What college should I attend to be a commercial pilot and how can I improve on my career?

Kevin,

Great to hear you want to be a commercial pilot! First, I hope you like math and science because they are at the heart of flying! Two options as far as college is concerned:

1) Go to a University that has a flying program associated with a 4-year degree. Schools such as Embry Riddle (Prescott, AZ or Daytona Beach, FL), University of North Dakota (Grand Forks, ND) or Florida Institute of Technology (Melbourne, FL) are 3 off the top of my head.
2) Get a degree separate from your flight training. The degree should still be science based and show interest in aviation. Airlines don't want to see a degree in business from a prospective pilot. Your flight training will need to come from a reputable flight school. The airlines do care where you are trained, don't let people tell you otherwise. Two schools to consider are ATP, and American Flyers.

Of course there is the military route. However, military pilots in all branches of service are being held to 10 year commitments on average. If you want to Delta quick, this might not be the way to go. But, if you want to be guaranteed to get on with Delta, you might want to seriously look at this option. Delta loves pilots with military backgrounds. This is also the cheapest option as whichever branch of service you choose will pick up the cost of training you. And if you don't fly, they'll cover most of the cost of flight training in the civilian world via the GI Bill.

Whichever route you choose, you have to gain flight time. This is fixed wing time, not helicopter time. If you go the civilian route, depending on the flight school you will have to gain either 1000 hrs or 1500 hrs. I know that sounds like a lot now, but really it can be gained quickly, 1-2 years. The usual way is flight instruction, but there are others. Once you reach that magic number, you can apply to fee-for-departure airlines, better known as "regionals". Here you gain experience flying in a multi-crew airline environment as a First Officer and then upgrade to Captain. It is at this point you will come to the attention of Delta or whoever you want to work. They select you for an interview and if all goes well, you're a major airline pilot.
How long does this all take? From the point of getting into the regionals, it will probably take you 2-3 years before you are flying at Delta. Right now it is very possible you could be flying at Delta before you are 25 years old.
The other major point, how much does this cost? Flight training is expensive ($60,000-$80,000 to get your licences). Combine that with the cost of a 4 year degree and you could spend $100,000 - $150,000. Fortunately starting pay at the "regionals" is now between $40,000-$50,000/ year.
This is a lot of information to take in, but do not be scared off by it. We need pilot's desperately right now and the demand is not going away for the next 10 years. Don't hesitate to ask me more questions.

Matthew Wild