1 Semester Down – 7 Semesters to Go

Posted on December 9, 2015 by Megan

It is hard to believe that my first semester of college is over. This semester has brought tears and many joyful moments, late nights and early mornings, as well as amazing friendships and hard goodbyes. College by no means is easy, but it is a crazy adventure that is worth the work.

Looking back, I remember arriving on campus in August scared that I would not make friends and that school would be too hard. But, I came out of my first semester having to say some of the hardest goodbyes to my friends who became family and the knowledge that if I put my mind to it I can be successful in college.

The organizations I am apart of is a major reason why my first semester was spectacular. Being involved in my sorority, Alpha Xi Delta, has helped connect me to other girls on campus and become more involved. I have helped collect cans for the food bank, supported other Greek organizations, and built some great friendships which I am thankful for. The other organization that I have been heavily apart of at Embry-Riddle is Chi Alpha. If you have read my other posts, Chi Alpha is the group I explore and go on my crazy adventures with. I have faced many fears and built long lasting friendships with this group. I know I have said this before, but this semester has truly shown me that getting involved on campus is important.

Friends. This is a major part of what makes college, college. Most of my close friends are a part of the clubs and organizations I am a part of. These are the people I have spent every day with for the past four months and I would have it no other way. Leaving campus to go home for winter break was almost as sad as when my parents left me in August. To send me off, my friends and I opened and seeded a pomegranate, it was an eye opening and fun experience to share with them and definitely messy. Knowing that I will not be able to tell them about my day, or share interesting meals with them, or go hiking in the dells for a whole month was a hard pill to swallow even if it’s only a couple weeks.

Since my life outside of the classroom has been so eventful and wonderful, it makes me loving my major even better. Studying Global Security and Intelligence has been my dream since I was little and having the ability to make that dream a reality has been wonderful. My professors knew who I was and noticed when I was not in class even in my larger (fifty student) class. This is something that surprised and shocked me, but helped drive me to succeed.

Although college is great and I had a wonderful first semester, it was hard. Being homesick, moving away and adjusting to the workload that Embry-Riddle requires was not necessarily easy. Classes where hard and there were many nights where I stayed up past my “bed time” to finish assignments or study, but it is worth it. Facing all the challenges head on helped me have a wonderful first semester, which is a trend I expect to carry on throughout college.

Now that the semester is over and the year is trekking on, I wanted to reach out to incoming or prospective students, if you have any questions regarding Embry-Riddle, the transition from high school to college, or anything in between do not be afraid to ask. It is a big change, but definitely worth the effort. Comment below and I’ll respond when I get back for semester #2.

Keeping up With all Your Work

Posted on November 4, 2014 by Adam

For some students it may be easy just to attend class and ace all the exams and for others like myself, this would lead into a down fall with grades. So today I will go into a few personal tips on keeping up with all the course work in order to maintain good grades.

When it comes to engineering courses at Embry-Riddle there is work to do outside of the classroom. Most of the time it will take more then just attending class to pass with good grades. The most significant tool I use to study and keep on track is homework. When you keep up with homework it becomes easier to stay on top of everything. It also helps retain the information for when the exam comes around.

The next step is to be sure you attend class and… pay ATTENTION… it isn’t enough to not skip class but to attention is the key. Sometimes teachers may be less than exciting but the knowledge they hold is essential to the learning process.

The last thing I would say is to take a break when you feel like you need one, even if its barely Tuesday and you’re feeling way too stressed or unfocused to do anything. It’s okay to relax for a bit, in fact, it’s crucial to improving your performance when you’re tired or not focused.

So keep your head in the game and remember why you are doing all this hard work. Stay motivated! Thanks for reading.

Living Off Campus

Posted on October 29, 2014 by Adam

One topic that may strike your interest as an incoming freshmen is “What is it like to live off campus?” You might wonder what are the pros and cons? Well I’ve got some good news for you! Today I will go a bit into the differences of living on and off campus.

To start off if you don’t already know, freshmen at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University are required to live on campus their freshmen year. Although, there are some exceptions for those that are unable to live on campus or if you are local. You may call admissions 928-777-6600 or check out the website for more information on that. http://prescott.erau.edu/admissions/

Living off campus is a BIG step! You have to keep tabs on your bills and make sure you’re roommates are all in and responsible!

So now to the fun part, as I currently live off campus I have a bit of insight to share. The best thing about living off campus in my opinion is the home feeling you get. Every morning you wake up in your own bed and have breakfast in your kitchen. You have your own room again!

Now for the cons. Sometimes you may be forgetful, leading me into my biggest problem. If you live 15 to 20 min. away from the school then chances are you don’t want to waste time or money on gas driving back because you forgot something very important. Well by living on campus you can completely eliminate this problem because it takes maybe 5 – 10 min. to walk to your room and back to class.

Of course the big decision is yours to make after your Freshman year. I know some prefer the convenience of living on campus but some like myself are willing to give up convenience for my own apartment.

The Weekend fun of Octoberwest

Posted on October 11, 2014 by Adam

Hello, I hope you have been enjoying the topics I choose to write about in my blog so for. So, if you don’t already know last weekend at Embry-Riddle in Prescott, Az, we hosted what we call OctoberWest. OctoberWest can be explained in a few short words, Awesome, exciting, and a ton of fun!

Click on the image above for more information.

Octoberwest is full of a lot of different activities, so starting Friday. Small paratroopers are placed/hidden around campus and on each one is a card and with each card is a prize! some of the prizes this year consisted of a thousand dollar scholarship, video game system, laptop. Then in the evening at 4, the festivities begin with a handful of free item like tee shirts, glow sticks, coffee mugs, food! Among this are activities like the RC plane show, pugil sticks and a few other fun competitive activities. Oh I can’t forget the great fireworks show they held!

But fortunately Friday evening doesn’t hold all of the fun, the next Saturday is the airshow! that’s right what could be better then having an airshow in your own backyard. its Amazing! On top of that this year they were offering B-52 rides! For all those that helped out with the events and for those that wanted to pay received a spot to ride.

But I have to say one of the best things about Octoberwest is meeting new people and seeing friends. Its an event that not only brings the school together but the community.

Although there is more, come check it out for yourself next year at Embry-Riddle. Thanks for reading.