As the second semester of my Sophmore year passes here at Embry-Riddle, My fellow Air Force cadets in my class and I got through a training semester known as Field Training Preparation. To understand why we do this, I’ll provide you first with some background information on how Air Force ROTC works in the first place. This information covers questions that I get all the time working as a tour guide on campus, so read up if you want to find out a little more about Air Force ROTC here at Embry-Riddle Prescott!

Your first two years involved with ROTC you are considered a GMC cadet, GMC standing for General Military Course. This means your training is geared towards learning the values and heritage of the Air Force; and general military knowledge that you will use throughout your career. Then after your sophomore year, you will receive what is known as an enrollment allocation. This enrollment allocation, or EA for short, allows you to go to Field Training over the summer. Field Training constitutes of 28 days of military training at Maxwell Air Force Base Alabama and Camp Shelby Mississippi. Upon graduating Field Training, you become part of the Professional Officer Course, or POC. As a POC, you training then focuses on leadership and preparation for active duty service.

Anyways, us second semester sophomore cadets are getting ready to go to Field Training this summer, so this semester is focused on preparing us for this endeavor. We learn about everything from how to properly make a bed and maintain a dorm , to how to march as a squadron. All of this training is received in a military training environment, which makes this semester a bit more intense then my previous three semesters here.

The biggest event on my horizon, and the biggest events for all the cadets in my class too, is the receiving of enrollment allocations. No cadet is guaranteed an enrollment allocation, and cuts are generally made. So all of us are sitting around bubbling with apprehension waiting for the results of the enrollment allocation board to come back in from Maxwell. They should be any day now so we are all very excited.

If you have any questions or comments about anything let me know in the comment section.  I’d be happy to respond to you so don’t be shy!

So I’m sure you haven’t heard about any of the local wildlife in Prescott Arizona, and I don’t mean the locals. This is a retirement community and absolutely nothing crazy goes on here 😉 (Until you set foot on Embry-Riddle’s campus that is!!). Anyways, back on track here, Prescott isn’t only a home for retirees and brilliant college students, many other sorts of creatures reside right under our very toes……

The larger of these animals wouldn’t want you to stand on it, its definitely very dangerous and I warn you to avoid it.  It’s a Mountain Lion!! These animals although gorgeous, are a force to be respected and if you happen to see one just back away slowly, but do not turn your back on the animal. If it becomes aggressive you must curl up on the ground and wrap your hands around your neck to protect yourself. Sightings are very very very very rare and the animal is as afraid of you as you are of it so you should not have encounter one in your time at Riddle. The best way to avoid this is to walk safely around areas where they have been sited a.k.a. The Dells (the rocks across from campus). Walking safely means walking with another person and not staying in the Dells after nightfall unless you are with a group of people and you have a light source.

The second largest animal is the Coyote, these animals are skittish and will run away if they see you. They are often heard at night in the Dells, but never seen. You have relatively little to fear from these creatures. The only time they are dangerous is if you see them in large groups or in the daytime. Coyotes have confidence in large groups so if you should come across a group there are two things that might work to avoid danger;  Try to make yourself and your companion look intimidating or climb the nearest tree/rock formation. If you should see a coyote in daytime stay as far away from it as possible and call animal control. It is possible that the animal has rabies as they do not show themselves during the day unless there is something wrong with the animal.

Next is the Javelina or wild pig, only the large pigs are aggressive but if you see a baby pig leave the area as fast as possible because its momma is somewhere nearby and will come to defend her piglet. These avoid you more than you avoid them so an encounter with a Javelina is rare and if it occurs the pig usually runs before you do. If you should encounter an aggressive pig call animal control and get out of the area as fast as you can by whatever means you can use.

The other common creatures are snakes and scorpions. Cockroaches and spiders do make their appearances once in a while, but if you see scorpions or snakes you should be aware of how to identify and handle them. There are many different types of each of these reptiles, so I suggest some research so that are familiar with the species that you may encounter during your time at Riddle.

A final note that I must say is that animal encounters are rare, it is best to be aware of what wildlife is in the area so that you can know how to handle these encounters. I have been here a year so far and I’ve only seen a harmless Gardener snake, some seniors at Riddle haven’t seen anything but spiders and cockroaches. So again, be knowledgeable just in case, but I reassure you that such encounters may not even happen to you so enjoy your time at Riddle and don’t worry too much about our local wildlife 🙂

As is my annual tradition, this last blog before the end of the semester is going to be all about what I have learned this past year at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University! I am nearly finished with my junior year, and even though I thought I learned everything there is to know about ERAU last year, I somehow managed to learn even more about college life this year! So here it goes, my little gems of knowledge that I have collected this past year:

1.  Always be prepared (time-wise and otherwise) for emergencies (such as a broken down car) and realize that it does eventually happen to everyone. No one is immune to bad luck, unfortunately.

2.  The SGA Office in the Student Union has a free candy drawer, and when you’re lucky, there are sometimes Goldfish. Take advantage of this as often as you can!

3.  There are always going to be blocks on your schedule that you have to remove before you can actually register for classes. Don’t wait for the day of registration to go see your advisor! Chances are, everyone else and their dogs are going to be waiting in line too and you probably won’t get all of the classes you wanted.

4.  Join as many clubs as you can. There are awesome clubs like Zumba Club, Poker Club, Harry Potter Club, Sky-Diving Club, Ballroom Dancing Club, and so many more! You get to make new friends and the activities are always fun!

5.  As weird as this sounds, you should actually look at the fliers posted around campus in passing. Sometimes there are awesome under-the-radar activities going on that are not widely broadcasted.

6.  Don’t hesitate to go to Health Services when you’re sick. Even though school and homework are so important, staying healthy is important too! Don’t put off your health because you’re busy! (Such as so many other lessons in life, I had to learn this lesson the hard way!)

7.  There is not one single way to get ANYWHERE on campus. All the sidewalks are like zigzags, so don’t waste your time standing at the crossroads wondering which route is faster. Just pick one and chances are you’ll get to class on time.

8.  The quiet room in the library is a great place to study, especially when you don’t want to be bothered by tons of people making noise! However, if you’re a library-style-social-butterfly, the top floor is where you can study while you hang out with friends (hello, study groups!).

9.  Take advantage of being able to sleep in (yes, sleeping until eight is considered sleeping in!) In the real, working world, you don’t get that luxury!

10.  Take chances! Don’t be so risk averse that you miss out on all the fun and miss out on awesome memories. College life is the best kind, so make sure to enjoy it while you can, because it sure flies by!

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

-Ferris Bueller

It seems just like last month that I was moving in all my boxes into my freshman dorm. And now, I am just about ready to submit my application for graduation for the Class of 2013 of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.  I definitely had some nostalgic feelings earlier in the semester during my third and final time I worked as an Orientation Leader.  I couldn’t help but recall my own memoires as a freshman student, straight out of high school, without a clue in the world of what I had gotten myself into.

And today, I am senior in college, finishing up the last few credits I need to earn that Bachelor of Science degree.  Senior year has been an absolute blast these last few months.  Every single fall semester prior to this year, I couldn’t wait until Thanksgiving and Winter Break and I was burnt out by the time the end of November came around.  This year, I actually found myself asking where all the time went by and not wanting the semester to end.

One of the more unique experiences I’ve had the pleasure of participating in was traveling on behalf of the Office of Admissions throughout the United States on recruiting events for the university.  For the fall semester, these were the Admissions Information Meetings for prospective students around the nation.  I was able to visit different cities on various different weekends including, El Paso, Texas, Albuquerque, New Mexico, San Marcos, Texas, Los Angeles, CA, Salt Lake City, UT, Phoenix, AZ and Ventura, CA.  I was tasked to represent the office from the perspective of a current student and basically share my knowledge of the university as well experiences.  It was interesting to be able to relate to students in their junior/senior years of high school. I always made sure to emphasize that I was really not much older than they are and that I was in their exact same position just a few years ago.  My goal was to be as relatable as possible with the students and be able to give them the same assistance I received when I was their age.

I guess being able to travel allowed the semester to quickly fly by, no pun intended.  Besides that, I have been heavily focusing on my new position as Senior Campus Ambassador for the university and all the new responsibility associated.  With my counterpart, we are in charge of the Campus Ambassadors/Tour Guides for the Office of Admissions.  The middle of the fall semester is usually associated with heavy tour activity so you can imagine how busy it has gotten.

Sometimes, with work, travel, and other items, I forget I am still a student.  My class load consists of only twelve credits and my classes include Aircraft Accident Investigation, Mechanic/Structural Factors in Aviation Safety, Applied Climatology, and Studies in Literature.  I am hoping this year to be able to graduate with a double major in Aviation Safety Science but we’ll see what happens.

Besides all the above, I’ve been able to thoroughly enjoy all of the activities that accompany senior year.  One of my main mottos this year is no holding back in regards to every aspect of my life.  It really is true that college consists of four of the best years of your life.  And it was just recently that such insignificant things (walking through the fall leaves on campus, the crisp clear skies at dawn, and the power of a monsoon thunderstorm) all of a sudden meant so much to me.  I wish it didn’t need to end.  Senior year continues and I look forward to sharing with you the memoires that have yet to be made.

Let me know what you think as well as any questions you might have in the comments below. Thanks!

One of the most marked differences between my high school and college experiences is motivation. In high school, I cared less and less as the years went by. But in college, I get more and more excited about school as the semesters pass. Not only do the classes get more involved and delve deeper in to specific subject matter, but you start to realize that, in a few short years, you will be equipped to go and do this stuff in the real world. This semester, I’m taking private pilot ground I for helicopters, private pilot flight I, COM223: Intelligence Writing, LCH101: Chinese 101, and SS110: World History. I have definitely been the most excited about my classes this semester than any other before. I’ll tell you about my two favorite and most involved classes this week.

Intelligence Writing, taught by Deanna Austin, is easily my favorite class this semester. It’s a great class and Austin is such a great professor. I will take anything she teaches. In this class, we chose a country at the very beginning of the semester and have been assigned various subsequent writing assignments pertaining to it. Every other week, we do “Milestones”, where we collect information about the issues going on in our country. We use these to brainstorm ideas for Intelligence Briefs that we write about once a month. We write briefs on any issue of importance to the country and its relations to the US and the world. The cool thing about these briefs is that we submit them to our school’s intelligence publications, Eagle Eye, so there is a chance your brief could be published! During lectures, we talk about all sorts of topics relating to intelligence writing. Right now, we are going over key assumptions and how to become aware of them in your writing. One of the things that I really love about how Austin structures this class is that we do a lot of in-class activities where she will show us a method of, say, brainstorming, and then we will all take half an hour to practice it and turn in a mini-assignment. It really helps the method stick if you have an opportunity to try it out yourself and then get feedback.

Chinese 101, taught by Yang Li, is a very demanding class. We follow our textbooks very closely in this class, which are broken into lessons that are structured around a dialogue between two people. In each dialogue, we learn a specific skill, like how to ask what date and time it is, or inviting somebody to the movies. Normally we spend one day per week just going over new vocabulary words, one day a week where we give an oral presentation to the class, and one day a week where we are quizzed over the current lesson. One of the things I like best about the structure of this class is that we spend a lot of time speaking out loud, sometimes alone and sometimes together. But the times that we speak individually give the professor an opportunity to correct individual mistakes in our speech, which is very helpful.

This semester has also taught me that the professor can make such a difference in your success and enjoyment of a class. One of the biggest pieces of advice I can give you is to put some real thought into your schedule each semester. Not just when to take which classes when, that could be its own blog post. Do not write off the opinions of your peers. They can tell you which professors are great and who to avoid, which might be the difference between a semester that you thoroughly enjoy or the one that you spend hitting your head against the wall.