The life of an aviation student doesn’t exactly fit the mold of the typical college experience.

Aviation students still attend football games and have a social life, but much of their degree-seeking experience happens three miles away from campus ­— at Max Westheimer Airport — or even further — in the sky.

“I get in the airplane, and I get to forget about everything on the ground — no stress at all, just pure enjoyment and freedom,” said aviation senior Rob Melzer.

As part of their degree, aviation students complete hours of flying, working their way up from private pilot to certified flight instructor.

The curriculum also includes a business component that adds classes like accounting to students’ schedules. While some find the business- and management-related classes painful and tedious, others delight in the variety.

“About half of an aviation degree is business; I know that the classes will be useful for me,” said aviation junior Andrew Steinle.

After graduation, most professional pilot aviation majors choose one of three options: joining the military, working for a commercial airline or flying corporate airplanes for private companies.

Students who complete the certified flight instructor rating are then able to teach other aviation students, making it one of the few degrees in which the student really becomes the teacher while still an undergraduate student.

Becoming an instructor is a good way to accumulate the hours of flying experience that are necessary to get a job as a commercial or corporate pilot.

Evan French, aviation senior, has a different outlook than many of the other aviation majors. A tattoo of the Wright Flyer spans the length of his forearm, and for him, it is a daily reminder of his goals.

“I’ve wanted to be a fighter pilot since I was 5, and I am still going after that dream,” French said. “I am the freak who wants nothing to do with big business or commercial airlines.”

French wants to fly the very best planes out there, and the only way to do that is to join the military.

“It’s dangerous, but all flying is dangerous, and when you come out of the military, flying jobs are basically at your disposal,” French said.

A common word pops up when aviation students start talking about flying: freedom.

“Flying is definitely very freeing, especially when you are by yourself in an airplane,” Steinle said. “It gives you a different perspective on things.”

French describes flying an airplane as a completely new experience every time he flies.

“I know that it’s never going to get old,” he said.

Logan Clark, aviation sophomore, was inspired to declare the major after living with French for a while.

“When I was a kid, I always liked planes, but I never thought that it could be my major,” Clark said.

Though Steinle describes aviation majors as a “diverse group,” he admits there is a personality trait that ties them together.

“They are all united by the fact that they are doing something that they love, and you can tell that everyone is excited about what they are studying,” Steinle said.

One aspect of the program that regularly deters people is the cost. Fees for some classes can be as high as $3,000 when plane rentals and fuel costs are added.

The price tag didn’t scare off Steinle, who regularly applies for scholarships, takes out student loans and works every summer to pay for his education.

For Melzer, perhaps his biggest struggle now is flying commercially, where he’s relegated to a passenger seat rather than the cockpit.

“I hate it,” he said. “I feel like a backseat driver, except I can’t even look out the front.”