Hey guys, made an account to ask this.
I was wondering if anybody here could help me understand a few things I am ignorant of.

-Why do some flight schools that start a new batch of students every single month of the year? to me this seems really messy and hard to do. Even if you graduate a whole batch each month as a new batch moves in, you would need X amount of classes per day for x amount of months that the program takes and the same x amount of ground instructors for each new class. So if ground instruction takes 20 months for each class you would need 20 classes per day and 20 ground instructors if no classes overlap. I know that's not right. Is it just that the "program" takes x amount of months and you go to ground instruction for like 5 weeks?

-Is a Bachelor's/associate's degree in "Aviation something" worth any more than simply paying a private instructor to get you through Commercial Pilots license and getting to CFI without using a flight school? I understand a degree might be worth... something.. but not as much as hours. Would you need a degree to go to an airliner's cadet program?

-I was told by one of these schools that about 50% of students don't finish and a lot of the time this was due to a Medical. I think this is bull. Class 1, class 2, whatever I don't care - there is frankly No Way that young students (17 - 22 yrs old let's say) are not in perfect physical health. And besides, if kids get their medical before they start, they are good for 12 mths. The retention rate being half cannot be kids failing medicals.

I'll answer your questions in order:

1. Not sure what you mean by starting a "new batch" of students. The majority of Part 141 schools do not conform to a university-type structure and instruction is one-on-one and somewhat self-paced (although the school will have a syllabus that all instructors follow). When I taught (and learned) at a 141 school students came and went all the time and progressed at their own pace. I suppose the big schools are more formal and structured but in my opinion the quality of training is no better. As far as ground school taking 20 months I don't think that's right; if working at it full time there are accelerated training programs that go from zero time to commercial in 6-8 months total.

2. Absolutely not, under no circumstances. A degree in "aviation" anything will do nothing to further your career beyond being able to say you have a degree in something, and college degrees and flight training can both be obtained separately for less money than going to an aviation college/university. The only exception to this would be if you need the type of financial aid that is only available in an accredited university-type program but my advice in that case would be to forego college and get your license/flight time (if it's a choice between the two). Regional airlines haven't required college degrees for many years and it's becoming less important at the major airlines as well. If you feel you need a degree, get one online once you're working.

3. BS. If 50% of their students aren't finishing there is something wrong with that school and I would run far, far away. Yes, students do drop out of training for various reasons - sometimes (usually) cost, sometimes time and, yes, sometimes medical. Remember that not everyone in aviation is there to earn a living; for many it's just a hobby which has gotten quite expensive over the years. At the big schools dropouts should be less frequent since everyone is there for the same reason which is career training. A young person in average health should have no trouble maintaining a first-class medical; as I've worked in the industry I am frankly a bit shocked at some of the people who are able to hold a medical despite obviously being in poor health.

I'd be happy to give more specific advice if I knew more about the school/kind of school you were considering and your goals. Feel free to PM if you have any questions.

Being able to obtain a medical is more than just being healthy. When I was an instructor the only people who had trouble getting a medical were my younger students due to recent drug/alcohol convictions or being prescribed certain medications, usually anti-depressants. Sleep apnea and vision issues were another big thing that can affect people at any age and make it difficult to get a medical.