Your opinions please..

gggoosey

gggoosey

New Member
..Before I have a conniption. :) Sorry to make my first post all drama-like, but I kinda need some help and I figure you guys would have the answers.
Sooo, I have kind of a long story. I went to community college for two years and majored in Aviation Tech while I was in high school. Flight training was obviously part of the curriculum, but I definitely didn't have the money for it, although I was working my little cushy customer service job at an electronics retailer full-time, so I figured I'd take the aviation courses they offered with the hope that most of them would transfer to Embry-Riddle because I was hellbent on going there. I obviously didn't do my research. During my senior year, I scrambled for loans and sold a few organs on the black market in an attempt to pay for school. I was able to take out enough loans to get me through the first year. I headed down there and had a crappy first semester - I was absolutely miserable about being far from my family, among other things. Yay college! Anyway, I ran out of money about a month before the semester ended for flight training, so I was stuck with like 12 hours and nowhere to go until next semester. I had a mental breakdown over winter break [this past one] about having to pay back like a bajillion dollars to go to an effing school, so I decided with hesitation to withdraw (I withdrew, then re-enrolled, then withdrew again.. haha]. I enrolled in my community college again back home because I have a scholarship here and am taking general courses until I get back on track, while working at my little cushy job as previously stated.
I have two options (at least, that I've thought of): I plan on transferring to the University of Nevada Reno [I'm a Nevada resident and I would pay like next to nothing for tuition] for business while finishing my flight training at an FBO up there.. Ooooor I could go to UND.
Ultimately, I'd like to fly the big birds but am actually excited to build up hours through flight training and such. Sometimes, I get discouraged and think I can't do it and blah, blah.. I didn't have the passion that these kids at Riddle did.. But I guess that's normal. Right?

Anyway, in your opinion, what would be the best route for me?

Thanks. Sorry I wrote a novel. :)
 
Hehe. No prob about the novel. The current crop of Riddle kids are unfortunately rich kids who are convinced they world will be how it always has been, easy. Go do what you can afford, I'd suggest Nevada personally. When I went to riddle things were a LOT different. Just keep working hard, things will work out.
 
gggoosey said:
I didn't have the passion that these kids at Riddle did.. But I guess that's normal. Right?
Click to expand...

It's easy to be passionaite about flying at "the harvard of the skys" when you don't have to pay for it. But for you, me, and just about everybody else, Riddle is rediculsy overpriced.

You can go to a "regular" college AND learn to fly at your local FBO for considerbly less than Riddle charges for just tuition. In the end none of the airlines care where you got your flight training.
 
Luckily I got out of Erby Diddle before I went too deep, I still owe $30k in loans or so. Sounds like you have a plan set up though, good luck!
 
Take the easy financial route and go to UNR. That's where I'll be headed this coming fall, and will most likely be getting my ratings at Stead Field. (Check out Ace Aviation there)
 
I went to ERAU, but it was a different day when tuition was $1800/semester and 172s rented for $50/hr, which was fairly competitively priced at the time.

They have a good program, but they're priced for a world which we really no longer live in when students had access to unlimited capital and spending $100s of thousands of borrowed dollars to get out and get a $15K/year job wasn't that obscene.

My personal advice? State college, non-aviation degree, fly on the side. Keep expenses low, keep the college dollars going towards a non-aviation interest that can serve as a good career backup and flying on the side will keep costs low too.
 
gggoosey said:
..Before I have a conniption. :) Sorry to make my first post all drama-like, but I kinda need some help and I figure you guys would have the answers.
Sooo, I have kind of a long story. I went to community college for two years and majored in Aviation Tech while I was in high school. Flight training was obviously part of the curriculum, but I definitely didn't have the money for it, although I was working my little cushy customer service job at an electronics retailer full-time, so I figured I'd take the aviation courses they offered with the hope that most of them would transfer to Embry-Riddle because I was hellbent on going there. I obviously didn't do my research. During my senior year, I scrambled for loans and sold a few organs on the black market in an attempt to pay for school. I was able to take out enough loans to get me through the first year. I headed down there and had a crappy first semester - I was absolutely miserable about being far from my family, among other things. Yay college! Anyway, I ran out of money about a month before the semester ended for flight training, so I was stuck with like 12 hours and nowhere to go until next semester. I had a mental breakdown over winter break [this past one] about having to pay back like a bajillion dollars to go to an effing school, so I decided with hesitation to withdraw (I withdrew, then re-enrolled, then withdrew again.. haha]. I enrolled in my community college again back home because I have a scholarship here and am taking general courses until I get back on track, while working at my little cushy job as previously stated.
I have two options (at least, that I've thought of): I plan on transferring to the University of Nevada Reno [I'm a Nevada resident and I would pay like next to nothing for tuition] for business while finishing my flight training at an FBO up there.. Ooooor I could go to UND.
Ultimately, I'd like to fly the big birds but am actually excited to build up hours through flight training and such. Sometimes, I get discouraged and think I can't do it and blah, blah.. I didn't have the passion that these kids at Riddle did.. But I guess that's normal. Right?

Anyway, in your opinion, what would be the best route for me?

Thanks. Sorry I wrote a novel. :)
Click to expand...

If you didn't like ERAU, you sure as hell will not like UND. I promise.

Go to U of Nevada, get your degree, and finish up your flying at the FBO.
 
Doug Taylor said:
My personal advice? State college, non-aviation degree, fly on the side. Keep expenses low, keep the college dollars going towards a non-aviation interest that can serve as a good career backup and flying on the side will keep costs low too.
Click to expand...

:yeahthat:

As long as you have the ratings, you don't need a degree in aviation, you just need a degree.
 
ManlyAKpilot said:
Take the easy financial route and go to UNR. That's where I'll be headed this coming fall, and will most likely be getting my ratings at Stead Field. (Check out Ace Aviation there)
Click to expand...


I was looking at Northern Nevada Aviation or something, I forgot what it was called. I'll check out Ace though, thanks. What will you be majoring in at UNR?
 
I'm one of those guys that actually transferred from Riddle (the Daytona campus) to UND. I somewhat agree with the previous post that "if you don't like riddle, then you won't like UND". I agree with that because they’re both very stringent, structured part 141 flight programs so you have to deal with all of that b/s that goes along with a 141 school vs. your local FBO. Having said that I LOVE UND compared to riddle for a ton of reasons (its a real "college", there’s other majors besides aviation/engineering, there are girls, they run the flight program a lot better, better quality classes/flight instruction, etc.) But UND is still very expensive too. To help pay for it I enlisted in the Air Force Reserve which is a big help. Also, you can get in-state tuition after a year at UND even though out of state tuition is still cheaper than a private schools tuition like Embry Riddle lol.

In the end, you don't have to go to a big school like UND or Riddle to become a successful pilot. I would recommend going to the smaller school in Nevada, majoring in something other than aviation i.e. business or accounting, and obtaining your flight ratings at an FBO. With the state of the current economy you should have a backup option because if you major in aviation you’re qualified to do one thing and one thing only: fly an airplane.
 
gggoosey said:
I was looking at Northern Nevada Aviation or something, I forgot what it was called. I'll check out Ace though, thanks. What will you be majoring in at UNR?
Click to expand...

Not sure about the major yet still figuring that out. I've only read a little about Ace Aviation so I'm not sure about the quality yet.

EDIT: Actually after checking out NNA, it sounds better than Ace Aviation. I think practice sessions from Ace are scheduled, which is probably not something a college pilot needs, plus you have to inconveniently take a bus or taxi to reach Stead Field.
 
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