A question for current students

HerkEng

New Member
I am looking into going to MTSU after I am finnished with my Air Force commitment in 21 or so months.

any of you GI bill users? if so, do you use your GI Bill for both school and flying or one or the other?
If you could do it over, would you go to MTSU or to one of the other many schools.
How is the flying there?

also, is there much need for housing? I might buy a duplex or something like that to help with payments..

also, my wife is a teacher and do you know if there is much need for teachers in that area?
thanks,
Todd
 
Hey, Herk!!
Wow....I'm soooo excited...somebody with an interest in MTSU is actually saying something in the forum!!!

MTSU is a halfway decent school....in all honesty, it's a good school. A couple of key questions that you might want to ask yourself before coming here are : Do you have any previous flight training? Are you looking for a degree with an emphasis as a pro pilot? Are you coming with family? (already answered). Will you qualify for in-state tuition? Are you planning to attend full time?

With regards to your wife and a teacher job, she may find more information here.

There is lots of info about the aviation program
here, though not enough to make an informed decision. For one, there is no pay-as-you-go system. You kinda pay up front, and that's that. They're pretty much anal about that. If you're using G.I. Bill benefits, as long as the financial aid dept says you're good to go, then you can use that as "insurance" that you'll pay. I'd call the finaid department and ask specifically about that.

MTSU has a pretty high attrition rate in the pro-pilot department, and I'd venture to say that most 4-year school probably do. I think that most of it is a lack of desire. I personally know quite a few folks that just didn't want it bad enough. I know others that got into it when the airlines were hiring any and everybody with 700 hours TT. As soon as the industry went south, they bailed and changed to dispatch or management. Still others decided that the cold beer on Thursday night (or any other night, really...
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) was more important, and they just bailed! More jobs for me, I say!!

If you have previous flight training past your private, things can get tricky. They want you to complete your commercial here, plus two advanced ratings. I transferred from a 2-year school, with my private and instrument done, and a checkride away from my commercial. In all honesty, it was just easier for me to major in Dispatch and do my flying on the side.

What other schools have you looked at? Check out Northwestern State University in Louisiana...I almost went there, and they have a pretty good program. You can go to my website for the link...
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(sorry, another shameless plug...).

Another thing to remember about MTSU is that you MUST minor in something. My minor is Geography, and I'm pretty glad that I did it. I love it, and I've had crazy thoughts about getting my teacher certification in social studies......weird. Some folks minor in Business, just because someone told them to. Damn that....

It's a good program. There's another pretty darn succesful Blue Raider that frequents this site, and he's flying for an airline now....barely out of school!! (and I remember him when he was a snot-nosed kid.....keep that in mind when you want to curse out the front-desk guys and hit the line guys....they may have to help you one day!!!!). HE might be able to give you some scoop on the flight department. Since I'm not a pro-pilot guy, my scoop could be slanted... (I won't volunteer his name.....he has his right to privacy - but with a little digging, you could probably figure it out
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).

If you have any questions, let me know and I'll do my best to help you out!! Good luck!!

P.S. Our football team is the worst team in history...
 
Thanks for the quick reply!!

I will have my AA degree when I get out of the AF and I have well over 1400 hours as a flight engineer ( but that means nothing..) I have zero time as a pilot.

I can get residency if I want it there and I will also go as a full time student ( I hope.. we have a baby on the way and my wife will have to work to pay all my bills
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)
I honestly could care less what my degree is in..if a pro pilot degree would help then that's the way I want to go..but I really could care less..I am like you..if this does not work, I would love to be a teacher.

I do not understand what you mean by the GI Bill is used as insurance.

Would you suggest that I do bet my private before attending there or would it help to do it all at once? The thing is, I am gone so much and the prices are SO high here for flight training..I would rather get it after I get out.

I emailed the admissions department and asked if the flight school was "part 141" and they had no idea..so I will have to email someone in the flight department to figure it out.

I want to thank you again for the reply.

Todd
 
Congrats on the baby!!!

Well, the flight school is part 141 approved. The prices really aren't that bad at all. According to the memo sent out yesterday, the Private Pilot lab is $4000, Instrument Cross-Country Lab is $5925, Instrument Lab is $3700 and the commercial lab is $5830. Not the cheapest flight training out there, but I've seen flight training twice as expensive (or more, if you look at some of the academies). Keep in mind that this does not include tuition, which is available on the website (I can't keep track anymore....it's going up all over the country!!!).

As for the G.I. Bill, it's pretty simple the way that works. First, make sure you complete your FAFSA at least a year before you get out. If not a year, as long before hand as you possibly can.

Apply to MTSU early, again, I'd say 8 months to a year before you plan to attend. When you do your FAFSA, make sure you list MTSU as one of your schools. That way, MTSU will have all of your financial aid information and will begin to process you for a financial aid award package.

Since you're a veteran and have a family, youll be eligible for higher loan amounts, if you want them. I'd personally say take them if you need them. The interest rate is lower than you're going to get at any bank, and that's a good thing. I digress.....

Once you enroll and start going to school, you'll get your monthly benefit directly into your bank account from the VA.

Basically, I'd say not to use your GI bill money for flight training. Use it for school. You get a much bigger pay out. For instance, if you take the private pilot lab in the spring semester, you'll spend $4000 for flight training. You can't even have that reimbursed because it's only a private. BUT....if you use the GI bill for college, you'll still get paid. My benefit is $1135 per month (if you have been given the opportunity to contribute the extra $600, DO IT!!! Worked out to an extra $5100 for me...).

To take the example further...let's say you complete the commercial lab in one semester, and spend $5830. 60% of that is $3498. BUT...if you use the benefit for college, you could clear more than $4000 during that semester. And that's per month, not after you finish the rating!!
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So, basically, if you use the GI Bill for college and not flight training, it doesn't matter if the school is 141 approved or not.

If you're going in with no prior flight experience, the pro pilot program might be good for you. The dispatch program isn't too bad...another FAA cert!!!

Anything else you wanna know, I'm here!!!
 
Thanks, this will be our first ( its going to be a little boy)
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I want to thank you for telling me about FAFSA I knew nothing of this website..so it will help out a lot.
I also have already added my $600. to my GI Bill..and I think people are stupid not to add it..it gives you so much more money.

The prices sound great there ( better then I can get here)
but, may I ask, how do you pay for it without using your GI Bill? I do not know how I will do it..and I do not want to work when I go back to school.

I also noticed that under your name you live in Nashville..we are looking at places in between so that my Wife can have a better option of work.
Her parents are going to retire near knoxville in two years and My wife has a good friend just outside of Nashville..so we will have a better time there while I go back to school then anywhere else I bet.

I again want to thank you for all your help.

Do you know of anyplace around there where I can get my Pro Flight Engineer? I might as well get it with all my experience. and also my A&P ( I am also a prior crew chief). Does the school offer it there?

How is the town of Murfreesboro?
I am planning on buying a house while I am there..and have looked on the net..not much offered..so I think we will look into surounding towns.

But I do not want to get too far ahead of myself...I still have 21 months left
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( that = many more deployments to afghan/iraq)
thanks again,
Todd
 
Forgive me if this makes no sense...may be the Long Island Iced Teas kicking in...
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I want to thank you for telling me about FAFSA.


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Not a problem. The sad thing is that MANY people don't know anything about the FAFSA (especially those of us returning to school - seems to have slipped our minds). The big thing is that without copleting the FAFSA, you're not eligible for ANY federal financial aid (and in most cases, scholarships). It is this application that determines your eligibility for aid - including Pell Grants, loans, etc.

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I also have already added my $600. to my GI Bill..and I think people are stupid not to add it..it gives you so much more money.

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Yeah, it really makes the difference. Oh, well...some people pay off credit cards with credit cards!!

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The prices sound great there ( better then I can get here)
but, may I ask, how do you pay for it without using your GI Bill? I do not know how I will do it..and I do not want to work when I go back to school.


[/ QUOTE ]

Therein lies the trick!!

The first thing is that you need to remember that if you use the G.I. Bill to cover flight training, it really won't. It will only reimburse you for 60% of those expenses, AFTER you complete the training. So, in reality, you're going to need to come up with the money up front. So, that's why I say that you should use it for school.

So, let's play an imaginary numbers game. Lets say you're starting in August. You've completed your FAFSA and any required university paperwork. You've also applied (through MTSU) for the maximum amount of federal Stafford loans (I believe it's $6625 for your first year and goes up each additional year). Remember, you get more than an 18-year old student because you're a veteran, and you have a family.

So, we'll say you're going to get that. You also qualified for $3000 in Pell Grants - free money that doesn't need to be paid back!! This comes to a grand total of $9625 so far. Divide that by two, and it's $4812.50 per semester.

Now, the GI bill benefit for those of us with the addition $600 contribution is $1135 these days. Figure 4 months in the fall semester, so that totals $4540. Altogether, it seems that we're working with $9352.50 for the semester.

Now, when you apply and do all of your paperwork with the VA rep on campus (do this yourself - don't wait on him to initiate the procedures), this will be included with your FINAID. The FINAID office can submit a letter to the flight school stating that your G.I. Bill monies will be paid monthly, and after your tuition is taken from the original $4812.50 in aid (you'll never even have to write aq check...it's all done electronically), you can have the remaining balance of your aid applied to you flight account. The balance of the lab fees will be paid by you when you get yous G.I. Bill money at the end of each month (or more accurately, at the beginning of the following month - so, your January money hits on or about the 6th of Feb).

When you crunch the math, you come out on top by about $1182.50. Of course, you'll need books and crap like that, which you can legally purchase with your financial aid. You are also allowed to pay for a car, gas, rent, computer, charts - anything else that is directly connected with your expense as a student.

That's a quick version of it. Really, you could teach a semester-long course on financial aid and the G.I. Bill. Unfortunately, once you're an expert in the field, you're about to graduate!!
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I also noticed that under your name you live in Nashville...


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Well, I actually live in Madison, but it's in Davidson county - the northern-most city in the metro. For all intensive purposes, it's Nashville - but with a 45-minute commute. Check out Smyrna, Murfreesboro, etc. It'll make life much easier.
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Her parents are going to retire near knoxville in two years and My wife has a good friend just outside of Nashville..so we will have a better time there while I go back to school then anywhere else I bet.


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That can make alot of difference!!! I'm here too, so like I said, if you need anything at all, or just have questions, feel free to ask!! Also, visit the campus and the area sometime. I did before I came here, and it makes things alot easier to decide. All in all, it's not a bad area at all!!
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Do you know of anyplace around there where I can get my Pro Flight Engineer? I might as well get it with all my experience. and also my A&P ( I am also a prior crew chief). Does the school offer it there?


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Honestly, I haven't got a clue. The FSDO might be able to point you in the right direction. Anybody reading know how to go about this??
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How is the town of Murfreesboro?


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Growing!! It's not a large town, but it's getting bigger. From what I hear, it's good for families, and not far at all from Nashville. You can be downtown in 30-45 minutes.
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But I do not want to get too far ahead of myself...I still have 21 months left
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( that = many more deployments to afghan/iraq)


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Hey, it's never too soon to start planning. I began my planning about 18 months before I actually moved.
 
Herk,
Looks like youve got a good start on info so far. First, I must offer the disclaimer that I am not a current student as the title of the thread described. I cant offer any advice as far as using your VA benifits to the max potential. I used to deal with that alot in a former job, but havent dealt with it since. MTSUAV8er seems like he knows 3 times more then the average bear about that stuff so id take his word on it.

As far as the flight school goes. It has its plusses and minuses. Did i spell those right? Plusses? Maybe that oughta give ya a hint of where i graduated...j/k One of the new pluses is that there is a new fleet of airplanes which SHOULD result in a higher dispatch rate and completion rate. The school has a pretty good rate of graduates going to the airline and this also helps you make connections as your former CFIs will probably be going to the airlines which could lead to your next job. Some bad parts are that it seems the school has been in a transition for about the last 2 years, cant seem to find what its going to make as concrete ways of doing things. This may not make sense to you now, but someone who has been there could tell ya.
One other thing that isnt so great is there are no bridge programs, or regonized lower mins to graduates to airlines. However, sometimes these bridge programs arent all they are cracked up to be and ive known a few who have gotten hired with pretty low time even without a bridge. It can, and has been done.

MTSU does have some internships but most are with major airlines, and just how valuable are those? When times from Regionals to Majors was just a couple of years, you could actually be at the Major you interned with in college in just a few short years. But with the way things are now, youre gonna lose most of those connections, who knows how long itlll be before teh majors hire again?? or even if they major will be around? But things are cyclical so who knows?

The on campus part of the pro-pilot program is Ok i would say. I feel there needs to be a little more classes with Airline life in mind, But thats just me.

Ok with all that rambling, to sum, its a good school for a pretty good price that has a long list of people who have gone and done it...IF i were in your shoes...hmm..THis is what i would do. I would live in North Nashville, like POrtland area. Then enroll in Western KY Univ and go to school for what you really like, teaching i think you mentioned. I would then go out to the airport in Bowling Green and Sign up with ATP and go thru there training if the price meets your budget. If thats just to pricey, i dont even know how much it is, go with MTSU.
 
I want to thank you both for all the helpful information..
I just found out today that I have orders to PCS to Germany ( for 36 months)..this is a huge bombshell....in one hand that would have been my dreem assignment..I had wanted that base since I joined the USAF..but with only 21 months left on my enlistment they might make me join..I might have to take them..but I am hopping to get out of the USAF and start my new life ( any maybe join the ANG later)

Thanks again for the help..
I am still seriously looking at MTSU as the school for me.
again thanks,
Todd
 
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