You have to be "selected" to go and get a huge student loan to go there?
Why not save yourself half that debt and go somewhere else? Im going to let all you newbies in on a big secret.....its not where you train, its YOUR attitude while your under training, during subsequent job interviews and job hunting. If you have the right attitude and BY FAR the most important trait....desire, then you will be succesful in your career, and that applies to any career.
A few pointers to try and help....get your training done as soon as you can afford it, no point faffing around with extra papers when there are jobs to be had. You can always go and do those papers later if you really feel the need. A GA company where you will start prefers hours over credits. Get that Instument Rating ASAP, before an instructors rating. You don't have to keep it current, but if you get a chance at a job that requires one, its a lot easier to get up to speed than spend 2 months getting the initial rating, no company can or will wait that long. Be diligant in your studies, you might think all that theory is a waste...until you get to the airline level interviews. Finish your ATPL exams when you can, don't keep putting them off, they take longer than you think, especially when your working.
This industry is cyclical like few others, right now, there is a big downturn obviously, but when things take off, (no pun intended), there is always a flow on effect that gets bigger as it passes down thru the industry, all the way to the GA level. No one knows when the upturn will happen, but do you want to be sitting in a classroom writing papers, or flying and catching the wave when it happens?
Nosey