Type of high school: private Catholic all-girls school (<250 students)
Other special factors: legacy at Purdue (both parents, & a sibling)
Cost Constraints
Cost is fortunately not a concern, parents are willing to pay for 3 or 4 years
Intended Major(s)
Ideally Professional Flight/Aviation, but I am open to other possibilities where I might not receive actual flight training, like Aviation Management or even Aerospace Engineering
GPA, Rank, and Test Scores
Unweighted HS GPA: about 3.78 (4.0 scale) as of sophomore year
Weighted HS GPA: 4.3 (5.3 scale, 3.7 is school average) as of sophomore year
Class Rank: Not reported
ACT/SAT Scores: on my first SAT I got 1410 (750 Verbal/660 Math) but I plan to take more SATs and also try ACT to improve my scores, especially math
High School Coursework
Freshman Year
Core: English Honors, Theology - Bible Study, World History Honors, Geometry Honors, Biology Honors
Elective: French II, Media Literacy, Fitness (Gym/Health)
Sophomore Year
Core: American Literature Honors, Theology - Social Justice, US History I Honors, Algebra II Trig Honors
Elective: French IV Honors, AP Environmental Science (scored 4), AP Psychology (scored 5), Fitness
Junior Year
Core: British Literature Honors, Theology - Abrahamic Religions (college credit), AP US History, Pre-Calculus, Chemistry Honors
Elective: AP French V (not taking the exam), Film Studies (college credit), Fitness
Senior Year (not yet taken)
Core: AP Literature, Theology - Bioethics, Calculus, Physics Honors
Elective: Sign Language, AP Human Geography, AP Microeconomics, Financial Literacy, Photography, Fitness
Awards
Merit-based scholarship for all four years of high school
Award for Achievement in World Languages (French in sophomore yr)
1 Semester of 1st Honor Roll, 4 Semesters of 2nd Honor Roll (every semester so far)
Applied for NHS, I think I have a good shot at being selected
Extracurriculars
Administrative intern at a local architectural firm (2022-2026)
3 week pre-college program (this upcoming summer)
Editor and author for school newspaper (9th/10th)
Co-founder & secretary of a club (unrelated to my major), and participant in several other clubs
Planning to start working on my Private Pilot License in August
Essays/LORs/Other
Not done yet
Preliminary School List (w/major & somewhat in order of interest)
I would much prefer to go to a medium/large school in or near a city in the midwest (I have family all over), ideally w/Greek life and some good athletics, but I’m keeping my options open because few schools fit all my criteria.
I want to get a degree before I become an airline pilot, but it would be ideal if I could work on my flight hours/getting my certifications during college—that’s why I want to major in flight, despite the cost inefficiency. Feel free to suggest any other possible matches!
(many of the flight programs/majors have different names so I called all of them Pro-Flight to make it clearer, and I’m applying to all flight programs as early as possible because they tend to be more competitive)
Purdue University for Pro Flight (EA)
Saint Louis University for Pro Flight (EA)
University of Oklahoma for Pro Flight (EA)
Oklahoma State University for Pro Flight (EA)
Ohio State University for Pro Flight (EA)
University of Wisconsin-Madison for Aerospace Engineering (EA or RD)
University of Illinois for Aerospace Engineering (EA or RD)
University of North Dakota for Pro Flight (considering)
Baylor University for Pro Flight (considering)
Auburn University for Pro Flight (considering)
University of Michigan for Aerospace Engineering (EA or RD)
So you’re a Junior - but only list a GPA through 10th grade…
If you want to fly, why apply to schools that don’t have flight? Either you want to be an engineer or you don’t. Same with pilot.
I’m not sure about the flight schools but I imagine you’d get into plenty. If you like smaller, you might look at ERAU and Florida Tech. You might ask about jo possibilities - right now, per one poster at UND, kids are struggling.
As for engineering at UW, UIUC or UM, not with these stats.
But it begs the question - which do you want?
There are schools like ERAU and Florida Tech - that have everything to do with aviation you can want - from engineering to management to meteorology. I noticed bible study - a friend of ours went to Liberty (non pilot).
Yes, we’ve discussed it at length. When I said 3-4 years, I just mean that they are considering the possibility of having me take on a loan for just my final year of tuition, or even just for one semester, because their financial advisor said it may benefit me down the line. We haven’t gone into much detail on that, but I’m going to talk to them more about it soon. Regardless, that’s more of an idea/possibility than something set in stone and I’m lucky that they are more than capable of paying for all four years.
Yeah, hmmmm - that doesn’t sound like a good idea if not needed.
I’m most concerned with your variance of majors. If you want to be a pilot, you can. If you want to be an engineer, you can - not likely at those schools though.
My school only updates our GPA once per year, after all of our grades are finalized. Not sure why, that’s just what they do. Regardless, I doubt my (weighted) GPA will go up by any more than .1 or .2 by the end of the year
My list of schools isn’t finalized, but I may still end up applying to one or two schools that don’t have a flight major. Based on my research, even with the shortage of pilots, pilots with degrees (aviation related or not) tend to have a slight advantage in getting jobs with airlines. Also, if I run into any medical issues down the line, it may affect my career and disqualify me from flying commercially. So it would be nice to have a degree in a related field, that way I have a backup plan that keeps me in the industry—or a related one—even if I can’t necessarily fly.
I also can do my flight training separately from attending school, and therefore wouldn’t need to be in a university flight program. Like, I was considering the possibility of attending the part 61 flight school (not connected to Purdue University’s flight program) at Purdue’s airport, which would allow me to get my flying certifications and my degree at the same time even if I didn’t get into their Pro Flight program.
Basically, my flight training would be completely separate from my studies but I could still get both done at once. Since some of the other universities on my list have airports nearby, this is a possibility at several schools. And depending on the location and whether I receive any scholarships it may cost the same or even less than a Pro Flight degree at a university. I’d have to do some more research on that though.
I considered ERAU and Florida Tech, and they seem to be great schools but I don’t think I’d do well in Florida weather—even Oklahoma is a stretch, lol. Plus, I think I might prefer a somewhat more traditional college experience. But thanks for your honest feedback on engineering. I figured I wouldn’t have great chances at those programs but it may be worth a shot. They’re a bit lower on my list so I won’t be too torn up if it doesn’t work out.
I don’t know much about the financial aspects, so I’ll have to talk to them about that. I just remember my dad saying something about building my credit. They won’t make me pay anything more than I can realistically handle, and they may not make me pay anything at all—we only spoke about the idea once in passing so I don’t even know if they’re seriously considering it. I have a few months until I start even submitting applications so I’ll have plenty of time talk to him about it and figure it out what the plan is. Regardless, my parents have assured me that cost won’t be an issue.
If you want to be an engineer, you can 100% be an engineer. I said those schools specifically were unlikely.
btw - engineering - it doesn’t really matter where you go, short of a few schools. Example of one - my son - turned down Purdue for Alabama. Yet, he interned with Ga Tech kids and works with kids from Michigan, Purdue, Cal Poly and more - but also W Michigan, Akron, Buffalo, etc - and they all make the same $$.
If you like cooler weather, schools like Buffalo, U Cincy, Iowa State, Kansas, UMN (a stretch maybe), Missouri Science & Tech, W Michigan and WVU could work for you.
And if you did MechE, the amount of schools would increase dramatically…MechE and Aero are almost substitutional - my son, is in fact, a MechE at an aero company.
So if you want engineering - you’re not going to have an issue - it’s just a question of ensuring that you have a few schools on your list that are assured and affordable - vs. the reaches you listed.
Sort of off-topic but I’m guessing the thought is to start building a financial/credit history. It’s in the students name so if they’re able to show a reliable payment history it could help them. Not suggesting it’s a great reason - but possible that’s the thinking.
Perhaps - and it’s hype. It’s a dumb reason. My kids get more credit card offers than anyone I’ve ever seen - more than me. One in school and one out.
It’s crap - my belief - the building credit. Take this card, high interest, no rewards, and build credit.
I’m just not a believer.
They also get the reward cards offer - some the same as me.
Yeah, don’t take loans if not needed. They take a chunk up front in fees. And they charge interest.
Some need them. If you don’t - OP don’t fall for that trap.
I’m definitely going to do more research on some of the schools you listed—I was thinking about UMN and Western Michigan but I didn’t know Cincinnati had a flight program. I’ll look into some more Mechanical Engineering possibilties too, thanks for suggesting that
I’m glad to see North Dakota on your list. As I’m sure you know, getting into pro flight programs at the big names is super competitive.
I think you should add Kent State and Wright State as well. You might also think about some of the smaller names like Lewis University and Southern Illinois University.
There are real advantages to pro flight programs. I’d say if you really want one, go for it. It’s hard and very expensive to get all your hours in and if you can do a big chunk of it via your program, that’s a huge help.
If you want a career in aviation, don’t get distracted by wanting to go to a prestigious school that doesn’t offer a lot of options in aviation. There are several schools that are huge in aviation, and it might be best to focus primarily on such schools. This includes schools that are overall prestigious as well as those that are not prestigious overall but have special strength in aviation.
A friend of mine going to North Dakota for flight next year, so I’m excited to talk to him about it when I start submitting applications. I’ll definitely look at the schools you mentioned; I have some family who live right near Lewis University so I was actually considering adding it to my list. Thanks for the advice : )
Southern Illinois University in Carbondale has a very good flight school and they also have many ABET accredited Engineering Programs. They also do not have a higher tuition rate for OOS. Would definitely be worth a look!