For your first point I wasnt explicitly aware that those students in the final stages had been terminated but figured so, an MPL definitely wouldnt be something id go for in the current state of the industry.
Secondly the reason i made this post is because i have major doubts regarding starting an integrated or any course now because as you say it is quite risky. However the biggest reason for even considering a school like CAE would be the possible advantage created by having gained a degree. That being said another reason to go modular would be the fact that i have a PPL and it would be pretty much redundant with the integrated ATPL.
Ontop of that looking at recent trends of traffic etc, the industry is slowly picking up. For example the domestic market in China has shown some very positive trends, could be viewed as a model as to how recovery may take its course in the EU for example.
Starting during these times could be viewed as a risk so less students overall will go for it meaning training could possibly come cheaper overall. Additionally do you really think the industry will be at these extremely low levels for more than 3-5 years? And if a second Covid wave hits it wont just be the aviation industry in major trouble and that will have no job prospects...
That being said, im still considering following another path something other than aviation, however I know for sure that if the industry recovers faster than expected i will regret the decision and want to take the aviation path as soon as i can. Thus possibly another financial burden or wasted money on another plan. The industry will definitely rise to pre-covid levels and even higher in time. World population is growing and people will always want to travel whether thats for business, pleasure or other reasons. On top of that, a first job during such times wont necessarily be in a big jet, there's a lot of opportunities in many sectors of the industry which provide useful experience and could potentially set you up for a job in the airlines as they recover. I think overall its better to invest and put effort into something are highly driven in rather than half heartedly go through a degree which doesnt necessarily make you tick, only to graduate and work a job dishing out very average or often below average wages when you can at least be working in the field you want even if initially the pay isnt the greatest.
All of that being said I havent pulled the trigger yet just exploring my options and all discussions like these have some positive come out of them, so thanks for taking the time to reply.