Take Home Finals?

Posted on April 23, 2014 by Cherie

Oddly enough they do exist!! I was surprised to discover that my Mathematical Methods for Engineering final exam is a take home final. I have never had a take home final before and I’ve only had one take home exam so my question to the readers is whether this is a common practice or not?

As odd as it is I actually like the idea of a take home final, sure it might be a little harder than normal but, I don’t have to cram in studying and I can work on it at my own leisure. How cool is that??!! The downside of the take home final is the fact that unlike homework you can’t work on it with other students. It might be a little lonely sitting at my desk by myself trying to figure this thing out but, at least there is Pandora!!

So what does your finals week look like so far? Easy, hard, impossible?? I would like to know, go ahead and comment below so we can share our thoughts and tips with you. Happy prefinals week everyone….may the odds ever be in your favor 😉

Summer?

Posted on April 20, 2014 by Cherie

Summer is just two weeks away!! What are your plans this summer? Well, if you don’t have any yet then add in a road trip 🙂 You can visit the Grand Canyon, Phoenix, Embry Riddle Prescott….and so many more places!!

Most college students go home for summer and hang out or get internships, go to field training, or get a job. So, if you are still in high school enjoy your summer and trust me, that summer reading homework is not bad at all. It will only take you two weeks to complete so, with all the extra time you have come visit some cool places in AZ!!!

My summer plans are still pending lol. I’ll have to let you know when I figure it out 🙂 comment below if you have any fun ideas or trips planned. We would love to hear from you!

The Pool is Now Open

Posted on April 14, 2014 by Cherie

Come on down to our awesome salt water pool and have some fun!! That’s right folks, the pool is once again open for the season!!! It’s a great place to work on that tan, swim some laps, have a BBQ, or just avoid homework in general 😉

The pool will be open until October and daily hours are as follows:

11am to 7pm

We hope to see you there!!!!

Pugil Sticks!!

Posted on April 13, 2014 by Cherie

Its a beautiful Sunday here in Prescott AZ, and the best way to spend it is in a epic pugil stick battle!!!! At least that’s what AFROTC cadets in FTP think is fun :)For those of you have have never heard of or seen a pugil stick before this is what they look like…

And this is what we do with them…..

Although it may look odd it is actually really fun, my advice is to use gloves while dueling or your knuckles will get pretty scraped up. Also protect your nose, that advice comes from experience haha.

We hope to see you here soon at Embry Riddle Prescott, and next year maybe you can partake in a pugil stick battle as well!! Well, however you choose to spend your time on this fantastic Sunday I hope you have a lot of fun, I know I sure did 🙂

Spring is Finally Here!!

Posted on April 9, 2014 by Cherie

For those of you who have gotten a chance to put down the homework and take a walk outside you might have noticed how beautiful it is outside here in Prescott AZ. Spring has finally arrived as is evident by the greenery, flowers, and chirping birds. Spring is my favorite time of year and I have not seen a more amazing season than since I have been here at Embry Riddle. Living in the local area while going to school here is awesome because the whole town comes alive in Spring again.

The fairs start coming back into the square downtown, there are more opportunities to go hiking, biking, kayaking, and so much more!!! There is so much to do here in spring, and I highly encourage our prospective students to come on out here and tour the campus. In addition to that tour though, take some time to get to know the area. The area in which you choose to live while going to college is extremely important and not many students realize it until it is too late.

For example, when I moved here I knew Prescott would be wonderful because I had grown up in an area that is quite similar to Prescott. My transition into college life was not as hard because of this fact. So when you tour here, go see the sights, ask the locals about what they like to do in the area. Doing so will help you get a feel for the community as well as for the college. Well, with that said, I hope to see you here soon 🙂 Enjoy the Spring season!!

Midterms Round 3

Posted on April 7, 2014 by Cherie

This week it is 3 for 3 with midterms. Almost all the engineers have exams Monday, Wednesday, and Friday but, the one comfort is that it will soon be all over. With this set of midterms behind us we will only have finals to take and the semester will be over!! For those of you who are still in disbelief about the rate at which the semester has disappeared its time to shape up and pulling some good grades before finals hit us hard.

So if you need to get some advice on how to prepare to midterms and finals check out some of my previous blogs 🙂 Good Luck everyone!!

Midterms Round 2

Midterms Round 1

Finals

Dynamics Modeling

Posted on April 4, 2014 by Cherie

As a part of one of my courses I have to model a system using dynamics. For those of you who do not know, dynamics is a core class in the Aerospace engineering major that basically allows you to predict the motion of objects under certain conditions. There are many methods that can be used to predict motion such as sum of forces, work energy, rigid body, and sum of forces/moments.

In my project I am predicting the motion of a spring pendulum system using all of the methods listed above. In addition to those methods, I am also using the CATIA design software to create the mass that oscillates on the end of the spring. (check out the picture below to see an actual spring pendulum)

So far, it has been going very well, I have most of the methods done but, I still need to identify the k (spring constant) of the spring I am using in order to obtain a more accurate mathematical model. Have any of you modeled something dynamically before? If so, we engineers at Embry Riddle would love to hear about it!! Please comment below, and I will be sure to keep you updated on my progress!!

Time Management

Posted on March 27, 2014 by Cherie

Hey there everyone, today I just want to talk a little bit about time management, this is a topic that can be a little touchy because, I’m sure we all know that we can be managing our time a little better than we actually do. So I would like to share with you some classic tips and tricks that will help you stay on track and also a few common weaknesses.

Here are those tips and tricks!!

1. Set a study schedule with a certain amount of time dedicated for every activity, class, and homework that you need to get done

2. If you really need it, set a timer.

3. Take small study breaks

4. Drink water not coffee and limit your snacking. This will help keep you awake longer.

5. Set study goals that have rewards for accomplishing them

Common Weaknesses :/

1. Studying in front of the TV….no beuno, I admit I have problems with this one too!

2. Frequent and long breaks

3. Texting while trying to study or do homework….VERY DISTRACTING

4. Facebooking while researching online

5. Procrastinating

6. Using a solutions manual…not helpful in the end as you get the right answer without learning anything!

Hopefully, you are now a little bit more aware of some good study habits as well as some poor ones that can be avoided or changed. Studying well does take some degree of discipline and training but, you can do it!!! Set down with that work and get going, it will be done in no time at all 🙂 Have a great week everyone!

Where has the time gone?

Posted on March 24, 2014 by Cherie

A few days ago I actually realized that there are only 5 weeks left of the Spring 2014 semester. I can hardly believe that my time here has gone so quickly!! It has most certainly been a fun ride 🙂 In the last two years I have become an Air Force ROTC cadet, a student employee, an engineer, and a sleep deprived broke college kid. However, I don’t regret it one little bit. Embry Riddle Prescott has been the best choice I have made in my short lifetime. I have learned so much since I came here and made so many friends that I am sure will last a lifetime.

Come to Embry Riddle and let your dreams take flight!

Looking back on it all makes me feel really old to be honest, even though I am really not!! It is really cool to see not only myself but, the other students I came in with Freshman year growing into professionals with the aid of the faculty and staff on this campus. I can honestly say that without our small class sizes and individual times with professors that our experience at Embry Riddle would be very different. It is for this reason that I still think my decision to come here was the best one ever! Because of the level of help that students get from actual professors who have had actual experience in the industry in which they teach the Embry Riddle education is the best value for your investment in your future!

I love being able to write about my experiences to share with our readers whoever you may be 🙂 because I like to inform you of the real college life that students here in Prescott are undergoing. It is my hope that you will join us here one day, and as always please comment if you would like more information or if you just wanna say hi!

Preview Day is in Full Swing here at Embry Riddle Prescott

Posted on March 22, 2014 by Cherie

If you are not here on campus yet please stop on by we have a multitude of amazing events going on that you may be interested in if you are an incoming freshman in the fall of 2014!!

Come tour our campus, see our labs, meet with ROTC, discuss financial aid options and so much more!! We will be up and running until 4 pm today so don’t waste any time, we would love to invite you onto our beautiful campus at Embry Riddle Prescott, Az. See you soon!!!!!!!!!