All About Classes

by Richard Santi

Embry-Riddle of course has exceptional flight training, a beautiful campus, and lots of fun activities available in and around the Prescott area. But what about the classes?

In high school I was not by any means the type of student that absolutely loved going to class. I wasn’t a bad student but can remember spending a lot of time watching the clock and waiting for the bell to ring.

Aeronautical Science students use flight simulation software to learn advanced jet systems, including programming a FMS computer like the one pictured in the top left of the screen.

Things changed after my first couple days at Embry-Riddle. Suddenly class became not only really interesting but incredibly fun! As an Aeronautical Science student with a Business Administration minor, I have gotten the chance to learn a lot of genuinely intriguing topics in the classroom taught by some absolutely brilliant professors who carry a wide range of industry experience. I went from looking at the clock waiting to leave, to looking at the clock not wanting to run out of time. In the Embry-Riddle classroom, I can say with certainty pretty much all of my professors have been kind and understanding, have had a strong desire to help students succeed. The best of all is that they come from a lot of diverse backgrounds with a ton of industry experience.

Our 1/2 scale model of the Wright Flyer hangs proudly in the lobby of our Academic Complex 1 which was completed in 2003, the centennial anniversary of the Wright Brothers’ pioneering flight.

The fact that a professor has experience in the industry is not something I thought too much about prior to coming to college, but I can say it is the principal thing that have made classes enjoyable for me. Getting to hear a presentation made by a retired military or airline pilot about the aircraft they flew and the experiences they had or listening to an interesting business lecture from someone who held a real-world management position at one of the world’s largest corporations are experiences that I have had and greatly cherish. It makes the classroom feel a thousand times more interesting.

Our new STEM Education Center features both an R-22 Helicopter given to us by universal Helicopters and a King Air propeller given to us by Raisbeck Engineering.

Lastly, one of the great parts of going to class in my mind is the manageable classroom sizes. The largest class I have ever had at Embry-Riddle had somewhere near 40 people in it, and I have only ever needed to take a couple of those. That is nothing like the 300-person lecture halls I had worried about when coming to college. Our average class size is around 25, but I can tell you that there are many classes you will have much smaller than that. I have had numerous labs and other classes that seated around 9 or 10 people. For me, this really was the way to learn. I like to be a part of the class, raising my hand often and having a professor who knows my name and respects me as a student, not just be a number in a large crowd.

College brings with it a lot of cool experiences. You will have a lot of fun at Embry-Riddle doing a lot of activities outside of the classroom. Like with any college, however, there will be a part of your day that will be spent in class. Why not attend college at a place where the classes are genuinely fun and interesting?

One Month Left of the Fall Semester…

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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!!

Fall 2015. Senior Year. Capstone. Yes!

Hey there fellow students/potential students here’s an update on how my first month back has been! So, as you know, I am a senior in Aerospace Engineering and this semester I am working on the Preliminary Aircraft Design course of my Capstone Project. It has been pretty fun so far but is definitely hard. The courses you take prior to the capstone do help out a lot in your preparation for designing an entire aircraft from scratch. But really how cool is that — an entire aircraft from scratch!

I am also continuing to pursue the research I was working on over the summer. Hopefully, the data processing will allow us to write a paper on the research. If we are able to write it then I am hoping that the project will help me in my professional career in the Air Force.

Yes, I am in ROTC here and it rocks!!ROTC I am in my fourth year and I have the position of female cadet retention in the detachment. It is super fun because I get to meet cool female cadets, encourage, advise, and PT with them!

That’s pretty much all that I’ve been up to this semester so far, keep checking my blog for more updates, fun, facts, and useful info! If you have any questions for me please feel free to comment below 🙂

 

Half Way Through Summer Courses!

DE__RegisterHere 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!!

Ever Had a Favorite Professor?

I am sure we have all encountered a teacher that fits our learning style just right. Embry-Riddle has a pretty tight knit community when it comes to its professors/faculty and students. It’s pretty common to have a favorite teacher but since each student is different in the way they learn my favorite teacher may not be the same as my friends.

At Embry-Riddle one of the best professors and counselors I have had is Dr. Cone. While there are multiple characteristics that make him a great professor the one that sticks out to me the most is his background and expertise.

He is accredited with a BS and MS in Electrical Engineering as well as a PhD in Physics. Now there a lot of professors that have degrees and PhD’s but not only is Dr. cone accredited, he has experience working in multiple fields. This is beneficial because I really enjoy learning the applications of the topics in class. It makes the information stick in my brain a lot longer then just discussing it and doing the homework. Plus when you learn about some of the awesome things your professor has done with their careers it is a lot easier to be excited about what you are learning and what future might await you in your career. You will encounter teachers at ERAU with incredible backgrounds and experiences and they definitely love to share that with you. I encourage you to ask one of your teachers about their career experiences and what they enjoyed most about it.

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned.

You can discover our professors below:

http://prescott.erau.edu/college-engineering/faculty/index.html

Weather

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Have you ever wondered how the weather is predicted and tracked? Well if you want to know more perhaps its time to visit Embry Riddle in Prescott Arizona to check out our Meteorology program!! Please schedule a visit today and let us know your interests. We can set you up to attend a class, meet a professor, see our air craft and so much more!! When you visit us the door to a whole new world of experiences opens, its up to you to walk through and join our community 🙂

We look forward to seeing you on campus very soon. Have a wonderful day everyone!!

End of Course Evaluations

 

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!!!

Summer Classes Continued

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This is the fourth week of summer session A classes which means that its midterm time!! I personally have no idea when my midterm is as the class is going a bit slow but, I find that I am really enjoying Solid Mechanics. The only difficult part so far is Shear and Moment Diagrams. Any advice on those would be appreciated from out readers!!

A lot of other students had their first midterms last week so I really hope that mine will be soon. There is only one midterm for my class whereas some courses have three or four over summer, so the pressure on this one is high! However, I feel like I understand the material well, my professor is awesome 🙂

So I would like to give a shout out to all the summer class takers….you are all extremely brave for diving into a condensed six week class and also to all the summer professors, you guys rock!! Please comment below if you are among us and have a professor that you would like to acknowledge for their excellence. Thanks everyone and good luck on those midterms!!

For those incoming students just chillax a little longer and enjoy your well earned summer of fun!!

It’s High School Grad Time!!

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In the next few days all of our incoming freshman will be graduating from High School and we here at Embry Riddle would like to say Congratulations!!!! This summer will be an exciting time for all of our new students as you prepare for school here in the Fall. Take a look at our Facebook page and get to know some of the students that you will be living with come Fall. It is time to make some new friends and start an entirely new chapter of your education so get started today!!

Also, keep checking for emails from out Admissions office and your future professors, don’t forget to register for classes and set up your Ernie account on line so you can access all those courses!! And most importantly of all, have a fun and safe Graduation!!!!!

Embry Riddle Prescott Webpage

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The Embry Riddle Prescott Webpage has just been updated with all kinds of cool links and information that will help our prospective students get to know more about Embry Riddle!!! All of the information is up to date, including info about our College of Global Intelligence and Securities Studies which is the first of its kind in the nation!!

The new webpage is sleek and easy to navigate with drop down menus and helpful suggestions that may help you find what you need to know. There is also a search bar for stuff that you can’t find from the first page of the site and it is really helpful 🙂

Please do some research on Embry Riddle today and let us know if you like out new page, it was designed with you in mind!! Thanks for reading everyone!!