ERAU, KSU, UND, etc) to work for an airline.

Just my $0.02.

Kent State and WMU are state schools. Put a pen and paper to the problem and see how much you can save. ERU is a great college but so are the others.

Airlines don't look at the Alma Mater as much as what you make of your college experience. Both AA and Delta want a 3.0 or better for their programs. Go where you feel you can do the most and the best for the most reasonable cost.

That's my $.02

If I were going to go to college again, I would not go to the ERAU campuses. I heard from another vet that you can get 141 training paid for and also tuition as well. I don't know first hand, but maybe ask around and see if you can go to a local FBO with a 141 training program and have then pay for it while continuing to go to ERAU Worldwide.

Disclosure, I went to the PRC campus and left for the worldwide program. I flew 90 hours in 2.5 years at ERAU and left. Within a year, I had my comercial SEL/MEL/SES/IAP. ERAU is a great name, just slow as molasses for flight training if you don't stay there year round.

If you are just starting out in aviation, realize that you probably won't be earning a "college graduate's" wage until several (or many) years after you are done with your degree. Heavy college debt will only lengthen the time it takes to be able to enjoy your salary.

Your undergrad is a means to an end. About two years outside of college and it won't matter where you went...unless you have to keep making payments. I chose Kent State because it was close to home and far less expensive than most other schools. If I were you, I would take the least expensive route that, in the end, gets you where you want to be.

I work with several ERAU grads. We both have the same job and earn the same wage.

Hopes this helps.

^ This. Training at ERAU is a slow process, you learn a lot but it takes awhile.

Go to the FAA website and look at the list of which state run schools will allow you to take the reduced hour restricted ATP benefit with a 4-year degree.

Send your military transcript to all of them and see which one will get you done with your ratings and degree the quickest. You may be able to use your military credits to skip some BS electives, and look into paying for a couple of CLEP tests to save you from sitting through a semester of English or Math.

Try to save a few months of GI Bill benefits so you can use that towards a Master's degree or even a type rating course later on down the road. Salary-wise, nobody seems to care that you went to Riddle vs OSU vs Purdue vs UND, etc., it's just a block check for the HR department to use to throw out resumes in order to weed down the long list of applicants a little bit more.

As long as your degree is regionally accredited you should be good, just make sure that you use one of the colleges on the FAA's official list so you can chop 500 hours off the ATP requirements.

Oh, and if you care, remember that there are girls at the schools that are not ERAU. Another consideration.

I went to Flight School at Kent. PM me for any questions, advice, etc.

You get the same pilots license no matter where you go, and no one gives a flip where your degree is so long as you have one. That said...

https://colleges.niche.com/rankings/hottest-girls/

Top 50 Schools With The Most Attractive College Females

Co-ed Colleges with the Highest Percentage of Women Students | CollegeXpress