Thinking of going UND

R

rc-cola

New Member
Hey all,

I am currently going to NDSU (About 79 miles south of GFK) and looking at attending UND For Commercial Aviation. I am currently unhappy with my degree plan in Criminal Justice at NDSU and how they are treating military members (Long story).

I guess I was wondering if people would recommend UND for COmmercial Aviation? I know people there boast it is one of the best in the nation, but I would like an unbiased opinion about that.

Also, I was wondering if anyone can verify the fact the UND has agreements with the regionals to hire UND pilots with lower flight hours due to them being from UND?

Kind of stuck deciding if I want to make that plunge, and the bank hit, to go to UND. Aviation is something that I've always had an eye on and would like some opinions if this is a good way to go.

All advice is welcome!

Thank you,

RC
 
UND is one of the better schools out there for aviation, especially if you can already get in-state tuition right away to help reduce the costs. The aviation program there is great but expensive, so make sure that is really what you want to do for a career. As doing both the FBO way and the UND part 141 way I would say I liked 141 better as it had more structure to it though it can be more expensive.
I wouldn't count on any agreements UND has with the regionals as a reason for going there, it is not a guarantee of anything really. Most 141 schools have some sort of preferential hiring with lower flight time anyways.
I would take an introductory flight or several of them to make sure you enjoy flying and is something you really want to do.
Best of luck.
 
I enjoy UND. The Commercial Aviation program has some quirks, but what program doesnt? I visited a number of aviation colleges before choosing UND (ERAU, Purdue, Kent), but none had the same feeling of professionalism that UND had. The aviation facitilites are second to none when I selected this school. ERAU and Purdue were way behind at the time, although ERAU just opened a brand new flight ops building.

Obviously the cold wouldn't be a problem for you :D.

Regarding the preferred hiring, most schools have some sort. We have a few programs in the works but only one has been officially announced, yet, since the announcement, no one has heard a peep from them. The one nice thing is that we seem to be hiring instructors on a regular basis now. We are losing many to the airlines.

Good luck regardless!
 
Thank you for the replies.

Do you guys feel that it is worth it to pay the money to attend UND? And do you also feel that you have a good footing once graduated to be marketable to either regional airlines or another job with flying?

Thanks!

EDIT: To any people who have experience in the Regional/Major airlines, would anyone say if UND looks better on a resume than another flight training? Just curious.
 
If you do a search on the forums you'll find an amazing amount of info about the different schools including plenty of my degree is better than yours babble.

I myself, graduated UND in 2007 and quickly retreated to FL, been back to ND twice since only in the summer of course. My two cents?

Yes, UND is one of the top schools. The same regional hiring times/minimums exist at Embry Riddle, Purdue, etc. etc. There's even Community Colleges down here in Florida that have loose hiring agreements with AE of like 500 total time and 50 multi engine (well not as this moment of course). I work at a fast track school right now that gets people through what UND does in 150 days instead of four years. Is it better? I don't know probably not, since you don't get the college experience with all the classroom, but our guys still get hired on the same payscale as UND,ERAU, and everyone else. There's also no military benefits but the cost does come out to be a lot cheaper. Just be careful about the "lower minimums" selling point since quite a few other schools have those same "lower minimums." Also that doesn't mean the airline doesn't just hire who ever they want with what ever experience they want, because they do...

All that said, I'll give the same advice I always give. I recommend going to the local flight school at FAR or GFK (it was GFK Flight Support when I was there) and get your private pilots license first. Just spending time in the hanger meeting people in between flights you will learn quite a bit and by the time you get your license you'll have a better idea of what your getting into (pros and cons).

Good Luck!
 
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooooooo o oo oo ooooooo o o o o o *pant* NOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooo!

See here:

http://moneyland.time.com/2011/09/13/the-20-colleges-with-the-most-and-least-student-debt/slide/1-university-of-north-dakota/#1-university-of-north-dakota

[URL="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1220664-university-north-dakota-1-student-debt.html"]http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1220664-university-north-dakota-1-student-debt.html

[URL]http://www.undsucks.com/ [/URL]-[/URL] ok, not the best, but still, it's there for a reason.

I agree that the flight training is great. However, the way finances are set up, you will lose out on your collegues. Unless you're made of cash it's not the school for you. Tuition, lab fees, flight costs and special fees really add up quick. JD Odegard promised that UND wouldn't have to pay for UND Aerospace and they took it to heart. I can think of at least 2 State of UND Aerospace addresses where we bragged about how we put 8 million + back into main campus but didn't get it back. That's lack of scholarships, grants, lower cost, and special assistance-ship opportunities. Besides, speaking from experience, the BS in Aeronautics will not open any doors that your own passion for aviation won't open up. It's not worth the very high price tag.

Good Luck, We're all counting on you.
 
Well, one of the other "attractive" features is 1: I can utilize Military benefits; such as FTA(Federal Tuition Assistance) to cover the cost of tuition at least. 2: I can also use my GI Bill while at UND. 3: I don't have to pay out-of-pocket, which frankly I can't afford, to achieve all of the certificates required for commercial aviation and last, but not least 4: You get the 4 year degree -- even if it is in commercial aviation.

I know many will say that I shouldn't accrue debt while going to flight school, and although I agree, I just financially to not have the means of being able to pay. And, a degree with criminal justice certainly won't be landing me in any flight training courses.

I strongly appreciate the advice from everyone. It will all be taken into account when deciding on what to do. I still feel a pull towards UND for the reasons listed above.

All in all - debt put aside, would people recommend UND?

And PLEASE keep all the advice coming - Could use it!
 
rc-cola said:
And, a degree with criminal justice certainly won't be landing me in any flight training courses.
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I'm not sure what you mean by that, college is not a requirement. Most people here will tell you it is better to have a non-aviation degree, just in case. I'm attending UND and it seems like a great aviation program so far. There are also a lot of opportunities that you wouldn't hear about at a local flight school.
 
I was referring to the amount of money made with a CJ degree is certainly not going to put me in a cockpit anytime soon
 
Issue with that is the financing to be able to do that. With going via UND, I'll be able to get student loans/use Military benefits. I do however think it would be a much quicker way to do things than go to UND. I have about 1- 1 1/2 years left of CJ. Will be deciding within the next few weeks what I plan on doing for next semester.

For paying at FJC, I think the only way to do it is via private loan. Private loans won't offer anywhere close to the same amount of pay-off time/low interest that the student loans would offer from UND.
 
rc-cola said:
Issue with that is the financing to be able to do that. With going via UND, I'll be able to get student loans/use Military benefits. I do however think it would be a much quicker way to do things than go to UND. I have about 1- 1 1/2 years left of CJ. Will be deciding within the next few weeks what I plan on doing for next semester.

For paying at FJC, I think the only way to do it is via private loan. Private loans won't offer anywhere close to the same amount of pay-off time/low interest that the student loans would offer from UND.
Click to expand...

Why can't you pay as you go? Why do you have to take a loan? You may get better loans at UND but the price of the whole program will def offset it.
 
The FJC has quoted me at about 56,000 to go from PPL to commercial pilots license. Realistically, it's the same cost I will pay at UND. I only pay flight costs at UND due to have 100% tuition covered via uncle same.
 
rc-cola said:
The FJC has quoted me at about 56,000 to go from PPL to commercial pilots license. Realistically, it's the same cost I will pay at UND. I only pay flight costs at UND due to have 100% tuition covered via uncle same.
Click to expand...

Yea that price is ridiculously high. Have you checked Jamestown, Moorhead, etc. There is also a flight school on the south side of FAR you should check out.
 
I haven't looked into the surrounding areas. I know the one in moorhead has closed to the best of my knowledge. And if I'm commuting to J-Town to go to flight school, I'm not sure where the cost to convenience ratio will weigh out.
 
Well, after weighing options (going Fargo Jet Center or not and surrounding flight schools) I think UND is the choice I made. Not having to pay the tuition (Uncle Sam) cuts the cost down quite a bit. And, because the FJC is charging only 10k cheaper to only get Commercial license, UND would be a smarter decision fiscally. Also, can't be having the college degree added on.

Hopefully I'll see some of you folks up at UND this next semester.
 
Also, if anyone knows, what is the average schedule throughout the week? I am looking at commuting from Fargo ( I know, horrible, but can't leave my job). Was wondering if it is possible to cram it all in on say.. Tues/Thurs? Or if Mon/Wed/Fri is more likely.

As said before, ANY advice is greatly appreciated!
 
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