I never thought that I would be in college so soon. Even though in high school I was dying to get out and experience college life, here I am at Embry-Riddle, the best school for aviation in the world, and I am in such awe. I didn’t think I would like it, going away from home for the first time and being on my own, I thought I would hate it but I was wrong. The day I met my roommate was the day I knew that I would be able to let go of the people that I knew in high school and build new friendships and memories. It started with a few messages on facebook and grew to a group of 15 guys, who I can now call my college buddies. Things are really beginning to fall into place. Hi, my name is Andre’ McIntosh and I am a freshman here at Embry-Riddle majoring in Aeronautical Science.

My life has been filled with changes; growing up with my dad in the army, losing my grandfather, moving to America at the age of 14 from Jamaica W.I. to New York City, and finally, graduating high school and attending college. But the transition wasn’t what I expected. I thought I was going to cry my eyes out and beg not to get on the plane to Daytona, but I didn’t. I was calm and collected and was excited to leave New York, but in the back of my mind I was still a little scared to come to ERAU. But as soon as I stepped on campus, I immediately knew that I was going to have fun, the school has so much to offer and there are so many opportunities to get involved.

My first week here at ERAU has been the most exciting week of my life. Me and my new friends hung out a lot and had so much fun and we also experienced our first college classes. Classes here at ERAU are so much fun, the professors aren’t too strict but they are very friendly and easy to talk to. The work load isn’t too much, it’s bearable and they don’t assign 10 page papers on the first day! As each day went by I learned so much stuff, met a lot of people and most of all, began to get used to being away from home.

My second week here at Embry-Riddle I started looking at ways that I can become involved and I was really surprised at the many clubs and organizations that Embry-Riddle has to offer its student population. From skydiving to student government, you name it we have it! There are also a lot of sports teams that you can get involved with. Even though there are a lot of things you can do, you can only do a few and the decision process is a hard, especially if you want to try a lot of things. I decided that I was going to get involved with student government, and Embry-Riddle has a special club called Task Force One, which is a club run by freshmen students and is a liaison with the Student Government Association. I am also getting involved with the newspaper, as I was on both the newspaper staff and yearbook staff in high school. There is also track and field try-outs coming up this week which I am going to attend and I am also signing up to do intramural volleyball. As I am beginning my third week here I am keeping my mind open and staying focused on my studies. I love Embry-Riddle so far!

Wow! What a transition this has been! I never thought college would become part of my life so soon. It seems like just yesterday I was walking the halls of my small Missouri high school as a new freshman. And now I am a college student at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida. It seems so unreal, but I am very excited about my new life.

Living in the dorms on campus is a lot of fun. I am in Wood Hall (the BEST freshman dorm) in the Student Village, and there is always something happening. I have kept myself busy with the Comedy Show (hilarious), a Task Force One Meeting, the Orientation Luau, a few tennis matches, and a countless number of sand volleyball showdowns. When I can’t be found on campus, I am usually down at the beach. I use every minute of every day.

When I am not busy socializing and playing games, I am in class or doing homework. This semester I am in Principles of Aeronautical Science (AS120), College Math for Aviation I (MA111), American History (SS120), Intro Computers & Apps (IT109), Western Humanities I: Antiquities –Middle Ages (HU140), and College Success (UNIV101). I am in a wide variety of classes, but I am generally enjoying the class work. Let me tell you about a few in detail.

AS120- This class is a general class for students not majoring in AS. I have only been in this class for 4 days, but I have already learned so much. We’ve talked about the history of aviation, the Daytona Beach Airport, parts of the airplane, and different types of aircraft and licenses. This is very interesting to me, and I have never had the opportunity to enroll in a class like this. The class work and my Professor’s deep love for aviation make this one of my favorite classes.

SS120- I never knew American History could be so interesting. My Professor gives such great lectures; I find it almost hard to take notes. The way he presents history is almost like an action movie: full of suspense, twist and turns, and hair-raising scenes. Who knew the Pullman Strike could be so fun? Attending the class is always an adventure, but I am very nervous about the first test. We have already learned SO much.

I look forward to continuing my classes and meeting new people. I am sure these next four years will be the best of my life, and I am excited to share my story. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask (meansm@erau.edu). I would love to hear from prospective students, and I am willing to answer ANY questions you need answered.

Until next time,
Mack

Hello! My name is Kaleigh Sides and this is my second year at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and my second year writing a journal. I’m majoring in Aviation Business Administration with a concentration in Airport Management. Also, I’m involved in Air Force ROTC (which I will talk about more later on), Silver Wings, and Airport Management Club. Some of my favorite things about Embry-Riddle are the sound of airplanes constantly flying overhead, the nice warm weather with no snow in December, the small campus where you can be guaranteed to walk anywhere and see someone you know, and of course the classes.

This semester I am taking mainly business courses, which I really like because that’s my major. My classes are: MA 320 Decision Math, EC 315 Managerial Economics, BA 314 Human Resource Management, BA 320 Business Information Systems, BA 420 Management of Production and Operations, and my Air Force Class. I am taking my last math, economics, and computer classes which I’m pretty excited about! My math teacher is the same one that I had last semester and I think she does a really good job teaching, so I am lucky to have her again. However, I still go to the free math tutor for help because it’s free and I like to work on my homework with other people because it keeps me focused. Economics is not one of my strong suits and I have heard that this class is pretty hard. The only grades are from tests and the final is worth 40% of your grade! I plan on studying really hard and maybe finding some other people to study with. Human Resources is a class I really like because it can apply to any job and the textbook is easy to understand. My Business Information Systems class is my last computer class and we don’t even get to use the computer because it’s more on understanding key functions of the computer rather than applications like my other two computer classes. My Management of Production and Operations class is taught by the same teacher as my Principles of Management class that I took last fall. I like when I get a professor that I’ve already had because I know their teaching style and I have a heads-up on the layout of the tests. My Air Force Class is going to be on the history of airpower and I am looking forward to it because I like learning about history. Overall, I think I have a pretty good schedule and I’m enjoying my classes.

Air Force ROTC is going well and I am enjoying being a 200 because now I get to share my knowledge with the new freshman. PT (physical training) was cancelled last Friday because of the weather and the Monday before was a holiday, so we have only had one session and I enjoyed the workout. Over the summer, I ran with my sister several times a week out in the country and I think that helped me to stay in shape. Last year, I hated running and towards the end of the year I got to the point where I could tolerate it; now I enjoy running and I want to participate in a 5K sometime. This time last year I was completely overwhelmed with AFROTC and I couldn’t imagine how I was going to remember—let alone memorize everything, but this year it seems so much easier because everything is not completely new.

Silver Wings is getting started this coming week and it looks like it’s going to be a fun-filled week. On Tuesday, the Activities Fair will be happening and it’s where all the clubs set up and you can find out about any that you are interested in joining. Wednesday we are having our meeting, Thursday we are going to play wiffle ball, Friday we are going bowling, and on Saturday we are doing a beach cleanup. I’m looking forward to the events because I’ll get to meet new people, which is one of the reasons I decided to join Silver Wings! For all of those who don’t know, Silver Wings is a professional co-ed community service organization that is affiliated with the Air Force Association.

I think that’s all for now. This entry was mainly an overview so you could get to know me, but the next one will focus more on what’s happening and what’s going on in my classes. If you have any questions, just send me an e-mail.

Until next time,
Kaleigh Sides