Three Weeks Left of the Fall Semester

Posted on November 16, 2015 by Cherie

Finals are now only 3 weeks away! It is that time of year where things are starting to get serious and projects are all due. This can be a stressful time of year but, remember to take your time to relax and refresh yourself so you don’t get too stressed.

If you are not going home for Thanksgiving there are tons of things to do in order to relax. You can go kayaking, take a hike, drive around the state, and get some rest before those finals hit. Even though you are relaxing however, do not neglect those projects. Getting them done during Thanksgiving break is critical as it will give you all the time you need to study for finals when you return to school.

This year the week after Thanksgiving is the last week before finals so its even more critical to relax but be productive during break. You can also be productive by reviewing course materials in preparation for finals as well. If you do not have any projects due after break then take advantage of the free time and study!

I know it sucks to have work to do during break but, its part of being a college student so its gotta get done.

Here’s my advice:The best way to balance work with pleasure is to take the first two days of break off to clear your head. Then over the remaining time left in break do 2-3 hours of work a day, this way you still get to relax but, you have a great time as well!!

I hope this advice has helped, have an awesome Thanksgiving break and don’t neglect your school work!

One Month Left of the Fall Semester…

Posted on October 29, 2015 by Cherie

It is simply amazing how quickly the semester flies by. It seems like yesterday I was finally getting used to my course schedule! For our current Freshmen I’m sure this is an exciting time because next semester you won’t be the newest people on the block and you will get to go see your families over break.

However, this exciting time of year is also a very tiring time of year as classes are starting to wrap up. It is very tempting to just roll over and go back to sleep or even skip one assignment. This isn’t the best decision though, there is still some time left to make or break those grades so keep it together!

As a four year “veteran” of Embry-Riddle Prescott’s Fall semester I highly encourage you to take a small break from reality on the weekends but continue working hard. The end of the semester is like the last mile in a 12 mile hike — you are tired and you want to sleep but you are almost to the top of the mountain. You can’t give up yet!!!

For our students who we will be meeting next Fall, the same applies to you!! I know there is this whole Senioritis thing that is “tradition” in high school but do not allow that “tradition” to keep you from graduating. Without that diploma we here at Embry-Riddle won’t be able to support you as you make it through your years in college and shoot for that dream job.

You are almost there, one semester down and a few more to go!!

FINALS WEEK IS OVER!…or is it?

Posted on December 23, 2014 by Mike

So finals week for most college degrees involve taking a lot of finals, finishing projects, or giving presentations all within a small period of time. However, here at Embry-Riddle if you are majoring in Aeronautical Science the experience can be quite different. As an Aeronautical Science major not only do you take academic classes, but you will also fly to obtain your ratings. Students usually finish their flight courses at the end of a semester, the same time as finals…naturally, right? If the checkride wait is exceptionally long, or weather does not cooperate, the checkride may take longer than expected. So for students who live far away from ERAU it is a balancing act for when to book your ticket home. The negative side of this is if you guess incorrectly you may have to go home prior to finishing your flight course. While this usually does not cause a grade issue, you might have to retrain with your instructor before being put back up for the checkride. It is always your choice when you want to go home after finals are over, however like I said, going home earlier may cost you more in the long run. Therefore, you can see that it is not all cut and dry for finishing a semester as a pilot.

Having done this “balancing act” for three years now I knew I would be close to finishing CFII before going home for Christmas. I booked my ticket home for December 21^st and hoped I would be done by the 21^st. Sure enough I was scheduled for my CFII checkride this past Monday, Dec. 15. The activity began at 0700 with the sun yet to rise. It was cold outside, but luckily my aircraft was in the hanger, This simple change in aircraft location allowed me to stay warm during the pre-flight! Trust me, anything positive helps take away some of the stress of a checkride. Overall it was a busy day to fly because Runway 21L, our main runway, was closed for pavement sealing. I did have to change my plan of action to accommodate the closed runway. However, two hours later I got my answer. As of Monday the 16^th of December, I passed my CFII checkride making me an official CFI and CFII!

Would I have liked to go home last week to be with my friends and family? Absolutely! However, nothing beats the feeling of finishing a flight course right before you leave for vacation!

This may all seem a bit complicated for people unfamiliar with the ERAU checkride process. If you have any questions please let me know! Next year, I begin my journey of starting to flight instruct for Embry Riddle. In the meantime, I would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

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!

End of Course Evaluations

Posted on June 19, 2014 by Cherie

Just a reminder to our Summer A students that course evaluations are due at noon tomorrow!! Don’t forget to fill them out online and submit them as in some cases it will have a positive affect on your grade 🙂

For our incoming students who do not know what course evaluations are don’t worry, it is a simple questionnaire regarding your perceptions of the course you have completed and how well you learned the material. You will have to complete an evaluation for each course every semester that you are enrolled at Embry Riddle. It is just a tool for the faculty to determine how well each course is being taught and if any changes should be made in the future.

These evaluations are available in the last two weeks of courses and take less than 5 minutes to fill out, just remember to provide constructive feedback!! Thanks for reading everyone, and good luck on finals!!!

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 😉

FAQ-Frequently Asked Questions

Posted on February 26, 2014 by Cherie

Working in the admissions office means that you hear some pretty interesting questions all the time. These are questions that some students might need to know the answers to if their planning on attending the Embry Riddle Campus in Prescott AZ. So, jumping right in…..

Q: What is college dorm life like?

A: To me its like living in a hotel room that you have to clean.

Q: Can I bring my bike?

A: Yes, it is really helpful to get around campus and we highly encourage students to bring one. We have bicycle racks all over campus where you can store your bike when it is not in use. In addition, your bike must be registered with the safety office, this is free of charge.

Q: How much is it to register a car, and how long does registration last?

A: It is $60 and it lasts for a full calender year. Once you are registered you are guaranteed on campus parking.

Q: Are college finals scary for freshman?

A: It depends, I have heard some horror stories, but for me they weren’t too bad at all. Just study, eat well, and get some sleep the night before and you will be fine.

Q: What makes Prescott better than Daytona Beach?

A: For flight students, the weather is better here for flying than at Daytona. For Engineers, the faculty and staff try really hard to get to know you and encourage you in your chosen path. Since it is a smaller campus than Daytona, you get more one and one time with professors that helps to develop some awesome references.

Q: Do you like living in Arizona?

A: Yes, I love it here. When I graduate I really hope that I can get stationed in AZ, it is a really cool place to live. There’s tons of outdoor things to do and really nice people to meet.

CATIA Project is Done!!!!

Posted on December 19, 2013 by Cherie

Update on the CATIA MSR Rover project, WE ARE DONE!!!!! It is so exciting to have completed a semester’s worth of work which took us roughly 315 hours to do!! A picture of the complete rover named MASC, which stands for Martian Autonomous Sample Collector is shown here 🙂

What do you think? We are very proud to say its all done and even better news is that we got an A on the entire project. All in all, this has been a successful semester and I thank our readers for tagging along to hear about it!!

If you are interested in our project please comment and Ill answer your questions, if you would like to come visit us at Embry Riddle Prescott we would love that as well. You can schedule a visit here or give us a call at the Admissions Office. Hopefully, we will hear from you soon!!!

Finals…

Posted on December 11, 2013 by Cherie

Today was my last final!!! Now its time for the break to start 🙂 I think that overall I did very well on my finals and now the waiting game for final grades begins…da nuh na!!!!

So whether you are finished with finals or not, the best tip I can give you is to sleep the night before, at least 5 hours of sleep will keep you functioning and give you the chance to study so, no matter what you do remember you have to sleep!! Pulling an all nighter is not as fun as it seems, trust me. I have done it once, thankfully not before a final but, I have seen what happens if you don’t sleep the night before a final. You look a little bit like this guy below, and you don’t get a chance to retake the exam.

So if you still have a few to go, sleep well, and study hard. You will do great!!!!

Even if you are sleeping in the library…..