Is ERAU worth it?!?

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True. Not trying to carry ERAU's water pail, but cost-wise, you've got to compare private universities versus private universities. Similar to "$40 for limo? heck, it's only $12 for a taxi downtown!"

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Very true, but with the a few of the super public university's that are out there such as Michigan, Berkeley, Stanford etc. etc. why would someone go to a private school? You can get just as good of an education at one of the high end public schools.
 
This is getting rather annoying here. I asked a question of whether it is worth attending ERAU as an international student and I still haven't gotten a stright forward answer. Kinda ironic because all you are talking about is how outrageous the cost of tuition is... Doesn't help me a lot here :P
 
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This is what I got from an admissions officer from ERAU...

ESTIMATED
INTERNATIONAL STUDENT EXPENSES FOR ACADEMIC YEAR
FALL 2004/SPRING 2005

Tuition & Fees $22,386.00
Books & Supplies 900.00
Housing & Meals 6,600.00
Medical Insurance 504.00
International University Fees 50.00
Personal Expenses (will vary per individual) 1,500.00
TOTAL (Estimated for Academic Year) $31,940.00

Additional costs for flight related degrees are estimated to be approximately
$9,600 per year.
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Now I'm wondering if this is all worth it... Taking into consideration that I am an international student and getting FAA certificate might not help me. However, I do want to get a degree in something. Any suggestions or ideas?

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Is ERAU your number one option right now?

I would look at the both the pros and cons of attending ERAU for yourself (if you have not done so already). After looking at them, do you think it's worth it?

If you think it is your best option that will make you happy, then I would personally go for it. However, before you do, I would make sure that I would have/will have the ability to pay off those loans (assuming you take out loans) after you graduate. Also, consider the expense of how much the FAA conversions will cost you.

As far as FAA license conversions, I am not sure about that. I would check out the The JAA/European Aviation section of the forums... unless someone can give a quicker response here.
 
To be completely frank, the data you gave us was cost-based. I was a student at ERAU when it was roughly $2,300/trimester for tuition so when I see numbers like that, without reference to average costs of other private colleges, all I can say is 'holy crap! that's a lot of money!' like everyone else.

I'd suggest a little self-evaluation. Get a sheet of paper and list what you'd like to get out of college from quality of life, academics, name on the dipoloma(well, fess up Harvard grads!), location and list an approximate yearly cost you're willing to spend/finance/beg/borrow/steal and match a college with has the best mix.

Is it worth it? I dunno. What specifically are you looking for?
 
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This is getting rather annoying here. I asked a question of whether it is worth attending ERAU as an international student and I still haven't gotten a stright forward answer. Kinda ironic because all you are talking about is how outrageous the cost of tuition is... Doesn't help me a lot here :P

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It's a subjective question you have to answer for yourself. We don't know your current situation as far as family, finances, etc. If I had thousands of dollars in the bank, I'd say yeah it's worth it. But, I don't. I have to look at what I would have to give up in order to fund ERAU. Is it worth it to me? I'm not sure yet. I'm glad I'm going the distance learning route since I can actually afford it, but I don't have the degree or a job yet. Therefore, I have to defer my decision until a later date. As far as $20K+ a year (and that's NOT including flight), Riddle's got top notch academics, but I honestly don't think they are worth THAT much.
 
Say that I graduate from ERAU with the FAA certificate. How hard is it to obtain a JAA certficate afterwards? Is it just a simple conversion? If not, how should I go on about getting the JAA certficate? And how much are the costs for the conversion...? Anyone know of a school that offers this kind type of conversion?
 
Well this is just my opinion but how about getting a degree in something else and getting your ratings on the side? It can be done a lot cheaer that way plus you have a fallback option. As far as tuition goes that isnt too far off from most private universities in the US now a days. I mean just to even think about touching a private east coast college you better be ready to drop $30-$40k a year in tuition alone. Tuition is really getting outrageous everywhere. What makes it harder at riddle would be all the extra aviation costs. To be honest and maybe im wrong but it really doesnt matter how or where you get your rating. As long as you have the certificates you need with no marks on your record you have a shot at getting jobs. I dont think having a degree from a prestigious aviation school/141 school is going to be that big of a factor in if you get a job or not. Its all about who you know. If you decide ERAU is for you thats good too but it doesnt nessecarily give you much more of a chance at getting a job. I know they have "bridge" programs but again its just one of the many options available. There are many paths to the career. No matter what you still have to interview no matter how or where you get your ratings. A job wont just fall into your lap no matter how you get things done
 
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Say that I graduate from ERAU with the FAA certificate. How hard is it to obtain a JAA certficate afterwards?

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Not 100% sure, but I think it's pretty difficult. You have to take a lot of tests, and it could take up to a year or more to get everything switched over. I haven't done a lot of research on the subject (there is another forum here dedicated to JAA, though) since I was only moderatly pondering moving to Germany.....

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Anyone know of a school that offers this kind type of conversion?

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There are actually a couple of schools in FL that give JAA ratings, I think.
 
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As far as tuition goes that isnt too far off from most private universities in the US now a days.

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Yeah, but if someone asks you where you went to school, saying "Harvard" or "Yale" is a lot different than saying "Embry-Riddle". In all reality, 99.999999999999999% of people have never heard of ERAU, so the name recognition factor means nothing.
I realize everyone's thinking "but it does in the aviation industry". Bulls$#!t. I had a chance to meet one of the most senior captains at delta who is also significantly in charge of hiring, and he had only vaguely heard of ERAU and had no idea whatsoever what kind of program they had, nor did he care.
 
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I had a chance to meet one of the most senior captains at delta who is also significantly in charge of hiring, and he had only vaguely heard of ERAU and had no idea whatsoever what kind of program they had, nor did he care.

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Umm...I'm calling BS on that one. ERAU may not have the same weight as it carried before, but many many people in the industry know what it is. How many Delta pilots went to Riddle themselves? Hmm.
 
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As far as tuition goes that isnt too far off from most private universities in the US now a days.

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Yeah, but if someone asks you where you went to school, saying "Harvard" or "Yale" is a lot different than saying "Embry-Riddle". In all reality, 99.999999999999999% of people have never heard of ERAU, so the name recognition factor means nothing.
I realize everyone's thinking "but it does in the aviation industry". Bulls$#!t. I had a chance to meet one of the most senior captains at delta who is also significantly in charge of hiring, and he had only vaguely heard of ERAU and had no idea whatsoever what kind of program they had, nor did he care.

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But when I attended Riddle, they told me I was attending the "Harvard of the Skies"

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But when I attended Riddle, they told me I was attending the "Harvard of the Skies"

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Wow, they had that line back then too? They need new material.
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But when I attended Riddle, they told me I was attending the "Harvard of the Skies"

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Wow, they had that line back then too? They need new material.
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LOL. You ain't kidding. They're still preaching that?
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How many Delta pilots went to Riddle themselves? Hmm.

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Actually, quite a few! Whether it be thru the PRC/DAB campus or the international/extended campus.
 
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Wow, they had that line back then too? They need new material.
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Back then? Back then? Oh, wait, jiminy crickets I guess I AM an old man now!

I think US News/World Report coined the phrase in reference to our engineering program and good old Slick "Sliwa" started slinging it around when tuition started to skyrocket.
 
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Wow, they had that line back then too? They need new material.
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Back then? Back then? Oh, wait, jiminy crickets I guess I AM an old man now!

I think US News/World Report coined the phrase in reference to our engineering program and good old Slick "Sliwa" started slinging it around when tuition started to skyrocket.

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Yes, Doug. The sad fact is, for you, me, and Copa, it was over 15 years ago.

Maybe we can all have our own version of "Old School"!
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Umm...I'm calling BS on that one. ERAU may not have the same weight as it carried before, but many many people in the industry know what it is. How many Delta pilots went to Riddle themselves? Hmm.

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Call it what you want, but when you get out in the real world you'll realize that the riddle degree gives a pilot no advantage whatsoever. In fact, I am consistently told that bringing up the fact that one went to riddle is not a good idea during an interview.

When I was at PRC I was considering changing to aerospace studies and doing my ratings elsewhere. The riddle counselors told me that my transcripts would show the difference and that I would have great difficulty getting hired because of it.

I "called BS" on them, and I also realized that if I was going to switch to North-aire, I may as well switch to a school with a better reputation, much lower costs, and a more versatile degree while doing my ratings at a regular 61 FBO.

Sure, many Delta pilots went to riddle, but most went somewhere else and I'm sure that pretty much all of them realize that spending all that money for the "harvard of the skies" is friggin' ridiculous.
 
"Dude, like your roommate is having Vietnam flashbacks"

"I know..."

"How old is he?"

"He's like uhh, 19 bro..."

Ahh, college!
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Umm...I'm calling BS on that one. ERAU may not have the same weight as it carried before, but many many people in the industry know what it is. How many Delta pilots went to Riddle themselves? Hmm.

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Call it what you want, but when you get out in the real world you'll realize that the riddle degree gives a pilot no advantage whatsoever. In fact, I am consistently told that bringing up the fact that one went to riddle is not a good idea during an interview.

When I was at PRC I was considering changing to aerospace studies and doing my ratings elsewhere. The riddle counselors told me that my transcripts would show the difference and that I would have great difficulty getting hired because of it.

I "called BS" on them, and I also realized that if I was going to switch to North-aire, I may as well switch to a school with a better reputation, much lower costs, and a more versatile degree while doing my ratings at a regular 61 FBO.

Sure, many Delta pilots went to riddle, but most went somewhere else and I'm sure that pretty much all of them realize that spending all that money for the "harvard of the skies" is friggin' ridiculous.

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Easy there, champ. We've been over this 30 times.

1. If you read my post, you'd immediately notice that I never credited Riddle with great reputation. In fact, I implied the opposite. I only mentioned that people know the name.

2. Nowadays, I often tell people that they should go Aerospace Studies and do their flying at North-Aire. In fact, I just finished my CFI there.

3. I post regularly on this board, and quite a bit in this particular forum. My views on the school can be found fairly readily with minimal searching. If you get the itch to come out swinging, please do your homework first.

4. In response to the fact that I shouldn't bring up ERAU in an interview...the name is written very clearly on my resume. There's no need to mention where I go/went.

Please read posts carefully next time. I've had unnecessary tangles with you in the past due to this.
 
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2. Nowadays, I often tell people that they should go Aerospace Studies and do their flying at North-Aire. In fact, I just finished my CFI there.



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RP,

I was curious, and I'd been meaning to ask you. I remeber when you'd valiently defend Riddle, and I remember when you started changing your feelings. I never asked, but what changed your opinion? What's been being discussed on the forum here, or was there a personal experience?

Am simply a curious party, being an alumni myself.
 
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