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.

Spring Semester Update

Posted on January 20, 2015 by Cherie

We are now officially two weeks into the Spring Semester and so far it seems to be going well (fingers crossed!). So here’s an update on what I’ve been up to so far: homework, meetings, phone calls, work, ROTC, grocery shopping, hanging out with friends, and cooking. Obviously, its been a busy two weeks but it hasn’t been all that bad.

Oddly enough, living and working where you go to school is actually pretty fun. You get to meet all kinds of interesting people who have similar hobbies. For instance, I was not very much of a cook when I was in high school but now that I am living on my own I have come to actually enjoy cooking. Because I live on campus I have been able to meet tons of other people who enjoy cooking too.

The same is true for classes and ROTC. In all the different courses/activities that I am involved in I have met tons of interesting people that make learning/leading fun even when under stress. My favorite course is Structures partly because I love the topic and also because the people I work with in study groups are awesome to hang out with.

Because of the culture student of Embry-Riddle even the stressful times can be a lot of fun. That is why the past two weeks of the semester haven’t been bad, even though they have been loaded with work and trying to handle an new schedule. So, for our potential freshman class of 2015, please take the student culture into consideration when it comes time to accept your college offers this semester. Thanks for reading everyone!

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!

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!

I’m So Much More Than a Number at Riddle

Posted on November 26, 2014 by athletics

Being a student at Embry-Riddle has made me realize that what I can achieve in the future is going to be great.

I knew that coming to a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) and private school would differ from any other school, but I was unsure how it would be different. After the first week of classes, I realized what the difference was. The main difference was that everyone from admin to professors to staff care about the success of every student. I heard stories in high school from colleagues whom were in college about how they felt as if they were just a number since the university was so large. Here at Riddle I surprisingly enjoy the smaller student population since the classes are more interactive and I feel as if I am not just a number, but also a student who is striving to achieve similar goals as my colleagues.

I know that those who decided to attend here had a certain goal in mind whether it is for engineering or any of the other majors and it makes attending Riddle more enjoyable because fellow peers are going through the same journey together. The small student population indicates a tight-knit community throughout the university and in the close community there are numerous people that share the same love for aviation as I do. What I did not know is that quite a few people also share a common passion for robotics as do I.

I look forward to more great things that will surprise me about being a student at Embry-Riddle!

Kaila Romero, Women’s Softball

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.

What has surprised me about ERAU — I Matter to My Faculty

Posted on November 19, 2014 by Vishra

ERAU is a small community, therefore you will be surprised to how fast the faculty and staff learn your name on campus. The professors get to know you within the first week of classes and professor to student ratio on average is 1:18. At Riddle, the professor and the students will know when you miss classes.

At Riddle, a professors’ number one priority is to teach, not research, even though there is plenty of that going on too. The professors put in more effort into preparing their classes and, often, into developing new classes. They even have open door policy along with at least ten office hours per week. All the professors have to grade their own homework, exams and finals, they always read your work and offer detailed comments. In short, I was surprised to see how the professors treated me as an adult and made me feel that I mattered.

It’s true that Embry-Riddle has a lot more men than women. Some may consider it a disadvantage but not me. It took me out of surprise to see how much I am respected by my male peers. Riddle men are incredibly nice and are gentlemen; they bring back etiquette and forgotten gesture! Ladies, you will be surprised at how often the door is being held open for you. I always remember to appreciate the timeless gesture of courtesy they show us.

Between the great faculty and the respect for each other on campus, I’m so glad I chose Embry-Riddle.

Choosing Your Classes

Posted on November 19, 2014 by Cherie

For all of our current students you must register for courses this week for spring!! For Seniors the date was Monday, Juniors (today), Sophomores Wednesday, and Freshman Thursday. It is a great time to take advantage of your academic advisor’s expertise. Meet Heather, Katie and Scott.

They will sit down and identify the classes you need to take each semester to help make sure you graduate on time. They can also help you get into classes that require special faculty approval. Advisors and the records office are here to help you!!!

The registration process is really simple and can be done completely online, for course overloads (17+ credits) there is a form from the records office that you and your advisor need to sign before you can get into the course. But, if you are not overloading credits then go onto your Student Center in ERNIE and use the “enrollment shopping cart” to search and add classes you need to take in the semester. When your enrollment appointment is validated then all you have to do is hit the “enroll” button and “verify” the courses. If any issues arise then your advisor and the records office will help you sort it out really fast 🙂

So its as simple as that, get ready sophomores and second semester freshman, your up next!!!! Hit that button as quick as possible (at 7:30 am ) to get into the classes you need!!!