Safecon and UND

[CWASaab]

Re: EagleRJ

I just looked at the UND official website. Current tuition for non residents for carrying 12 credits, is $5,761 per semester.

If you are at UND and pay out-of-state tuition for a full four years, then you're not working the system to your advantage. As I posted earlier, it is fairly easy, and painless to qualify for in-state status. Plus if you are from outwest there is WUE.

I graduated in '96 and my total flight costs were in the 45-50K range, and back then in-state tuition was about 1700 per semester, I believe. Anyway you cut it, learning to fly is going to cost, especially if you choose to due so in a structured Univeristy environment.

And yes, while GFK is cold, there are decent opportunities for gettting actual IMC without turning into a popsicle. At UND you will get exposure to four season of flying. And just think how great an archer will perform when it is sucking in -20F air.

 

[pilotman2105]

Re: Re: EagleRJ

At UND you will get exposure to four season of flying. And just think how great an archer will perform when it is sucking in -20F air.

Not sure about the performance with a cracked cylinder from shock cooling.

I'll stop being the pessimist now...

 

[Jedi_Cheese]

I would be more worried about the damage from the oil failing to ever heat up into the green arc before takeoff. Or the fact that should your engine fail, you will now be in a field (probibly in snow) and won't be rescued for a while.

 

[Airpiraterob]

something to think about,

funding for public schools gets divided up amongst those schools in the state. all state universitys get a share of the total state school budget (actual budget+ govt. grants) for that year and the schools have to make due.

i went to CMSU, missouri. wich is 1 of about 13 public college/universitys in the state that share in all that money. there certinly isnt much money left after 13 schools dip their dirty fingers into it. so we had a crappy AST 300 sim. and a frasca 131. in fact they still have those things. they got some new planes but only after some 150/152/172's started hitting 10,000 hours of student flying. they had to work to get the approval for that. oh and good luck getting the recent aviation alumni to pony up donations after already dropping a bundle to get educated.

North Dakota is different. theres not too many public university/colleges there in comparison. UND is one of not very many at all up there in north dakota. so they get a much much larger share of that money, since theres fewer sharing in it, and are able to buy and utilize all kinds of more expensive and complex stuff.....including the sims and instructional facilities. did someone say they have a level D there? WTF.

that is one reason they do have a good cirriculum is the money they get to buy such an operation. that money i guarantee you is hardly used for subsidizing your tuition there. hence the cost. if you really want an aviation degree to go with your flying, youre better off doing it at a cheaper place. i can't emphasize enough how important it is to get a degree in something else besides aviation while getting those ratings. make it a minor or something but never a major. you WILL need it at some point in the next 35+ years after graduation while trying to make your flying career work.

the big problem i see people having with UND is alot of jealousy about what they have. there will always be haves and have-nots and people that hate them for that only reason. its childish i know. also ill tell you the flight team they spawn has alot to be desired in the personality department and thats what i only have to go on. the initial impression they left on me was a bunch of cold bookworms with money. its not true but its in the back of my head.

go there. if you can afford 100k on a degree and ratings then do it. ill send my kids to where it costs 50k and theyll get about 90 to 95% of the same education.

 

[BoilerUP]

UND was my #2 school, in fact they still kept sending me stuff thru the end of my freshman year at Purdue.

I chose Purdue because it was closer to home (LEX), without even knowing about the B727 or TFO opportunities that existed. I applied and was accepted without knowing how competitive it was. One thing I wish I HAD known was the cost. Indiana sucks for establishing in-state residency. I figure by the time I graduate next May, I will have spent somewhere around 110K for flight fees, my CFI-MEI on the side, room & board, cost of living, and out of state tuition. Half is paid for by parents (a fact I am VERY thankful for) and the other half is paid for by me working two jobs and taking a buttload of loans in my name. UND would have shaken out (after scholarships) to be around 80-85K for everything, much cheaper than Purdue. I would have lost some ground on airline tickets though, and I doubt I'd have had so much fun as I have in West Lafayette.

I got to tour UND's facilities last year as they hosted NIFA Nationals. VERY nice facilities and aircraft; I wish Purdue offered helo training. Their simulator building was top-notch, and the CRJ FTD was fun to fly, and I think it had gerbil tunnels connecting it to other academic buildings.

The UND Flight Team is very good, but extremely anti-social (much like the Salukis used to be). I don't know if its the bitter ND winters that allow them to study CA, SCAN and Rec so much or what, but they do need some social skills.

Sorry for being so long, but I thought I'd give you my take on it. I'm biased towards Purdue, but I doubt anybody would go wrong with UND. Best of luck in deciding...

 

[jarhead]

BoilerUP

One thing to keep in mind about UND is that very few of the aviation students up there participate in that competitive "flying team" thing up there. The undergrads that I came across going to school up there were for the most part socially well adjusted, friendly kids, and many who belonged to Greek Fraternities were in non aviation fraternities.

Many of the students getting their undergraduate degrees were doing it in Business, English, Geology, and History....a broad cross section, while at the same time taking aviation curriculum as a minor. UND is a real university, with a Law School, Medical School, and many other colleges on the campus beyond just the aviation majors that are also available to get various graduate degrees. It is not mandatory to be an “aviation nerd” up there, but, yes, there are a few of them.

 

[DGdaPilot]

The UND Flight Team is very good, but extremely anti-social (much like the Salukis used to be).

You surely don't mean that anymore, do you??

 

[BoilerUP]

Emphasis on the used to be, bra...

Nothing but love for Region VIII