October West Festivities

 

So as most of you probably know October West started this week and its been going great so far!! We are all very excited for the Air show to start tomorrow, myself and a few of the others bloggers will be out there so if you recognize us please feel free to say hi 🙂 The coolest part of October West this year, besides the planes of course, was the unveiling of the Prescott campus’s very first completed Jet Dragster!!!!

We are all very proud of the work that this team has put in to produce the first Prescott dragster, just 4 years after the project all started here at our campus. The recognition of this hard work started with a fly over, speeches by the chancellor, Chris Larsen (the founder of Larsen motor sports), and finally a demonstration by Elaine Larsen.

The demonstration was so cool!!! At Riddle we love jet engine nose and this car was all engine!!! Intense flames poured out  the back as it rolled its way across the tarmac and fans roared, it was seriously amazing!! If you were lucky enough to be at the event you could even feel the pulses from the engine firing. Some sweet pictures are included below, please look through and enjoy. If you can be at the Prescott Airport tomorrow, be there so you can have a look at that dragster and join in the festivities 🙂

Ruck at Riddle

What a Ruck looks like

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good Morning everyone!! I just completed a 5K 40lb ruck for PT this morning and I’m feeling great. It was seriously so much fun!! So I was just curious to see how many of our readers are veterans, current military/ROTC, or CAP/JROTC who have done a real Ruck march. Please comment below and share your fun/not so fun experiences about Rucking.

For those of you who do not know what a Ruck is, it is basically a really long walk/jog with an extremely heavy backpack. It is not as bad as it sounds, if you have gone backpacking before then it is pretty similar to that. Most of the time for Rucks you will be using an old backpack and a 35-40lb sandbag, depending on the individual you may decide to do more than that however, for Air Force PT this morning the sand bags were standardized at about 40lb per person.

So my fun Ruck story from this morning begins with a lack of a proper backpack….yes not a good thing. The back pack I brought to PT was way to small for the sandbags, this resulted from the fact that my regular class backpack is so shredded that it would not stand a chance against a 40lb bag of sand. (I need to go shopping and get a new one, in Air Force ROTC you will ruin on average about one backpack per every 8 months). So rather than not going on the Ruck I grabbed a bag of sand put it on my shoulders and went for it!!

It actually wasn’t too bad, I fell a little behind because balancing 40lbs is a little bit more difficult than carrying it on your back. But, myself and the other cadets on the Ruck all finished within good time and with awesome experiences to share. I could write on and on if I wanted to but, if I would like to address more specific topics/stories/questions or whatever you would like to hear so if you would like to hear more about my morning or share your own story please comment below we would love to hear from you!!

Midterms are on Their Way!

 

Last Friday I had my first midterm exam in statics, and I’ve got two more this upcoming week. School is definitely progressing quickly around here. Soon it will be Thanksgiving and then finals time, its such a weird thing to think but, don’t let it catch you by surprise!! Start preparing now, don’t wait until the day before the exam to study, this is not high school, this is a highly respected University so don’t forget it!!

Tests are definitely something that need to be taken seriously, so like I said start preparing early by asking questions, doing the homework, reviewing up to 3 days before the exam and clarifying any topics that you are unsure of. Doing this will ensure a higher score on your exams, which will help that GPA!

Even though it can be easy to ignore what you have to do I strongly urge you to put your school first. Yes it is awesome to go out and have fun while you are in college but, don’t forget why you came here…EDUCATION. To get that degree you need to be successful academically, that is why it is so important to put studies first.

The best way to do so is to make a list of the homework and studying that you know you must complete. Do as much as you can every day and when you are finished take a break to enjoy yourself, go out and have some fun. This will really help out your grades and you will get the college experience that you wan at the same time.

So all in all enjoy yourself but, don’t let exams and classwork to catch you by surprise!!

Favorite TV Show

 

With all this homework I really am missing watching my favorite TV show, NCIS. The original one, not the LA NCIS however, both are pretty cool. The homework load has been pretty difficult but, once you get a routine down then it gets a little easier 🙂 Just hang in there a break is coming soon and if you work really hard on homework one day then you will have less the next. The most important thing is to stay balanced, don’t stress yourself too much but, push your limits at the same time.

Doing so will make you feel awesome by the time you get to relax and watch your shows (or whatever it is you like to do to relax). So I would like to hear from you, what is your favorite show and why? Please comment below and let me know!!

I already told you what my favorite one to watch is but, not why. Basically, when I was younger I wanted to be a forensic scientist. Obviously I landed very far from where I started and its ok if you do that too. I’d like to hear all your reasons why, there are some pretty interesting people out there and here at Riddle we would love to know you!

Come and Visit!!

 

As most of you know, I am actually a tour guide for Embry Riddle Prescott, so I would just like to encourage you to come on out and tour our school. With the start of the semester we have had fewer and fewer students coming out for tours, we know your busy but, we would still love to meet you and show you the awesome place that we call home (temporarily of course).

The easiest way to schedule a tour is online at our main website for the Prescott campus but, of course if you are in the area and just want to stop on by  we do allow walk ins as well. We offer two tour times, 9am and 1pm. While you are here you have the options of a Campus Tour, Flight line Tour, observing a class, meeting with a counselor, meeting with financial aid, meeting with Air Force/ Army ROTC, meeting a professor/coach……The list is endless!!!! If you would like to do it and we can get it arranged for you just let us know, we will do our best so that you can enjoy your tour experience here at Embry Riddle Prescott.

In the event of any special considerations we do also offer golf cart tours which go through the campus with a golf cart. This is for those who would prefer not to walk for the entire hour that the tour is being given. On average the campus tour is an hour, the flight line tour is an hour, and the meeting with an Admissions Counselor (which comes with every tour) can be anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour. So depending on what you would like to do and see at our campus your trip could be anywhere from an hour to three long (unless of course you also decide to meet with ROTC or any of our other campus entities). Like I said it is all up to you and what you are interested in.

I highly encourage you new High School Seniors to come on over and check out our school, we love it here and we hope that soon you will too!!

Fisrt 2 Weeks

 

School started Aug 26th and we are now to Sept 8, congrats everyone! Hopefully everyone’s first 2 weeks back went well 🙂 I know mine have, the only down side is all the homework!! This year I’m starting my sophomore year in Aerospace Engineering, a year that everyone calls the gauntlet. Why?

Little history info here-this is an actual gauntlet. It was worn by knights and warriors to protect their hands in battle.

Well basically this is the year that students decide if Engineering is really for them. So far its been awesome and challenging. All of my courses are highly mathematical so keeping formulas straight can get pretty hard. Despite the rumors I’ve heard about how hard it is I am not too worried. As long as you go into sophomore year with a knowledge of time management and a strong work ethic you will be fine. This can be hard to develop and maintain but, just recall why you decided to become an Engineer. Doing so will encourage you to continue to pursue your dream and serve as your inspiration to get through this next year.

I want to be an Engineer for the Air Force when I graduate, not only will I be a leader but I will also get to use my skills to support our military. Why did you become an Engineer? Please comment below and let us know!!! And most importantly stick with it, this world needs engineers such as yourself 🙂

To The Lifeboats!!!

 

Embry-Riddle’s Prescott campus is in the middle of monsoon season, and its hitting us harder than ever. For those of us who like rain its no big deal, actually its pretty entertaining.

Dr. Ayers

On Friday August 30th, a downpour that lasted for a good half hour or more actually flooded its way through campus. Pelting students with hail, turning sidewalks into inch deep rivers, and soaking the general populace. The most amusing part of the day (at least for students) was the flooding of classrooms where anonymous teachers continued to teach despite the tide waters rushing around their ankles. That did not last long however, in the interest of safety some classes were cut short and classrooms began to be dried out.

 

 

There is nothing to fear for those who reside on this campus, the areas through campus where flooding is most likely to occur are specifically designed with large drainage ditches so that waters can easily make their way through campus without harm to students.  Furthermore, the Facilities Management Staff is a highly effective and knowledgeable team and they have responded quite well to the demands of the monsoon floods.This is probably the worst of the monsoon rains to come to campus and they won’t last long, so again the campus is only in danger of being greatly amused by the puddles.

New Student Orientation

Summer is over and it is time to begin again!! Today, Thursday August 22, all of the new students for Embry Riddle’s Prescott campus are arriving!!!! (ROTC students actually arrived on Monday, but the rest come in today). We are all very excited to see you here on campus and I’m here to offer a few tips on what you should do first when you get to campus.

1. Go to the welcome center, building 41. Here you can pick up your welcome packet and your orientation schedule. There is a map and a checklist inside the schedule booklet so that the new student will know what to do next and where to go to do it 🙂

2. The next thing you should do is go to the housing office called HAAS in building 73, you can pick up your room key here and start moving into your new room!!

3. Pick up your mailbox key from the mail room in building 11, you can actually receive mail here on campus!!

4. Register your vehicle in building 14, that’s where the Safety department is located. All you need is a valid ID and all the documents that you have on your vehicle.

5. Pick up your Eagle card in building 13, this is the Eagle card office. The Eagle card is really important as it is your meal card, your ID card, and your debit card. It allows you access to certain areas on campus as well, if you have the proper authorization.

6. Most of all have an awesome day, we are so happy to be welcoming you to our campus and we hope that you have a great first year here on our gorgeous campus!!!

-Note you can complete that list in any order

Tobacco Free Campus Starts in Prescott

 

Effective as of August 1st, all of Embry Riddle’s campus’s will be going completely tobacco free. This is a major change for some students however, there will be aid available to those who smoke or would like to quit using tobacco products as we all adjust to the new policy. We will be joining over 600 other college campus’s in the nation that have made the decision to go tobacco free in order to ensure the health of their students, faculty, and staff.

Many students agree that this policy is the right thing to do, a sophomore student Juan G. states that “The tobacco policy indeed should improve the environment of the campus into a more social place by allowing students who do not smoke to interact with those who do/used to smoke. As students who smoke and students who do not often remain in separate groups, this policy will break down that barrier.”

It is everyone’s hope that the transition for all students will go positively, if you are a tobacco user and you would like additional help in abstaining from the use of tobacco products there will be help available to you. The official news release sites sources for help which are also located here. For tobacco cessation in Prescott click here, for Daytona Beach click here. Thank you, for reading and complying with our new policy.

Fitness

Fitness is a huge part of being a cadet at Embry Riddle and also at any ROTC detachment or service Academy. If you plan to attend our University and be a part of either our Air Force or Army ROTC Detachments then you must be above the rest physically.

Embry Riddle Prescott is actually a pretty unique school that can really help you with your fitness. We have several fields, running trails, a track, gyms, a cardio room, and so much more to help our students stay in shape while they attend school here. The facilities are open to all students and you may use them at your leisure. The big difference about this University as compared to others is that we are actually about a mile above sea level in elevation here.

As a result of the elevation less oxygen is available so when you work out you are strengthening your lungs immensely. When you go to lower elevations you will then have an edge on other athletes because your lungs are so much stronger!!

This is also helpful if you are in ROTC because there are numerous facilities for you to work out in and build yourself up so you can perform well in PT. Adjusting to the elevation is a huge part of how you perform at this University in ROTC so the sooner you adjust the better, but be careful you can get sick or feel weak when working out here at first. It is normal just don’t overdue it and you will be fine. A slow adjustment is better because you work up to it over time and you don’t get sick from it 😀

Whatever you like to do to stay in shape we can accommodate you here!!