Tell a High School Kid About UND

[boeing 777-300]

i will be finishing my somphomore year of high shcool this summer and want to be pilot someday.i have done lots of research about aviation college and i found UND. i was hoping some of you people that attend this school could give me some insight.

here are my questions:
actually, before i begin please do not repsond telling me not to get an aeronautical science degree. dont tell me its worthless (maybe it is but i dont want to hear it.)

1. Do you like it a UND? if you could do it over what would you do different?
2. Will i be able to finish my MEI at UND in 4 years?
3. How often does the weather stop you from flying? (im used to southern calfiornia weather). flying in snow, rather, snow itself is foreign to me.
4. i calculated about 250 hours at UND in 4 years. is this about right?
5. do you go to school with the regular UND students? or is the aviation are seperate?
6. (just curious) Do you get lots of work? (homework for that matter)
7. Would you recommend flying before coming to UND? (gound school and a few hours)
8. how do you guys have fun when your not working or flying?

thanks for any input!

[MrLeisure757]

I don't go to UND - but I will in the fall, and I can offer some advice if you are truly interested in the school. Obviously the guys here can offer you some really valuable inside on advice about the school, but if you are interested in going out there, seeing what the school/aviation program is all about and flying for a week...then visit here: http://studentservices.aero.und.edu/...tion/index.php I went to the Aerospace Camp last June and had a great time and found out everything I wanted to know about the school. And I do recommend it to you. Hope that helps and good luck.

Adam

[Joekster]

I'll be brief and answer 1, 2, 6, and 7.

1. Do I like it at UND? There's two parts to the question, I like the school and think I am getting a good education, especially on the flight side, but I positively hate Grand Forks. But if I had to do it again I would come here.

2. If you include MEI there are 9 flight courses and you can only take 1 a semester so that makes 4.5 years unless you stay during the summer.

6. Flight time isn't included in credits so if you are taking 16 credits and 5 of them are for 102 (the private course) its actually like taking closer to 20 because of the time you spend on the flying side of it

7. I came to UND with 0 hours and I'd been in a plane once, and the program is made to handle people with no flight experiance. Some people might tell you to go get a few hours just to see if you like it, but I don't think that helps, cause you are never going to be able to determine wether you want to have a career flying just through a few hours.

[CaptainChris87]

Originally Posted by boeing 777-300

i will be finishing my somphomore year of high shcool this summer and want to be pilot someday.i have done lots of research about aviation college and i found UND. i was hoping some of you people that attend this school could give me some insight.

here are my questions:
actually, before i begin please do not repsond telling me not to get an aeronautical science degree. dont tell me its worthless (maybe it is but i dont want to hear it.)

1. Do you like it a UND? if you could do it over what would you do different?
2. Will i be able to finish my MEI at UND in 4 years?
3. How often does the weather stop you from flying? (im used to southern calfiornia weather). flying in snow, rather, snow itself is foreign to me.
4. i calculated about 250 hours at UND in 4 years. is this about right?
5. do you go to school with the regular UND students? or is the aviation are seperate?
6. (just curious) Do you get lots of work? (homework for that matter)
7. Would you recommend flying before coming to UND? (gound school and a few hours)
8. how do you guys have fun when your not working or flying?

thanks for any input!

I had about the same questions as you did before I came here. READ MY POST AS I WAS JUST IN HIGH SCHOOL JUNE 2005.
1. It has its ups and downs, such as area, weather, depends where your from. If I could do it different maybe ATP. 2. Yes you can get your mei in 4 years CFII CRJ sm and MEI are 6 weeks each in the summer.
3. Winters its cielings and other crap,pritty much any season you can get wx'd. it can get annoying but stay on top of it youll do fine. People sometimes dont finish theyre course due to wx. As I said stay on top of it.
4. yes 250 hours around 25-30 multi if you do MEI 50-60 multi.
5. Aviation classes are obviously separte, but general ed classes you take with everyone, you wanna feel cool being an aviation student :P..a lot of the hot chicks are in the communications or English classes, and make non aviation friends.
6. Gen ed classes yeah, aviation not realley. but stuff like flights stage checks etc.... can all add up.
7.I recommend gettign SOME flying hours here, dont get you rppl as they will make you take their 105, 114 "test course" 6 weeks in the summer/and or full semester.
8. Where in So cal are you at?

[Dugie8]

Originally Posted by boeing 777-300

i will be finishing my somphomore year of high shcool this summer and want to be pilot someday.i have done lots of research about aviation college and i found UND. i was hoping some of you people that attend this school could give me some insight.

here are my questions:
actually, before i begin please do not repsond telling me not to get an aeronautical science degree. dont tell me its worthless (maybe it is but i dont want to hear it.)

1. Do you like it a UND? if you could do it over what would you do different?
Loved UND and GF and ND, would do it again in a second. Major in something other than aviation, minor in professional flight, but major in business, computer science, etc.
2. Will i be able to finish my MEI at UND in 4 years?
Don't worry about finnishing your MEI in 4 years, get your CFI and CFII get some dual given under your belt then take on MEI. If you so desire, you will most likely be instructing at UND for about 3 years before moving on anyway, take the instructor discount to get your MEI.
3. How often does the weather stop you from flying? (im used to southern calfiornia weather). flying in snow, rather, snow itself is foreign to me.
Depends on your attitude. Sure you will get weathered out, especially solo stuff, but coming back later that day when the weather clears is the key. You will become well versed in the art of flying in high winds, low ceilings and extremes in temperatures.
4. i calculated about 250 hours at UND in 4 years. is this about right?
I finnished my commercial, instrument, single and multi engine courses with 198 hours, add about another 30 or 40 for CFI, CFII, and MEI, so yup about 250 hours of training.
5. do you go to school with the regular UND students? or is the aviation are seperate?
The aerospace department is just like the business department. Aerospace has its own buildings on campus where all the AVIT courses are taught, plus the facilities at the airport. You are an UND student enrolled in an aviation program.
6. (just curious) Do you get lots of work? (homework for that matter)\
Not really. Flying is pretty straight forward, learn the regs, systems, procedures and your workload is fairly light.
7. Would you recommend flying before coming to UND? (gound school and a few hours)
Not necessary, I, as many others have, went from 0 hours to instructor in 3 years, no outside prep is necessary, won't hurt though, but does add to the total cost.
8. how do you guys have fun when your not working or flying?
There is plenty to do, you just have to look for it and be involved. Snowcatting in the winter, tubing in the summer, paintball, roadtrips, etc, not to mention campus activities (cough cough SIGMA NU). There is plenty to do, just have a non prickish attitude and you will have a blast.
thanks for any input!

If you are working, I think you can start paying ND income tax to get your residency sooner. That will help reduce tuition cost a lot and thus save you a lot of money. I would highly recommend not flying your first semester. I know it sounds hard but get a handle on college life first then take on flying. While it is not hard, it does take up a lot of time. Figure about 1 to 2 hours of prep time for every flight.

The most important rule, be flexible, there are at least 500 or 600 other students trying to fly at the same time you are. Stuff happens, you just need to roll with the punches.

[CAFFEINE]

1. Do you like it a UND? if you could do it over what would you do different?
I love UND. If I was to do it all again, I would still come here. I think the only thing I would have done differently would be to stay and do 221/222 during the summer. And despite what some of the more outspoken posters might say, Grand Forks (or North Dakota for that matter) isn't that bad. It's going to be different than CA, but it's not like it's a terrible place to live.

2. Will i be able to finish my MEI at UND in 4 years?
Sure, if you stay a summer or two.

3. How often does the weather stop you from flying? (im used to southern calfiornia weather). flying in snow, rather, snow itself is foreign to me.
Depends on the season. Generally you'll get weathered more towards the end of fall semester and the beginning of spring semester. During the summer its usually TS that will keep you from flying. Just fly whenever you can and try to stay ahead of template and you'll be able to complete your flight labs no problem.

4. i calculated about 250 hours at UND in 4 years. is this about right?
Sounds about right.

5. do you go to school with the regular UND students? or is the aviation are seperate?
The aerospace buildings are on the west side of campus, thats where all your ground school aviation classes will be held. All your gen-eds are gonna be on the other side of campus...and so are all the women.

6. (just curious) Do you get lots of work? (homework for that matter)
That pretty much is gonna depend on the class. Most aviation classes are pretty stright forward. Like somebody else mentioned, you've got to consider the amount of time you're going to spend getting ready for flight lessons and actually flying.

7. Would you recommend flying before coming to UND? (gound school and a few hours)
Not necessarily. Keep in mind that UND won't just accept your private pilot's certificate, you will still have to take the private pilot "test course" and the ground school.

8. how do you guys have fun when your not working or flying?
There's always fun to be had. Once you get here and get a core group of friends, you'll never run out of fun. You just can't expect a city of 60,000 to have as much to do as NYC or SoCal.

[boeing 777-300]

wow, thanks guys, i appreciate the help. how does the scheduling of flights work? i underdstand that you fly 3 times a week. how do you make up a session if you are weathered out?

thanks

[Joekster]

You have a scheduled launch at a certain time of day 3 days a week, either MWF or TRS and chances are you only gonna fly 2 out of the 3 but you have sims and briefings that don't have to wait for the weather. also 102 has 30 lessons and there are 16 weeks in a semester, so you only have to get on average 2 lessons done every week and you will finish on time.

[UAL747400]

Originally Posted by boeing 777-300

i will be finishing my somphomore year of high shcool this summer and want to be pilot someday.i have done lots of research about aviation college and i found UND. i was hoping some of you people that attend this school could give me some insight.

here are my questions:
actually, before i begin please do not repsond telling me not to get an aeronautical science degree. dont tell me its worthless (maybe it is but i dont want to hear it.)

1. Do you like it a UND? if you could do it over what would you do different?

I love the school. The area on the otherhand is just different. Not my style, but its not the most terrible thing in the world either. Would I want to stay here for more than my time going to school? Probably not. If I could do it all over, I'd still pick this school but double major in something else. I like science classes a lot and the comm. aviation degree pretty much samples everything, which is good. Im minoring in meteorology for a backup. I'd also do what was said already and take 222 and 323 over the summer(or 221 and 222 depending on where you're at). I want my summers, but I think I want to move on in my career more.

2. Will i be able to finish my MEI at UND in 4 years?

You can do that easily. Esepecially if you take a summer session.
[qoute]3. How often does the weather stop you from flying? (im used to southern calfiornia weather). flying in snow, rather, snow itself is foreign to me.[/quote] You just have to get lucky. This semester I got on this vicious cycle where the weather was crappy MWF(my lauches) and nice on TTHS. That absolutely killed me for getting done on template.

4. i calculated about 250 hours at UND in 4 years. is this about right?

Thats about right I think. I'll actually have about 500 I think. I just crossed the 220 mark today in 323.

5. do you go to school with the regular UND students? or is the aviation are seperate?

Thats already been covered above I think.

6. (just curious) Do you get lots of work? (homework for that matter)

With the flight corses its mostly just studying for your block exams and doing the flights. Other courses, it just depends.

7. Would you recommend flying before coming to UND? (gound school and a few hours)

Coming from a guy that did that, I say no. I dont regret it though. I had lots of fun senior year of highschool and then that summer taking friends and family for rides. I recommend doing this when you get your license whereever you get it. "Training mode" gets a little boring after awhile.

8. how do you guys have fun when your not working or flying?

From about end of November to March about all there is to do is sit, drink, sit and drink. j/k Basically there's not a dang thing.(unless you hunt, fish, x-country ski, or ride snow-mobiles YARRR!) At least when it warms up you can start doing things outside.

[TXaviator]

1. Do you like it a UND? if you could do it over what would you do different?

I am SO glad i went to the University of Texas for a few years to understand a REAL life and REAL college. UND is great when I am doing aviation stuff, but the rest of the time it sucks horribly bad. The town, the people, etc.


2. Will i be able to finish my MEI at UND in 4 years?

yep. and trust me you will be motivated to stay during the summer to finish ASAP. plus summer weather here is the only redeeming thing about this place.

3. How often does the weather stop you from flying? (im used to southern calfiornia weather). flying in snow, rather, snow itself is foreign to me.

Often. at the beginning of the semester I was up about 3 times a week, right now its been one a week due to scheduling and weather combinations.

4. i calculated about 250 hours at UND in 4 years. is this about right?

yes

5. do you go to school with the regular UND students? or is the aviation are seperate?

already covered. avit classes int he avit buildings, other classes in the 'normal' buildings

6. (just curious) Do you get lots of work? (homework for that matter)

no. the coursework is very easy here and the general academics are a total joke. no studying required. (or very very minimal)

7. Would you recommend flying before coming to UND? (gound school and a few hours)

probably not. UND will make you take a pseudo-private course anyway. waste of money.

8. how do you guys have fun when your not working or flying?

hanging out with the international/multicutural students, dj'ing, travelling to minneapolis and winnipeg as often as possible. theres NOTHING to do in the winter, and i do honestly mean absolutely nothing (snowmobiles and hockey YARRR). in the summer you can at least go to the lake, go float the rivers, bbq outside, etc. get used to eating a lot of fast food, unless you consider applebees to be a great dining experience (no authentic ethnic foods anywhere! closest is a few places in fargo).... the bar/club scene here is a total joke as well.

My best advice, stay in cali and do your general education classes at a 'real' college... then come here, do your flying, and GTFO. dont fall into the 'i have to instruct at UND when i graduate' trap either. theres plenty of other jobs out there.

Oh, and the "dont major in aviation" thing. F-that. Id be beating my head into a wall studying business or economics or something. There's other ways to make yourself marketable in a field YOU are interested in... I personally do graphic design on the side and have a job at the university newspaper here doing just that. I'd never dream of majoring in anything BUT aviation, though, I have contingency plans in place in case I have a hard time later landing a job right away, layoffs, etc.

[AngelFuree]

Originally Posted by boeing 777-300

1. Do you like it a UND? if you could do it over what would you do different?

Nope, I don't like it. The school's great, ground school's real good, but the place absolutely blows. I'm from a city. I'm ready to get the hell out. School's pretty easy here though, that's for sure. I haven't struggled with any class, and have only failed one class to this day: Aviation 100...ooooops

2. Will i be able to finish my MEI at UND in 4 years?

Sure thing. Stay here in the summers like I've been doing and you'll be fine.

3. How often does the weather stop you from flying? (im used to southern calfiornia weather). flying in snow, rather, snow itself is foreign to me.

It stops you from flying pretty often when it's cold, and with the thunderstorms in the summer. No big deal here though.

4. i calculated about 250 hours at UND in 4 years. is this about right?

Yuuuuup.

5. do you go to school with the regular UND students? or is the aviation are seperate?

Separate buildings for different majors as is the case with any other university. UND is all mixed in one campus, of course.

6. (just curious) Do you get lots of work? (homework for that matter)

Nope. College is easy.

7. Would you recommend flying before coming to UND? (gound school and a few hours)

I can't really recommend anything, but I had 0 hours before I came here. I guess if money's a concern, then don't fly before coming here for the reasons mentioned already, that you are required to do a test course.

8. how do you guys have fun when your not working or flying?

thanks for any input!

Hanging out all the time with cool people keeps me sane around here. A lot of reaaaaal cool friends and killer parties/get-togethers on Fridays/Saturdays. I'm big on road cycling which is something else to do. Very flat terrain if you're into the riding on flats. If you're looking for climbing, you'll be dissapointed. Exercising's fun, especially when you do it with other people. Get your ass out of your chair, **** the chairflying and go out and exercise. It's fun.

[Dj To Rule]

Originally Posted by AngelFuree

Nope. College is easy.

College girls are easy!

[JaceTheAce]

Originally Posted by TXaviator

My best advice, stay in cali and do your general education classes at a 'real' college... then come here, do your flying, and GTFO. dont fall into the 'i have to instruct at UND when i graduate' trap either. theres plenty of other jobs out there.

That's exactly what I did and I HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY (let me add another one) HIGHLY recommend it! It saved me a ton of money.

[Dj To Rule]

Originally Posted by JaceTheAce

That's exactly what I did and I HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY (let me add another one) HIGHLY recommend it! It saved me a ton of money.

On car insurance?

[JaceTheAce]

Originally Posted by Dj To Rule

On car insurance?

by switching to Progressive.

[TXaviator]

I'm not a pilot, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn last night.

Originally Posted by JaceTheAce

by switching to Progressive.

[boeing 777-300]

thanks for all the help. i have a few more questions.

1. What are the class sizes like? (how many people in a classroom, lets says an english class. i have a fear of UND having classrooms with 100 people and the teacher doesnt know your name after a year.)

2. Do you guys use the jeppesen textbooks?

3. about 10,000 people at UND. does it seem that big? im asking because thats about 9 times the size of my high school. (not big for college i suppose)

4. how are the dorms?

thanks

[JaceTheAce]

Originally Posted by boeing 777-300

4. how are the dorms?

I'm sure that if you search through the "how are the dorms at UND" posts you will find my humble opinion on this.

To make an incredibly long story short, you could perhaps try out the dorms for one year. If you don't like them, rent an on-campus or off-campus apartment. I went straight to the off-campus situation, probably because of my Junior status when transferring here and my age/needs/necessities/requirements/expectations.

[Kristie]

please do not repsond telling me not to get an aeronautical science degree. dont tell me its worthless

but what if it is? you want honesty or to be told whatever you want to hear??

[JaceTheAce]

Originally Posted by Kristie

but what if it is? you want honesty or to be told whatever you want to hear??

An aeronautics degree is worthless. Actually, it's not necessarily worthless, but worthless when you are furloughed and you're having significant difficulty finding a job.

[boeing 777-300]

but what if it is? you want honesty or to be told whatever you want to hear??

the reason i put that is because i have read many posts on that topic. i did not want people to come and turn this thread into a "USLESS DEGREE" flame war. also the purpose of this post was to find out about UND, not debate the worthiness of a aeronautical science degree.

[AngelFuree]

Originally Posted by boeing 777-300

thanks for all the help. i have a few more questions.

1. What are the class sizes like? (how many people in a classroom, lets says an english class. i have a fear of UND having classrooms with 100 people and the teacher doesnt know your name after a year.)

Classes are relatively small for the most part. Physics for aerospace is one of the fullest classes I've had, along with the meteorology classes.

2. Do you guys use the jeppesen textbooks?

I've only bought one Jep book since I got here...you don't REALLY need'em...though some aviation classes require them. Actually, my book still smells new since I never opened it much hehe.

3. about 10,000 people at UND. does it seem that big? im asking because thats about 9 times the size of my high school. (not big for college i suppose)

God no...this college seems like it's 20 people. No one goes out. The only time it feels crowded is when the Wilkerson dining room gets full of people from the whole university on the weekends since it's the only one open.

4. how are the dorms?

thanks

Dorms are bad, though I'm still in a co-ed one I have a single room though, which makes it waaaaay better. I don't plan on really moving out since I like being around people. It does have its negs though, but you can search for those other dorm threads. I WOULD like to have my kitchen but whatever.

[JaceTheAce]

Originally Posted by boeing 777-300

the reason i put that is because i have read many posts on that topic. i did not want people to come and turn this thread into a "USLESS DEGREE" flame war. also the purpose of this post was to find out about UND, not debate the worthiness of a aeronautical science degree.

haha I know I just said that for fun. I should consider some...