Questions about Embry-Riddle

D

**DONOTDELETE**

New Member
Hello everyone!

I will be entering my final year of high school, and then will hopefully be attending Embry-Riddle for their Aeronautical Science program in Fall of 2002. I have a few questions that I was hoping some of you could answer for me.

1 - I'm a Canadian citizen. Are their many Canadian students attending the university. More importantly, are the costs any higher for an out-of-country student?

2 - Would it be wise to complete my PPL before I go to Embry Riddle in a year?

3 - How do most people at the school pay for tuition and flying expense etc? Mostly student loans?

4 - Are there any opportunities for work on campus, or any aviation-related jobs off-campus?

5 - I'm not familiar with Grade-Point Averages, or what requirments ERAU has in regards to accepting students. In Canada, our marks are recorded in percentages. My average this year was rougly in the upper 70's. Is this adequete? Or do I need to really bust my ass off to get accepted next year? Is competition tight to get in?

6 - What high school courses would you recommend me taking next year to help me get in?
My schedule next year looks like this:

Advanced French Immersion
English
Man in Society
World Insues
Math - Grade 12 (4th year)
Calculus
Physics
Finite

Would you recommend making any changes to this schedule? I haven't taken a single chemistry coarse throughout high school - is this a problem?

Wow - I think I got through them all.
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Any help would be appreciated. I would just really like to get some answers to these questions.

I look forward to a reply :-)

Thanks,
Kyle Richardson
kylerichardson747@hotmail.com

P.S. - Regarding dorms....can I get a single room for myself? How much more does it cost roughly? Thanks.
 
Hee hee I love you're screen name I happen to be a 747 fan myself. Plus, I love answering questions about this school, maybe I should get a job as a tour guide or something....oh well, on with the answers.
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) Oh yeah, these answers are for the PRC (Prescott, AZ) campus. If not going there then disregard I suppose.

1.) I haven't met many Canadians here but I suppose there have to be SOME. It's mostly Californians, Texans, and Hawaiians. And I know that there is an international student service fee, but not sure how much it is, can't be all that much though.

2.)Definately complete your PPL if you can. People that come here with it already accelerate through the training SOOO much faster.

3.)I'm paying with student loans, soem grants from the government and school, and my grandparents have a parent loan. I get most of my flight money through that parent loan but, I also work part-time to help just a teeny tiny bit.

4.)There are TONS of jobs on campus. Most are minimum wage. The most paying job is $8.00/hour de-icing airplanes in the winter. you can also get jobs at Flight Dispatch or scheduling. The maintenence/groundskeepers jobs pay a lot too. Not sure about aviation related off-campus. I'm trying to get a hold of Mesa/America West Airlines to see if I could get a job working at the "terminal" here as a gate agent. That's pretty much the only off-campus aviation related job I can think of.

5.) I got in with a 3.2 GPA which I suppose is about around a 85 or so percentage wise. Also, I was in the top 25% of my graduating class, so I think that helped a bit. People tell me that it's really hard to get accepted but, if some of the people that got in last year are any indication I think they might be lowering their standards a bit.
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) I just snet in my application and they accepted me, I didn't really apply to any other schools, and it wasn't that big of a deal to me if I got in or not. In retrospect I think I should have been excited about getting accepted, I absolutely love it here. Either way, I guess you should work your butt off to get good grades anyway. And I think they take a look at your community involvement a bit too. I had done some of that so, I'm sure that went into some of the decision making process.

6.)Wow! Those look like some neat and hard courses! The Physics will help you out a lot, so pay attention. I never took Physics in high school and barely scraped by Physics I with a C. My High School Chemistry did help me out quite a bit with understanding Physics II (I made a B. Just got my grade today. Yea!
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)but, I suppose it's all up to you.

7.) (from the P.S.) From what I've heard getting a room by yourself costs:

Take what you would normally pay.
Double that.
Now add a half.

But, that's just what I've heard. I think from my RA but, not remembering who exactly. I got lucky. When I first showed up in Fall my roomie decided not to show up. Housing was so busy figuring out the guys' problems (there was so much overcrowding in the guys' dorms, there was like 9 guys sharing a space for 6. Shouldn't be so much of a problem next year because they're building new housing.) that they didn't find out that I didn't have a roomie until November when they assigned me a roommate but, she basically "lived" in her boyfriend' suite and was never there. Then when Spring came around she moved out with her BF into an apartment and Housing never gave me a new roomie. So I was pretty much alone. Which I must say is nice. But, I suppose it's ok to have a roommate though. Me and one girl from my suite became like best-friends and I wouldn't mind sharing a room with her. So, you never knoe maybe you'll meet someone you like.
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Congratulations on being a fan of a fine aircraft. Especially 747-400 eh??

Thanks for answering the questions.

My only problem that I think I might have now is getting in with my marks (GPA).
I will make sure I work really hard next year.

When should I apply? When I probably have to apply - first semester won't even be over yet? Will they take my midterm marks and give me a conditional acceptance?
I know you aren't the admissions department or anything - but you probably have a better idea than I do.

Okay, so basically I will be sharing a room with someone. It's not a big problem or anything. I get along with people..I think I would just prefer a single room. Oh well, we don't always get what we want.

I think I will be going to the Daytona campus, simply because Prescott seems SOOOOO incredibly far from home. But then again, so is Florida.

Hopefully I can get a job as a CFI at Riddle. HOw many of the students actually teach? And approximately after how many years do they get their CFI?
What do most people do after graduation? Regionals?

Well, thanks a lot. I'll be gone for the next five days or so - but I will be back.

Thanks,
kyle
 
When my boyfriend applied to Riddle they wouldn't accept him at first because he had like a 1.3 GPA. So, they told him to go to a community college and send them his grades. After the first semester there he sent them his grades and they told him to take some more classes and if he got at least a C in those then he was accepted. So, I suppose they might do the "conditional acceptance" thing you mentioned. I mean, they did it with him. Sorry for babbling on and on.
 
I guess I can expect to be accepted with a 3.20 from my last school and higher than standard test scores from HS
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(hopefully, but still nervous
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).

BTW, Pilot Kitty, How long did it take from the time they started the review process on your admission application until they made the decision to accept you? I'll be going to DB, but I can't imagine the review process at DB being any different from that of Prescott's except for maybe there aren't as many applications to process at the Prescott campus, I could be wrong though.
My review procss started Friday, the day after my transcripts arrived at the DB campus by Fed-Ex.

As far as 747-400s go, I think they are the most majestic and graceful aircraft in the sky today. I usually have a 747-400 on my desktop as wallpaper. I'm hoping to get into the flight deck of one, but I'm not holding my breath though. Everytime I go to the SFO International Terminal, I walk the gates where 747s are parked, and just sit there looking at them with nothing else on my mind. Seeing them take off sometimes makes me emotional. Watching them is usually a good way for me to relieve stress.
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Erik.

[ July 01, 2001: Message edited by: Erik R ]
 
I agree completely abou the 747's! When BA had the one going into PHX everyday (replaced with 777, which I suppose isn't bad but, I still miss the 47) I would drive two hours down there just to see it take-off. But, it was always parked at the international terminal which you can't get into without a ticket. So, I never got to see one up close. When I was connecting in DEN once I saw a UAL 747 parked at the gate right next to my flight (727) and I wish I could've just sat there and stared at it forever but, I was late from my connecting flight so, I was in a hurry.
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Although, I would've gladly missed my flight if I could've but we were delayed there for four hours as it is waiting for de-icing.

Ok, anyway, sorry for babbling on about 47's I could literally go on forever!
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Ok, yeah about the addmissions process thingy. I turned my application and such via the internet in March sometime and I got my acceptance letter dated April 28th. So, about a month I suppose. I sent in my transcripts in May when I graduated even though I'd already been accepted. I hope that helps some, my mind's a little fuzzy on when I sent it in though, so don't hold me to that. Like I've said before I was pretty blaise about them accepting me, so I wasn't as anxious as others seem to be.
 
I wouldn't worry too much about the GPA. I went in with similar marks. And I knew people who probably came in with worse H.S. marks than I did. .

Most ERAU CFI's are ex-students. Expect, especially at DB campus, to not reach the CFI level 'till the senior year or after. They have a BIG shortage of aircraft for the number of students. One of the downfalls of ERAU is that they tend to accept far more students than they can handle. Which is good for your acceptance rate, but difficult when you go to the flight line and try to book a plane that has 3 other people scheduled for it.

You can expect to graduate with about 300 hours of time, far less than the basic requirements for regionals. So expect to instruct or find a way to otherwise build time. Instructing is probably the best way to get to the regionals/Part 135 freight step. If you can bring your college grades up to 3.5+ GPA (85% I guess) and be an active community member (all that good crap that looks good on resumes) then check out the Bridge Program. Its a way to get to Regionals quicker.

Its a good school. Expensive, tough, but good.

As far as when to apply....well....before the deadline. Thats the best answer I can give you. BTW. I knew several canadians at the PRC campus. Talk to the admissions department to find out what loops you have to jump through.

Good luck.

Cheers,
D
 
Hey the 747 is amazing. Too bad they don't fly those things into Syracuse. When im at the airport im stuck looking at Dash-8's and an occasional DC-9. Well I have seen one before but that was in Philidelphia on a connection to Fort Lauderdale
 
I got to fly on one from SFO-ORD, and came very close to going on one on my return trip. It's an amazing ride!

Erik.
 
Hey SIGman, could you tell me a little more about the bridge program ?

What other options are there on building hours after getting your Comm./Instrument ?

By the way PilotKitty, I was lucky enough to get to sit in the jumpeat of a South African Airways 744 for over an hour while crossing the atlantic
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. It was amazing, I just kept on speaking to the " boy " ( relief )pilots until I got pretty tired.

Thanks

Craig
 
I was supposed to fly a 747 from Spain back to New York, but they screwed me over and gave me an Airbus 340...HaHa...Not that that was a problem either. I got to go up and check out the cockpit and meet the pilots. Fun Fun.
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Thanks for writing.
I don't think that I would actually mind it if I had to instruct for a living for a few years. Florida is warm! And Embry-Riddle would look good on a resume eh?

There are a few other things I will need to consider though.

It doesn't say anything on ERAU's website about foreigners having to write SATs. We don't have any testing like that in Canada. Universities base their decision on school marks. Would I have to write the American SAT?

And what about student VISAs? Would I be able to work down there while I attended school? I heard it's extremely hard to become an American citizen.

Thanks,
kyle

I wouldn't worry too much about the GPA. I went in with similar marks. And I knew people who probably came in with worse H.S. marks than I did. .

Most ERAU CFI's are ex-students. Expect, especially at DB campus, to not reach the CFI level 'till the senior year or after. They have a BIG shortage of aircraft for the number of students. One of the downfalls of ERAU is that they tend to accept far more students than they can handle. Which is good for your acceptance rate, but difficult when you go to the flight line and try to book a plane that has 3 other people scheduled for it.

You can expect to graduate with about 300 hours of time, far less than the basic requirements for regionals. So expect to instruct or find a way to otherwise build time. Instructing is probably the best way to get to the regionals/Part 135 freight step. If you can bring your college grades up to 3.5+ GPA (85% I guess) and be an active community member (all that good crap that looks good on resumes) then check out the Bridge Program. Its a way to get to Regionals quicker.

Its a good school. Expensive, tough, but good.

As far as when to apply....well....before the deadline. Thats the best answer I can give you. BTW. I knew several canadians at the PRC campus. Talk to the admissions department to find out what loops you have to jump through.

Good luck.

Cheers,
D[/QB][/QUOTE]
 
Hey Kyle,

Here's what the admissions office says about international students:
http://www.embryriddle.edu/requirements/ug_res_reqs.html

Go to that website and scroll down the page to "INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS." It tells you everything you need to know. Yeah, you'll need a visa. And in regards to SAT's or ACT's, no you don't have to take them. ERAU just wants copies of any tests that you may have had to take in Canada. Not every test in every class, but something that would be equivilent to an SAT or ACT.

I don't know how much it costs for flight training in Canada, or how the exchange rate factors into it. But my guess is it's cheaper for you to get your ppl in Canada. I don't know how training for a Canadian PPL compares to the US standards, they're probably better. Regardless, you'll be prepared and will plow through your beginning training. Anyways, ERAU currently charges $125 an hour for dual training in a single-engine simple (not-complex) airplane. That's the most expensive I've seen anywhere. I pay $106 at home, but even that is pretty expensive for U.S. standards. So get whatever ratings you can before you go to ERAU.
 
Hey --

Thanks for the info. FORTUNATELY, in Canada, we do not have any standardized testing for graduating or senior students. Universities base their admissions on the students performance mainly during their 3rd, 4th, and 5th years of high school. In Canada, we have five years of high school, the last one being basically a university-preparation year where the students take courses in the field of what they interested into going to school for. These courses are called OACs. The universities mainly just look at those marks.

I think I will probably write an SAT though.

Flight training in Canada is apparently relatively cheap compared to schools in the States.

For one hour of dual, I am currently paying 110 dollars. Which is not very much from what I have seen. 110 Canadian dollars translates into rougly 80 dollars American.

I have heard Canadian standards for the PPL is similar to those of America, if not better. (That is just what I've heard...but I'm sure they are pretty well the same)...I know we must have 45 hours to get our licence.

Thanks for the advice. When I told my parents how much it will cost for me to go to Riddle, my dad basically said "Yeah, right." and then chukkled. But they will support me if this is what I want to do. I just have NO IDEA where I am going to come up with that kind of money. I caluculated that it will cost me roughly 50 thousand (Canadian) for one year at Riddle. Multiply that by 4, and the figure doesn't look too happy.
I hope the banks will loan me some money.

Kyle
 
Hey Kyle,

I can speak from experience on the $$$ issue. I'm going to Daytona this Fall and my parents are only helping in a minor way. For the most part, I will be taking about $20,000 U.S. in personal bank loans in my name. My parents are going to cosign.

$80 an hour is pretty similar to the standard in the U.S. I just live in an area where everything is too expensive and ERAU's rates are very high. Go for whatever training you can while you're there. The closer you get to your CFI, the sooner you will be able to instruct while you are in school. Thus, you'll be building hours while getting paid since you're stuck in school anyways. Much better to do that, than wait for your CFI till you're close to graduation and end up spending a year or two after your out building hours.

I don't know where you would take an SAT. It's a supervised test that, as far as I know, is only conducted in the United States. Are you close enough to the border that you could get to a testing site. You can go to this website to register: http://www.collegeboard.org/sat/html/satform.html
However, I don't know why you would want to take the test if you didn't have to. I don't think the university will give you any more weight because you took it.
 
Marc--

I will be taking out a lot for than 20,000 U.S. dollars in loans. I will be in debt forever. I don't even know if the bank will loan me the amount of money that I need. Fortunately, a few of my relatives are loaded, and I think if I ask nicely, they will help me out!

Hopefully I will have my PPL in the next few months. Sooner, if I can find a better job than what I am doing now. (coughMcDonald'scough), and I KNOW that I can get a higher paying job than that. They are out there.

I live about 50 minutes from the border.
On a clear day, when I go flying, I can see the Detroit skyline. And at night, I can see the lights from Clevland across Lake Erie. So, yeah, I'm pretty close to the border.
But I'm pretty sure that there are testing centres in Canada, because I know people who have written them in Canada.

Oh I wish I were rich.

Kyle
 
Well I envy you if you have friendly loaded relatives, cause that's more than I got. BTW, I didn't mean $20,000 total in loans. That's per year, and doesn't include the federal loans that I'm taking out.
 
Hi KYLE747, I'm a ERAU grad. As you can read from the messages, there are a lot of people trying to help answer your questions. Some good and bad. Read PilotKittys' remarks. The spelling and gramar is bad for someone who finished in the top 25% of a class. Maybe she can't type. Rather than seak advice from this board, on such an important issue, I would suggest that you call the school (ERAU) for your answers. You do not know the background of the people who answer on this board. What aviation field do you want to study? You wrote: Aernautical Science program. Do you want to be a Pilot, Aeronautical Engineer, Maintenance Manager, etc?

[ July 16, 2001: Message edited by: ERJ-135 ]

[ July 17, 2001: Message edited by: ERJ-135 ]
 
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