Happy fall!
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Maybe not officially, but to me fall is in full swing. My routine has settled a bit more and you can believe that lots of pumpkin chai (made in the dorm) and Starbucks Caramel Spice Lattes with extra caramel are always in hand. While I do love my afternoon courses, I try to get out of my room and grab a coffee to get some work done before class. All the while I still get to sleep in, so that’s nice.
As we settle into classes, I wanted to shift my blog focus from preparing the incoming freshman and other students to sharing more general information about the university. You may be seeing more about student life, academics, on-campus jobs, and etc. I want to be real with you about my life at Riddle… See what I did there?
To begin this new series, if you will, I want to discuss why I chose Embry-Riddle. I think I can summarize this into a few points to keep this nice and simple. In my opinion, the school really sells itself. I have said this before, but if you can come tour the campus, you will fall in love. It happens to everyone. Especially with our brand new Student Union (pictures and post to come soon)!
1. The Name
The Embry-Riddle name is quite prestigious. It’s easy to forget how widely-known our school is in the aviation industry until you work in it. At my internship with United Airlines, everyone was blown away that I was a Riddle student. Not to mention any time it came up, I typically could find an alum who was happy to come join the conversation and network with me. Aviation is a tight-knit community. Having the name Embry-Riddle attached to you, on the top of your resume holds more weight than we may think.
2. The Campus is Gorgeous
As I mentioned above, we have a new Student Union. More so, we have gorgeous new dorms (with even more being built right now for Fall 2019). There is the shiny COAS (College of Arts and Sciences) which is stunning with its dome encompassing the largest telescope in Florida. Anyways, *closes jaw* the new Student Union is beyond beautiful. Not only does it resemble an airplane/eagle, it has a new walkway surrounded by palm trees. Our tiny school is beginning to have big campus looks with the small feeling we all love. And I almost forgot… the beach is nearby and you literally walk to class watching planes take off from the airport right in front of your face. Enough said. Take a look for yourself on our Instagram.
3. The Professors are Top Notch
This is kind of nerdy, and I never really appreciated it until I was in class here, but the professors are the best in the industry. When you are reading the books written by your professor, really soaking in their years of experience, that is the stuff that helps you grow and become an industry expert too. My professors can bring their years of experience into the classroom and help me understand the ways of the business more than a regular, old PowerPoint ever could. One professor even offered internships at the end of the course since he owned an airport consulting company nearby.
4. I Wanted Something Different
This is more personal to me, but I just wanted change. I love home — do not get me wrong. I just felt everyone all purposely went to the same colleges and I wanted a fresh start. I enjoyed high school, but I wanted a unique college with students who could truly relate to me. Embry-Riddle is just this. When else do you find other young adults who stop walking and gawk at the airplanes in the sky or have a passion for rockets or drones or anything aerospace and aviation related really? This leads me to my next point…
5. It Felt Like Home
When my parents dropped me off, they were very comforted by the faculty, students, and staff repeatedly saying we are a family. This is true. Your professors genuinely care about you and how you are. Your bosses at your on-campus jobs care. Your peers care. Most of us are from areas far away from Daytona since we come for this specialty focus. This means we are all far from home, far from family. So we make our own. Normal state schools have many students who live nearby or at least in-state. Here we lean on each other a little more because in a sense, we all relate to one another.
Also, this point can be used to talk about the sense of community I felt when I walked onto the campus the first time. I felt like I belonged here and I cannot explain it. Every school I compared to Embry-Riddle’s environment. I knew I couldn’t miss out on all its opportunities and its quirkiness.
Until next time,
Maddie
Thank you for your review. I’m a parent whose son is looking into this campus. He graduates high school In 2020. It’s seems like an amazing campus and education. Thank you as gives me a bit of a feel for its environment.
My son is not student body president or top of his class. Is everyone there AP kids or 4.3GPA etc. Awesome for them and they should be proud it’s just not my son. Would he fit in?
Hi Linda – I know Maddie will chime in here as well when she has time, but wanted to add my two cents to your question. I work in the admissions office so I have had the opportunity to get to know many students who have elected to study here. I can tell you not all have been at the top of their class, but the successful ones are motivated and passionate about what they are studying and that’s what brings them success. We offer many different areas of study that require various levels of academic rigor. The engineering programs are generally the most challenging and students in those majors really need to be well prepared academically, particularly when it comes to math and science. But for those who choose to study business, flight, maintenance or other less technical fields, the more rigorous math and science are not required. So your question as to whether your son will fit in can better be answered in terms of his goals and ambitions. If he’s excited about the areas of study we offer, then chances are yes he would fit in. Because much of what our students do is very hands-on, students who may not excel in the classroom have the opportunity to learn in an environment that brings studies to life in a meaningful way. I’d encourage you to continue your research by visiting campus and talking to the students and faculty, connect with current students in social media, call us – student workers generally answer the phone and can share their viewpoints with you. One thing they’ll likely tell you as that this is not a “party” school. Our students are very focused on their goals and careers and focus their energy towards that. They like to have fun but they are serious about their studies. If he’s ok with that he’ll very likely fit in. Hope that helps and hope to see you on campus!
Hi Ms. Hamblin,
One thing I love about this university is the diversity of the student body. We do have the top-of-the-class students who continue to earn a 4.0 in college, but there are also the students who had average GPAs and involvement in high school. I will say, many of these students end up involved in clubs and activities, possibly even in leadership positions. This is the nature of the school. Embry-Riddle takes the average student and gives them all the opportunities to be excellent and competitive in the industry after college. I know of many friends who did not participate in a single high school club, but now they are leaders on campus. Perhaps if your son is more shy, he can work an on campus job in his college of study and add that to his resume. There is truly an opportunity for every type of student — and there is a friend for every type of person too.
As for academics, I agree that there are certain majors that are more challenging. However, I know many people who are working through it! While it is highly recommended the student begin STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) classes in high school, it is not unheard of for engineering students to succeed without having those. It may simply take more time and effort. There are many phenomenal tutors available for free which I greatly appreciate and utilize – even as a business student. Another thing that I notice as a student is the teamwork in classes. Professors encourage students to work together and study as a group. I think this is great because teamwork experience is beneficial for the industry but also to help get through topics that may be harder to grasp. Professors also have office hours where they are open to help with their material!
Overall, the university may seem to be brimming with successful students, and it is, but they did not all start out like this. As I mentioned above, there are many opportunities to grow and become competitive in your own ways – which I think is exactly what you want from a university. I believe there is the perception of excellence in our student body because a) there are many high achieving students who are spotlighted, but also b) the “average” student is given so many chances to excel as well. So yes, your son will fit in! We are not all the top students, nor do we act like it, but we are all given the chance to become the top industry candidates!