The Suite Life! On-campus Housing at ERAU

Wow, it is October! It is crazy to think I have been at this amazing school for two months. Coming to college there has been a lot to adjust to like being on my own, rigorous schoolwork, and having not only one roommate but five. At Embry-Riddle traditional freshman are required to live on campus, and they are most commonly housed in the Mingus Mountain Complex. The rooms are set up as suites, which include three, two person bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a lounge with a mini kitchen. Like most freshman I am in Mingus.

Door Decoration
Before school started my roommate and I started talking and decided we wanted to room together, this was the best decision for me. We get along great, we love Harry Potter, chocolate, and life. My four suite mates on the other hand, were luck of the draw. On move in day, I was terrified to meet my suite-mates in person. Questions were running through my head; will they like me? Are we going to get along? And how is suite life going to work? I am happy to report that I love my suite.Lei and Megan

These five people have turned into part of my family on campus. They are always there to have dinner, go to the library, watch movies, or talk. Since we have become so close, it is inevitable that there are disagreements. Living with new people and spending a lot of time with them can be a rough adjustment. There are people that are closer than others and some that irritate you, but you always know they have your back. The relationships are very much like that of siblings. Your suite, or at least mine, will bicker and fight, then ten minutes later be on the floor laughing together.

Rachel In Handcuffs
Even though it is not all smiles and laughter, I would not change my experience on campus for anything. Being 5 minutes from class, dinner, or the library is something that is very nice and makes living on campus a major plus. In addition, living with other freshman in your suite and hall makes it easy to make friends on campus.

Hall Friends
I know before school started I had questions about chores, cleaning and such. Yes, students are responsible for cleaning their bathrooms, and no it is not as bad as it seems. What my suite has done is create a cleaning schedule and everyone has a chore for the week, and we rotate through the system. And so far our system has been going smoothly.

Paint Party
Don’t be afraid of living on campus or in a suite. It is part of the freshman experience. Living with five other people will push you, and challenge you, but in the end will make you a better person. They will show the good the bad and the ugly of having roommates but the dynamics of the suite are something you will remember forever. Trust me I have only been living on campus for eight weeks and I have hundreds of stories about my suite-mates and hall mates.

F… is For Friends Who do Things Together!

Do you recognize the title from Spongebob? Well in one of Spongebob’s infamous scenes he sings about making friends and staying together…it is actually pretty entertaining, especially for Spongebob fans. From the first week until today I have made many friends at Embry-Riddle. Some that stay, a few that go, but the best are the roommates I had freshmen year…

This picture of Spongebob is pretty much what we look like as a crew.

As a freshmen I met 5 new roommates I’d live with for a year and unknowingly become best friends with 2 of them. Crazy enough I still live with them. We’re bonded with a friendship that’s strong to the core. It helps that I am in a Marine Officer Program while the other two are ROTC, one army and one Air Force. As you can see we have one huge thing in common, military lifestyles.

I think it’s great that we are all studying different subjects at Embry-Riddle! GSIS, Aerospace Engineering and Electrical Engineering. So even though we all manage different schedules and classes we manage to get together almost every weekend and go to Picture Show for an awesome movie that just came out or we play the new Call of Duty video game or even just go to Buffalo Wild Wings. A weekend with us is always a fun one!

Encountering these gentlemen have made my stay at ERAU a great one with memories to last forever. I hope that even after we all graduate we remain in contact because It would be hard to find friends like them again. I hope you have great roommates like I do.

Thanks for reading!

Roommate Relationships

As of last weekend I took a camping trip at Lake Powell with my roommates, so with the experience I had I feel this is a great time to go into roommate relationships. There are s couple topics at hand but first I will get into what it is like having roommates. Then I will go into how to deal with them whether you like them or not along with some of my personal experiences.

Having roommates, one of two things can happen; 1) You like them and enjoy there company possibly becoming best friends or roommates in future semesters or two, you have serious roommate problems and cannot stand them. Both happen quit often and are very possible. Fortunately for me I have enjoyed my roommates and become very close to them.

Most of the roommates if not all are also new to the scene, just new to college no parents, new friends and a new lifestyle. It is a drastic change that we all deal with, but how you react to it and how you handle your relationships are all variables. In other words no one can tell you how your roommate relationships will turnout. But with a little effort from all parties it ca turn out nicely.

As I have just experienced a camping trip last weekend with my roommates, I hvae some good advice. The tip that you should hold at the top of your list is be PATIENT. yes be patient as you would with anyone else, at the same time if you encounter a problem confront it. Have a normal conversation about whats on your nerve. That is really the only thing to do I you don’t want your relationship with your roommates turning upside down.

You Will experience great moments and sad ones with your roommates, but all in all in the end all the experiences we have together shape our personalities. So take advantage of having a roommate and really get to know the person, I did and it has been one of the best decisions I have made being here at Embry-Riddle.