Rainy Day in Prescott AZ

Posted on January 27, 2015 by Cherie

Its not every day that we get the pleasure of wearing rain boots and splashing our way to classes here in Prescott AZ but, we were fortunate enough to experience rain all through last night and into early morning today. See some of the gorgeous pictures of our rainy day sunrise here in Prescott 🙂

Water dripping from the branches

Clouds

Reflection of the clouds in a puddle

Gorgeous right!! Come on by to visit us on this beautiful day 🙂 You can schedule a visit here, if you have any questions please feel free to call. We look forward to hearing from you!

Chinese Courses at Embry Riddle

Posted on January 26, 2015 by Cherie

This blog is a shout out to one of our readers who was wanting to know more about Chinese courses at Embry Riddle. I was able to find and interview several current students in the Global Intelligence and Security Chinese Program and this is what they had to say.

“The program is super fun and intense at the same time. Each course you take (one semester) is actually equivalent to learning one year of the language. It is high paced but, the professors are really helpful and clear with the material so it is challenging as well as interesting. There is also an opportunity for students to go to China between the Sophomore and Junior year in order to completely be immersed in the culture. The trip really helps to cement your knowledge in the language and can help you get future jobs. In addition to that you get great connections with the people you meet on the trip and gain many life long friends. As far as the schedule goes, you do have a lot of free time to do homework and group work because classes are spread out well. There are actually tutors for the Chinese program as well and being able to talk with them is really great as most of them have extensive backgrounds in the language.”

“In all despite the challenges that the program can present it is really fun and totally worth doing.” All of the Chinese Students that I interviewed said that taking Chinese at Embry-Riddle is the best decision they have made in their college career.

If you have any more questions please let me know or give the Admissions department a call 🙂 Thanks for reading.

3-Day Weekend Fun

Posted on January 20, 2015 by Cherie

For our curious potential freshman I will be answering a question today: what do you do on a three day weekend in Prescott? Well, you are in luck as I happen to know the answer.

Unfortunately, part of that answer is homework but, there are fun things that you can do with your free time in Prescott, AZ. For example, take a walk downtown, there are so many amazing little shops and places to eat should you get hungry while you wander. One of my personal favorite places to stop in and get a quick bite is Shannon’s wraps and cheesecakes. The restaurant is a small family place and located just off the square; they have the most amazing cheese cake I have ever eaten!!

If you’re not the downtown type then take a stroll through the dells which are located just across from campus. That’s actually what I did this weekend, take a look at some of the amazing views from the top of the dells!

And, if you are not the hiking type then the movies may be a good place to go. At the Picture Show movie theater a few minutes outside of downtown you can get discounted tickets and relax in comfy adjustable leather seats. Additionally, not so far from the theater is the mall with numerous stores to walk around and neat little places to eat.

About 20 minutes away from the mall is Prescott Valley, there is another theater there and tons of other interesting stores to visit. So whatever you like to do for fun, you can find it here in Prescott AZ. Don’t fear there is plenty to do other than homework when you attend Embry-Riddle.

It’s a White Tuesday!

Posted on January 13, 2015 by Cherie

So today we were all pleasantly surprised to see some snow! It wasn’t snowing when I went to PT this morning but, it sure was when I headed off to class this morning! Take a look at our gorgeous campus in the snow!!

Snow Falling in front of the AXFAB in central campus

Central Campus

My view from the upperclassman dorms this morning.

It usually snows anywhere from one to six times during the winter here in Prescott and its the first time that quite a few of our students get to see some snow! With that said, when you are thinking of attending our University take the climate into consideration as well. We have relatively mild winters and fantastic summers with the average temperature in the high 80’s. If that is something you would like then Embry Riddle Prescott is the place for you! Sign up to take a tour today!!

First Day of Classes!!

Posted on January 12, 2015 by Cherie

First Day Selfie!!

Welcome back everyone! Hope break was great for our returning students and for our prospective students. 🙂 We are all very excited to be coming back to classes for the Spring semester (although another week of break would’ve been awesome). I will give you the low down on the Spring Semester in college, so if you are interested in Embry Riddle you can get an idea of how it all works.

Spring is usually better. I’m not really sure why but, most people have better schedules and have a lot more fun during the semester than in Fall. It may just be because of Spring Break but, there are also more off days during the Spring Semester due to other random holidays. This semester is actually going to be an interesting one for me due to my ROTC jobs, courses, and work. I have a pretty good school schedule but I will be spending 8+ hours a week preparing the Honor Corps for our competition at SCIDM (Southern California Invitational Drill Meet). If you would like to know more about the drill meet please keep following my blog, I will post some cool pics when the time comes! You can also comment below and I will be happy to answer any questions 🙂

Honor Guard, one of the three teams in Honor Corps

So one last thing, I am curious to know what everyone did over break? I just went home and hung out with my family, nothing too fun.

LOL. Comment below to share your break with us, we would love to know what you got to do!

Winter Break is Here!

Posted on December 11, 2014 by Cherie

Thursday of this week is the last day of finals and then the semester is officially over!! For those of us who are going home over the three weeks I have some tips on how to get a head start on the next semester and how to fight the winter boredom. For others, like many of our international students, the dorms will be “home” for Christmas. It is common for some students to stay although some buildings, like the dining hall will be closed, the campus will be a nice quiet place to relax or prepare for next semester.

For students who are headed home, enjoy those first few days but, when the boredom sets in balance your preparation for next semester with fun. For example, find those books you need online so you can have them early in the semester rather than two weeks in after the first homework is assigned. The campus bookstore website has all the books listed for each course, all you have to do is enter the course number and section to find what you need. When you are done searching the web for books then go have fun in town, shop around, see old friends, check out the awesome Christmas lights, etc.

Another good way to prepare for the next semester is to arrange your schedule early so you know how it will flow throughout the week. This makes it easier to schedule study times in between work, classes, and extracurricular. Also, if you can, read up on some of the courses you will be taking or get in touch with professors so you can start asking questions.

For our Air Force ROTC second semester Sophomores, its time to start studying your manuals!! The second semester of Sophomore year is a critical time for cadets as it is their semester to prepare for Field Training and go through selection boards for Field Training. Field Training is probably the most important event for cadets as it determines if they can continue in the ROTC program to become Air Force Officers upon graduation. Hopefully, some of our readers will be competing for Field Training in the future!

So, I hope you have a wonderful winter break! Have fun but, remember to prepare for the upcoming semester as each semester puts you one step closer to an awesome career in whatever it is that you choose to pursue.

If you are a prospective freshman please ask any questions you have below and I will get right back to you 🙂 I will even write answers to your questions in blogs if you like!!

Finals Next Week, Study Help is Everywhere

Posted on December 4, 2014 by Cherie

Its amazing how fast this semester has gone by and for some of you the first set of college finals is looming in the not so far away future. However, for the vast majority of us here at Embry-Riddle Prescott, we know the drill from our past years of experience. That does not make it any easier though! Finals are always a nerve racking time to prove what you know and potentially boost your grades or keep them at a solid A. Whatever the case may be in regards to your grades do not forget to use your on campus resources for help!

Professors are more than happy to help you study for those finals and if they are not around then schedule an appointment with a tutor. The tutors are hired by the campus to help you so you do not need to pay them at all! They are a great resource however, starting on 4 Dec you may only meet a tutor by appointment so keep that in mind. Regular “Walk in” hours will resume again next semester. For our readers who do not know what “walk in” hours are, it is a time where a tutor will be in a specific location waiting for a student to walk in and ask for help. Pretty simple right? Well, it gets even better than that! All tutors where blue and gold lanyards with their name, so they are all very easy to find.

Additionally, tutor information is available on the control tower which is run through our student portal so you can log in today and check out the tutors available for the courses you need help in. If you want more information then contact Ms. Katie Green, the head of the tutor program. She hires all the tutors who are ready to help you!! You can find her information in the campus directory that current students have access to under people search.

Flyer for Finals Breakfast And of course you need to eat well and de-stress during finals. The Finals Breakfast event is the perfect way to fill up on pancakes and have some fun too!

Hope this helps, good luck studying for those finals everyone!! Also, if you want some more info on our Academic Support check out their website!

Take Advantage of Black Friday & Cyber Monday

Posted on December 1, 2014 by Cherie

Black Friday and Cyber Monday is the prefect time of year to get those big purchases out of the way at a lower price, and for college kids or our soon to be college kids, this is an excellent time of year to update your technology. Search well because some stores may even have additional discounts for students.

In need of a new laptop? Best Buy always has some great ones available at just the right price!! If your parents will be gifting you these items, be sure to send them to our FAQ for parents that details what you should bring to ERAU including technology. For current students, check out half price books online for those textbooks you need next semester. You might find some awesome discounts!

Amazon is also a great resource for finding discounts on technology or textbooks, so keep that in mind as well. For college students Amazon Prime is free during your first year so and you can get great deals with free shipping when you sign up! As a student you will find this service invaluable.

Happy Holidays and happy shopping everyone, just remember to stay safe out there, no discount is worth your safety. Thanks for reading everyone!

High Altitude Balloon Launch

Posted on November 24, 2014 by Cherie

High Altitude gondola image taken by an Embry Riddle Student’s Satellite

Last Tuesday, several teams in the Experimental Space Systems course launched weather balloons to test preliminary designs of Satellites. These Satellites collected data about the upper atmosphere and filmed their journey. The launch was the culmination of an entire semester of research, fabrication, and over 7 hours of testing in Embry-Riddle’s very own Space Systems Laboratory. This lab is a unique state of the art facility housed inside the Aerospace Fabrication and Experimentation Building known as AXFAB. It is complete with two vacuum chambers and what most students call “the chiller” which is a small highly insulated piece of equipment that has the ability to simulate the temperature conditions of the upper atmosphere.

The curvature of the earth and rays of the sun in the upper atmosphere as recorded by the satellite

All of the students were very excited to launch and chase down the satellites as the wind carried them across the upper portion of Northern Arizona. If you happen to be visiting us for a campus tour, stop by and meet the teams. They will be in the Space Systems Laboratory, which is one of the stops on our campus tour 🙂

If you would like more information or have any questions please leave me a comment below and I’ll get back to you ASAP. Thanks for reading everyone!!!

— Do not duplicate. All images are property of Juan Gutierrez, Serafino Bohrer-Padavos, Jenna Humble, Sung Saengpetsiriphan, Joseph Christensen; team members on the high altitude balloon launch project.

Community Service

Posted on November 19, 2014 by Cherie

This past week Embry-Riddle Prescott’s Air Force ROTC Arnold Air Society and Silver Wings hosted a food drive for the Prescott Homeless Shelter in support of their Thanksgiving Feast. This event is just one of many that AFROTC and other campus organizations host to support our community.

jih Arnold_Air_Society_(coat_of_arms)

In total there are over 80 different student organizations on the Prescott campus ranging from inter mural sports, fraternities, sororities, and the list goes on!!

Autism_Speaks_Logo

All of our organizations participate in some service project. For example, one of the sororities on campus supports the nonprofit “Autism Speaks” which helps the families of Autistic children.

Another organization, The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers volunteers to tutor naturalized citizens who are pursuing GED’s. This is just barely scratching the surface of how Embry-Riddle students give back to their community.

If you would like to join us in doing so we would love to welcome you here!! If you are interested in visiting click here and if you are ready to apply our application page can be found here.

Thank you for reading everyone!!!