Vincent Rustico
New Member
Well, I've wanted to be a pilot since I was young, maybe 9 or so? I'm 16 now. Always was a Navy brat and always will be. I have good knowledge with planes and aviation, which helps as a background, but the good stuff is coming up. Currently a Sophomore, well ending my Sophomore year this week, will be a Junior in September. I have a 4.0 GPA, All honors courses (with the exception of one, but not a big deal), Mock Trial club, Soccer and Swimming, AFJROTC with my school, United States Naval Sea Cadet Corps outside of school (looks super good for anything), part of National Honors Society, and I come from a good family, who I believe have raised me right, or so I have been told. I speak with my guidance counselor pretty often, with questions I have, but she can't give me the answers I need for the specific route I wish to follow. I've spoken to a Navy recruiter, but he didn't really help me much; it seemed like he was reading off of a script with every question I asked, go figure, he's a recruiter, what did I expect? I also spoke with an Army recruiter, who was really personable and honest, but he was Army, and couldn't help me regarding the Navy route, but he still made some good points of advice, person to person, not recruiter to potential recruit. My plans are to continue on the path I am on with everything, and hopefully get the NROTC scholarship. I hope to attend Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach and get a BS in Aeronautical Science. I recently visited the campus and fell in love with it in its entirety. The only issue is that for the first 2 years, tuition would be around $75k, and $60k for the third year, which is quite expensive. I want to be a Naval Aviator in the long run, get my multi-engine hours with the Navy, then eventually retire from the Navy and go into the commercial world as an airline pilot. I just need to know what I should do from this point on, the end of my Sophomore year, all the way up to getting into Naval Aviation. Is paying all that money for Embry-Riddle, the ivy league of flight schools, worth it, or should I get a degree in something else, where it is cheaper? Oh, one more thing. My mom works for Rutgers University, and since she does, I would be able to go there without paying a dime in tuition. Just food for thought. I am kind of overwhelmed with options and I would like some of you who have experience in this field to give me tips of advice and guidance of where to go from here. Anything is appreciated. Thank you so much guys.