Advice for our Newcomers in 2016!!!

Posted on August 23, 2016 by Cherie

Hey there everyone it’s that time of year again where we welcome our new freshman!! Being a freshman in college can be an uncertain time for those moving far from home so a few upperclassman have contributed to provide our newcomers with some great advice.

From Shelly (Senior) –The major question that freshman always ask me is what they should bring to college. Here is a list of the stuff that I found pretty useful:

Printer
Computer
Earplugs or noise canceling headphones (trust me these are a necessity!!)
A car 🙂
3 Flash drives (you will probably loose or break one so having back ups is key)
Sturdy Back pack
A few plates, cups, one pot, one pan, and one set of silverware
Pictures of the family
A rain coat and an all weather coat for when it snows
A good pair of boots that can handle rain or snow
Lots of sweaters!!!! (the weather can be crazy cold during the winter)

From Bryan (Junior) — People always ask me what they should get involved in as a freshman so they can make a lot of friends. What I did was join a fraternity, so far its been pretty sweet and I really enjoy it. The fraternity gives me chances to help in the community and connect to other fraternity members in the US. The connections have really helped especially as I am starting to look for jobs and internships. Oh and, getting a job on campus helps a lot too.

It’s me again! I hope that this advice from some of our other upperclassman has helped, please feel free to ask any questions I’m sure I can find someone to answer them for you!!! Thanks for reading 🙂

AFROTC – Answers to Your Questions

Posted on April 4, 2016 by Cherie

Hey there everyone per request I am dedicating this post to answering some important questions about AFROTC at Embry-Riddle Prescott!

This is a major question: How do I join ROTC?

There are a few ways to join. You can apply for a scholarship at the AFROTC website and if you get the scholarship you will bring that here to Embry-Riddle OR you can simply sign up! I recommend signing up with the detachment well before you arrive on campus. However, if you are not sure about it until the last minute or even part way through a semester you can probably still join.
When you join I highly encourage you to attend “zero week” it starts a few days before the “normal” students arrive on campus. Being at “zero week” allows you to get an edge on all the other cadets as you receive uniforms, basic training on marching/customs/courtesies, and you can get all your in processing paper work done. It saves you a lot of time and stress later.

2. Is everyone who joins guaranteed a scholarship?

Unfortunately, no. If you do not come in with a scholarship you compete against your classmates to receive one. So keep in mind that you must perform well during your first semester, this includes keeping your GPA up! With that said Detachment 028 is well known for getting tons of scholarships and awards so this is definitely the best detachment to join!

3. How should I prepare?

The best way to prepare is to exercise!!!!!!!!!!! We take a physical fitness assessment known as the PFA. It consists of a 1.5 mi run 1 minute of pushups and 1 minute of situps. If you can’t pass a PFA you can’t stay in the Detachment so please come prepared! We want to help you succeed as a cadet and fitness is the one factor that you have ABSOLUTE control of.
If you can join a JROTC unit to prepare then you will already have a basic knowledge of AF drill, customs, and courtesies. If not, don’t worry about it. We will teach you when you arrive 🙂

If you have additional questions please feel free to ask them below or give us a call at 928-777-6600 you will directed to the AFROTC office where you can get all the info you need!!!! Thanks for reading!

Buying a Car as a College Student

Posted on February 22, 2016 by Cherie

If you are one of those poor college kids suddenly faced with the need to purchase a car then here are some really good questions to ask yourself:

How long do you need the car?
How will you pay for the car?
What type of car suits your needs?
Will you buy new or used?
What type of insurance will you need?
Vehicle Registration on Campus ($80)

These are the most important aspects that you need to think about before you make such a big decision. Before you even start looking for cars you need to have a plan so, figure out your finances before you start looking and find an insurance company that will work well for you.

Another factor to consider is finding a car you need not one you want. When you graduate and get a real job you will have to start paying off student loans so don’t get a ridiculous sports car that will drain your finances. If you can’t pay off your car and you can’t pay off your student loans you will wind up in big trouble. Be smart, get an affordable and reliable car which will allow you to travel with your belongings if need be.

Don’t forget that when you bring your new car on campus you have to register it with the Campus Safety Office. The fee is $80 and the parking permit is valid for a full calendar year. For more info on how to accomplish registering your vehicle check out the Safety website.

This applies to our incoming students as well, you are adults now so embrace the chance to make your first big decision. This decision should be one that makes you proud 🙂 Good luck everyone, hope the advice helped, and thanks for reading!!

Happy Valentines Day Everyone!

Posted on February 12, 2016 by Cherie

It’s the time of year again that we all anticipate or dread: Valentine’s Day! The only holiday that exists to celebrate the simplest human emotion and the relationships that bind humanity together whether it be as friends or significant others. No matter what you do this Valentine’s Day just remember to have fun! The day isn’t made for single people to mope and complain but to celebrate the friends that they have. So if you are in the single group get over it and go have some fun!!

For those people who aren’t single enjoy the company of your significant other or partner. You don’t necessarily have to go out and do something elaborate you can still have fun just watching a movie or doing something else you enjoy together.

As college students, a lot of dating happens on campus and sometimes people are lucky enough to find their life partner here at Embry-Riddle. For example, I recently heard of a couple who met day one of orientation their freshman year and became instant friends. They are still together as seniors! Sometimes you just know when you find the right person and hopefully all of our readers already have or will soon! Maybe some of our incoming freshman will be that lucky, you never know unless you take the chance.

Whether we all find that person or not, just remember that Valentine’s Day is for everyone, so no moping!!!! Thanks for reading everyone, enjoy all the candy and fun with friends 🙂

Engineering Detail Design Course – Hard Work and Very Rewarding

Posted on February 2, 2016 by Cherie

A major part of your student career at Embry-Riddle is the capstone course. For engineers the capstone course is comprised of two semesters/courses known as Preliminary and Detail Design. As a student in my freshman year I knew nothing about these two courses and towards the end of my junior year I began hearing quite abit about them. I wish I had known what the two courses entailed much earlier as I would have definitely restructured my game plan as far as fundamental courses go.

Team Daedalus on the last day of the Preliminary Design Course

The Preliminary Design course essentially forces you to use all of the resources you have learned in the past three years at college. You will work crazy hours, get frustrated but you will fall in love with what you are doing. The course teaches you how to be a leader and a member of a team, how to face problems and fix them, but, most important it teaches pride in your work. At the end of the semester you should have an outstanding product and an increased knowledge of professional engineering.

When you move into the Detail Design course you are verifying the information that you presented at the conclusion of the Preliminary Design semester. There are many options to verify assertions. The primary one is wind tunnel testing but, often students choose to fabricate a working prototype of their concept in order to prove that it works. No matter what your team chooses to do the process is extremely rewarding as you get to see how your intuition created a viable product.

I would highly recommend that every student entering these courses attempts to be a program manager or design team lead. As a PM or DTL you are the face of the team, responsible for the schedule, budget, and work produced by the team. I have been a PM for the last two semesters and although it has been very hard it has been extremely rewarding. For those ladies out there, don’t be intimidated, you are just as qualified to lead a team as any other member in your class. In my section of Preliminary and Detail Design I am the only female and I am one of two Program Managers. As long as you are a good manager you will do well but, don’t worry mistakes happen. No one is born a perfect manager and it takes alot of mistakes to figure out your management style. Just hang in there, do good work, take care of your people, and admit when you make a mistake. That’s really all it takes 🙂

I hope this information is helpful to our incoming students as well as our up and coming leaders in the Capstone courses! Thanks for reading!

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!

Winter is Here!

Posted on November 9, 2015 by Cherie

Hey there everyone, it is that time of year again where it starts to get frosty outside! Embry-Riddle students in Prescott, Arizona really love the winter weather. It is our favorite time of year because in this state it is simply magical! Check out some photos from this week and see for yourself 🙂

Ice Crystals

Yes it is!

Amazing Ice Patterns

A Drop of Water Frozen in a Leaf

Snow Flakes Close UP!

As you can see potential students, it is definitely a University where you will need a decent winter coat. We recommend decent because as most students have stated, it only gets cold enough for you to enjoy the winter weather not cold enough to freeze off those fingers and toes. For those people who haven’t seen snow before this may be the place for you! As part of the college experience you should embrace new places and experiences, seeing the snow for the first time is the perfect way to start off! The majority of the freshman class is fascinated by the beauty of snow and frost every November and hopefully someday soon that will be you!

Get that application in and start looking for a coat! We would love to welcome you to our campus and hopefully tempt you into a snowball fight some day soon! If you are fan of frosty weather stop by and visit us today! We give super fun tours starting at the Welcome Center 🙂

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!!

Campus is Growing!

Posted on October 21, 2015 by Cherie

Our Beautiful Campus

I am sure our prospective students are wondering what we are doing to prepare for their eventual arrival so today I am going to introduce you to our growing campus!

We are currently building new dorms on our campus that when completed will be super modern and filled with all the best stuff for students to use! It has been really exciting to watch them go up on the far side of campus. They are going to be amazing!!

In addition to the new dorms we are gearing up to build Academic Complex 2 which will be an amazing new facility for the STEM degree programs at our University. The building will include physics laboratories, Biology classrooms, multiple computer laboratories, and work rooms for student innovation. It will also include a planetarium! Although, this building may not be finished by the time I graduate it will be an awesome resource for incoming students. I can only hope to visit and tour it some day!

In other news the remodel to our small gym was also a success and the athletics facilities for student athletes has tripled in size. So if you are a student athlete interested in Embry-Riddle that’s a benefit that you can enjoy right now!

One of our coaches in the newly Remodeled Gym

Stop on by for a tour sometime or feel free to comment below and I will do my best to answer your questions! Thanks for reading everyone 🙂

Half Way Through Summer Courses!

Posted on June 3, 2015 by Cherie

Here is a quick update for all of our incoming freshman!! We are halfway through the first set of summer courses so if you haven’t registered for the courses you will be taking in the fall now is the time to get on it!!!

If you have been putting it off, that’s okay, it seems intimidating but, the process is really very simple. All returning students actually register online but, for our freshman we highly recommend giving us a call in the Admissions department so we can get you connected with a counselor and/or an academic adviser who can walk you through the process 🙂

So get started today!!! We look forward to seeing you on campus in the fall and the faster you get registered the easier your first days with us will be!!