Major: Aerospace Engineering Hometown:Berea, Kentucky Campus Involvement: Honors Program mentor, Women's Ambassador, Society of Women Engineers, Aerospace Engineering Student Advisory Board Why I chose Embry-Riddle: I chose Embry-Riddle because I fell in love with the campus the moment I saw it through a plane window. The campus tour was amazing, and the campus seemed like a place I'd want to call home for the next few years.
At least when I fell off my longboard I was 30 feet away from Health Services…
Well, the first week of classes has officially ended, and we’re getting through the second. I’ve already gotten plenty of assignments to keep me busy.
Yes, the sign is really that big!Mask removed for photo only. Both photographer and I are fully vaccinated.
On the first (and second!) day, I was lucky enough to find all of my classes and not walk in the wrong direction. Since I was part of the 2021 O-Team, I wore one of our shirts to class on the first day in case anyone had questions. I ran into a few people who did, and I was happy to help.
Activities seemed to resume, for the most part, as normal. Currently, Embry-Riddle expects you to wear a mask indoors, and most activities picked up within the first two weeks. For example, the Society of Women Engineers’ first general meeting is Wednesday, September 8, while the first chapter event of the semester for my sorority was on Monday, August 30- the day school started.
Unfortunately, I had a minor longboard incident on the second day of school. While I’m okay, I accidentally ran over a crack and skinned my knee. Normally, I would’ve called the school’s Emergency Response Team, which provides free medical care on campus from trained students, but I was really close to Health Services and just went there. They took a look and gave me a bunch of bandages and instructed me on how to take care of it.
Thursday was the most eventful day of the week for me. While I only have one class (YES!), the school hosted a free petting zoo.
Birdie!
In the zoo, there were a few other animals including a fennec fox, giant yellow snake, and an elderly spotted cat. I also saw a chinchilla, fancy chickens, a calf, and several goats. It was pretty fun.
That night- September 3- a few of my friends and I decided to watch Firefly Aerospace’s launch of the Firefly Alpha. We reserved one of the student union study room, and one of my friends brought his laptop. We arrived early and hung out for about two hours- an hour before the launch and an hour waiting for the next attempt.
Although the Firefly Alpha didn’t make it to its planned trajectory, it was really fun to hang out with my friends. It was a fun first week, and I did some more hanging-out on Labor Day weekend.
Of course, I’ve also been doing a lot more work than I did last year. As classes get harder, you might have less homework, but it’ll be more time-consuming. I’m glad tutoring is starting up again- the tutors are super helpful, and they’re the reason I got an A in Calculus II last year.
See you in the next post, and hopefully someday at Riddle!
I am once again suggesting that you come to orientation events.
Well, it’s that time of the year again- orientation week for new students! I remember that I was soooooooo excited last year when I moved in. Funnily enough, I moved in last year on August 16, and this year moved in August 17 for Orientation Team, AKA O-Team.
We spent a few days on retreat preparing for orientation week, where we learned the welcome dance, practiced our chants, bonded together, and fine-tuned skills needed for orientation. I had the weekend off, and orientation week began on Monday. In the morning, Merrick (one of the other bloggers!) and I worked at the student union help station answering questions.
Merrick and I!
Throughout the day, the O-Team attended various events around campus. On Monday, I gave several unofficial tours of the campus and helped bring pep to the ice cream social. There, I high-fived students in the ice cream line while holding the orientation flag- a very high honor! That night was super fun- many people won prizes from the Bingo game that was going on.
On Tuesday, I helped pack s’mores bags for the fireside s’mores activity. Inside were graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows that students could use to make s’mores. Although the event got rained out, we were able to hold part of it outside! We danced to the Wobble, the Cupid Shuffle, and the Cha Cha Slide before we got rained out. In addition, other music was played, and students and O-Teamers formed a large dance circle. I found myself into it and ended up pulling out this move.
Splits!
On Wednesday we finished the last scheduled big block of move-in time. After helping get people checked in, we went to the student union and socialized with new students. I worked the welcome table again with a different person and then went to check the Eagle to Eagle rooms. The Eagle to Eagle sessions are in a small classroom setting and led by an orientation ambassador (so you can call me Professor Carly McDonald, I guess?) who presents information about the campus.
I made sure that my room was set up, and thankfully, everything was working. My Eagle to Eagle session is for people who live on the fourth floor of New Residence Hall 2, and I’m excited to meet them tomorrow.
COAS 318!
One question I get a lot is “How do you have so much energy?” Well, truth be told: it comes from other members of the team. Everyone is here because they want to make new students feel welcome and give them a successful start to their time at Embry-Riddle. When one person is excited, the energy radiates through the team and bounces off of the rest of us, and that’s why you’ll see us chanting in the student union at 8 AM and 8 PM.
I’ve really enjoyed every aspect of O-Week since the O-Team is one big family. It’s great to help out and meet new students, which is what being on the O-Team is all about. You make a lot of friends on the team, too- and they’re just a text away in the future, weather it be during O-Week or finals week.
Hopefully I’ll see you around if you’re currently at Embry-Riddle, and if not… see you in the next blog post!
Me: Bring 15 pairs of shoes, you’ll wear them. Also me: *wears three pairs of shoes*
So, it’s nearing August, and you’re probably counting down the days until you finally get to move in. (I know I was!) You’re probably also making a packing list, a shopping list of things to buy, and talking to people you’ve met that will also be going to Riddle.
I’ve noticed that when you’re a graduated senior going to college, everyone wants to give you advice. Your mom. Your neighbor. Your high school teachers. Even your cat meowing at you- “don’t leave me!” When you get to Embry-Riddle, if you’re a first-year student, you’ll take UNIV 101 or something similar that’s oriented towards your major (for example, ASC 101 for aviation-related majors). These are just basic college success classes where you’ll make a four-year college plan.
However, there is some stuff in these classes that they don’t really tell you. Like everyone else, I have some advice for you, but it’s not exactly what you’ll learn in UNIV 101. It’s more of a precursor to UNIV 101- what to bring, and tips for move-in. Here’s my first tidbit of college advice.
1. If you have any doubt about bringing it, or only think you’ll use it, you most likely DO NOT need it!!! Seriously. I came to Embry-Riddle expecting to wear 15 different pairs of shoes since I wanted to plan my outfit each day. That idea died about two weeks into the semester, and I ended up wearing the same 5 or so pairs of shoes all semester long. In addition to that, I thought I’d be using the ovens in New Residence Hall 2 every week, but that idea also died within a month. It was fun, but I ended up finding other things to do. So if there’s any doubt about it, or only think you’ll use it, then don’t bring it!
With that, if you actually do need it, you can probably get it mailed to you, borrow it from someone else, buy another one, or get it during winter break.
2. If you know them, see what your room/suitemates are bringing. If not, reach out to them and check your Riddle email in case someone reached out to you. Thank me later. It’s nice to get to know your room and suitemates before the term starts. You’ll have a better idea of what they’re like instead of them just being a name on your housing page. If you don’t know where your dorm is yet, head over to the housing website, select your campus, log in, and it’ll be there under Assignments. Here’s mine for example:
O’Connor is an upperclassman dorm in the student village.
As you can see here, I’m in an O’Connor room (with the number blanked out), room C. I’m in a single room, which means I don’t have a roommate. On the right, I have three suitemates with whom I share a common area, and they reside in rooms A, B, and D, respectively. The floor plans are online for each residence hall, as well as a dorm tour. (Click here for the list of residence halls and then click on yours for a tour. New Residence Hall 1 and New Residence Hall 2 have the same room layouts.)
To email your room or suitemates, right-click on their name and then click “copy email address.” You can also try searching for them on social media (like ZeeMee) or in the Outlook email system if their name is unique. Be careful about common(ish) names- I’m “mcdonc24” because I’m the 24th person at Embry-Riddle to have a last name starting with “mcdon” and a first name starting with “c.”
3. Check. Your. ERAU. Email!!!!!! CHECK YOUR ERAU EMAIL! This is the one that’s accessed through Ernie. Many important things are sent to it, like financial aid, housing, and course information. Oh! And you might see other students reaching out to you if you’re part of one of the ERAU programs!
4. Go to orientation/new student events that sound interesting to you!! The O-Team (and other new student welcome organizations) is full of nice people, and you’ll get to meet fellow freshmen. Plus, they might have free food, and everyone likes free food. Source: Me. I am on the O-Team and it is full of really nice people.
Either way, come to the public events! Maybe the O-Team will be having a bonfire in the fire pit and giving away free s’mores. Not your thing? Maybe you’ll come to the student union, find some O-Teamers making a TikTok, and join in. I did that last year and it was super fun. I can’t give away any O-Team secrets, but trust me, you’ll want to come to the events.
5. Some sort of longboard or skateboard is nice, but it’s not absolutely necessary. If you want one, chances are that you’ll learn to ride it decently quickly. I have a longboard, and I had it shipped directly to ERAU. I only bought one because I’d learned to ride my friend’s! So if you really want a longboard, but don’t know how to ride it, someone will help. (Also, get a longboard and not a skateboard since longboards are more stable.) Adams and Wood are the first-year dorms farthest away from your classes, so you might want to get one if you live over there. But again, it’s not necessary.
6. When you move in, grab a blue bin, and load your stuff up into it. If you require multiple trips, have the person with the car circle around the parking lots and then come back once you’ve dropped off your stuff in your dorm. This one’s kind of confusing, but not really. I had a lot of stuff to unload in my dorm and knew I’d need at least two trips to bring everything in. So my mom and I loaded up the bin with the first set of my stuff and dropped it off in my dorm room while my dad drove around the parking lot. We then texted him, unloaded the rest, and then my dad found a parking spot while my mom and I unloaded the stuff. And then I moved in.
7. Don’t want to buy it now? Buy it in Daytona. (Just hope it’s available!) A lot of the stuff can be bought in the surrounding Walmarts and Targets. However, it’s kind of a double-edged sword: if you buy it before you get here, you’ll have it for sure, but you’ll have to get it here somehow. If you don’t buy it before you get here, you risk waiting 2-3 days for shipping (like from Amazon) or the stores being out.
I would also suggest getting in contact with your room/suitemates and coordinating what shared stuff to bring- you don’t want to show up with a bath mat and all 3 other people have one, too! (SEE? Get in contact with your room/suitemates! This is #2!!)
Also- bring hangers if you plan to use the closet.
8. Your room arrangement can be changed literally any time you want to. I changed my room arrangement SEVERAL times in my first semester before I found an arrangement that I liked. So if you didn’t submit the room setup request, or if you changed your mind over the summer, you can always change it! There’s a form on ERNIE that will allow you to submit a housing maintenance request where you can request something to be fixed or the lofting of your bed to be changed.
In New Residence Hall 1 and 2, you can also get a ladder (shown in the picture) or a bedside guard rail so you don’t roll out of bed. These will be requested on the form; they’re also free! If you’ve got a fully lofted bed but don’t want the ladder, you have two options: climb the silver rungs or step on the desk. Most people that I’ve seen who step on their desk have it on the side where my ladder is, though. And I’ve seen plenty of people with the ladder/desk on the other side and the bed closer to the front of the room. It’s all personal preference!
My dorm room once I moved out.
So, hopefully, these 8 tips helped you think about your move-in and what to bring. The official Embry-Riddle What to Bring checklist is here, while this one was created by a student on the blog. While some items (like sheets) are mandatory, others (like decorations) are really up to your personal preference. Hopefully, you’re having a great summer, and I’ll hopefully see you in the fall!
So, you know how YouTube has YouTube Rewind filled with a recap of all of the year’s notable events? I decided that I’d do a Riddle one. So here’s my Riddle Rewind for the 2020-2021 academic year, starting in August and moving forward.
Move-In Day!
Of course move-in day makes the list. I was so excited to move in and get started at Embry-Riddle. I finally got to meet some of the people who I’d known online for months, and it was an amazing feeling.
The Rocket Launches
Rocket go nyoom.
1-2 days into the semester, I went with my suitemates to the August SpaceX launch. We stumbled upon a bridge with a little concrete path under it, and that’s where we watched from. It was my first ever launch, and I didn’t know it yet, but there were many more to come. (I also watched the SpaceX Crew 1 launch and wrote about it here.)
The Online Class Meet-Up Lunch
In the fall semester, my HON150 class was completely online. We the students wanted to organize a get-together so we could finally meet each other. The first one was spontaneously organized, and then they just kept showing up after class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. A big group of us would walk over to the student union and get lunch together following social distancing guidelines.
The Caramel Waters and the Hangout Group
Chaotic evil!!!
Although still around but not as prevalent, there was a group of freshmen in the fall semester called the Hangout group. They were usually found in the student union hanging out, doing work, and playing ping pong. We’d frequently go to iHOP/Waffle House on early Friday mornings (like, between 1-3 AM) and on random trips in the Daytona area. Sometimes we’d explore places at night like people in the horror movies, but thankfully, all of us lived. One time, we were in the union and some of the guys wanted waters. They made a joke to the barista that they’d like caramel waters, so the barista put some caramel in the water. I never had one, but I heard it was disgusting. 100/10 customer service.
The Hair Dye Experiments
I dyed my hair. Or, at least, tried to. Twice. And neither time did it really show up. My tiny YouTube channel also ended up flopping, but it was fun while it lasted. I’ve also learned that my hair will not dye without help. Oops.
Fire Fridays
One of the final Fire Fridays.
Fire Friday took form on Halloween night after I won the costume contest. After the costume contest, everyone was running around in costume while a student burned wood pallets. It soon turned into a reoccurring event, but it ended up dying down in late March. They were fun while they lasted; a lot of people would come and hang out at the fire. It was also a great place for people to get to know each other.
The Only Correct Usage for Electric Longboards
Nyoom?
Going along with Fire Fridays, people would bring their longboards and board on the sidewalk by the dorms. It was pretty fun to watch, and people would race each other. One of the most notable races was between two guys on electric longboards in the picture above. In my opinion, electric longboards are dangerous and could result in a major injury like a broken jaw. However, if you go slow(ish) on them while sitting down, they’re perfectly acceptable to use. I actually got to ride one like that, and I’ll admit, it was like riding a mini roller coaster.
Omigod You Guys: Joining a Sorority
I already kind of wrote about this one when I got a bid, and here, when I found out who my big was, so I’ll leave the links there. I will say that it was a really good decision; I love my sorority sisters. If you’re even remotely interested, investigate it!
Drives and Karaoke
Real friends drag you out of bed.
While usually late at night, one of my friends and I started going out and driving while singing random songs in the car. These could range anywhere from World Burn from Mean Girls to Radioactive by Imagine Dragons. We’d also usually stop at Wawa or Buc-ee’s and get a slushie. The picture above was after my second COVID shot when the friend took me and my suitemate singing since I shouldn’t stay in bed all day. It was fun, though.
My Chaotic Good Honors Class
I don’t have a picture for this one, but I took Dr. Lear’s HON250 class and it was so much fun!! The class was about video games and naturally, she set up a class Discord where students could talk amongst themselves. It has several channels: general, memes, pet pictures, in-class instructions, in-class responses, and most notably, the quotes channel. The class Discord was a very popular means of communication and a good source of student bonding.
At the end of the year, we planned to have an in-class awards show. However, the last day of class was cancelled, so we did it over Google Forms and Discord. I was the Awards Chair, so I got role-assigning permissions from Dr. Lear, and I ended up winning Emailholic (most emails sent to professor) and And You Can Quote This! (most notable contributions to the quotes channel). They make absolutely no sense without context.
Going Splat “fOr My jOb”
EaglePalooza was… interesting. Embry-Riddle has no shortage of interesting things for students to do. I was covering the event on social media for one of my on-campus jobs, and it was pretty fun. I wrote about it here.
The Campus Pets
Her name is Beep.
On the Daytona campus, there are plenty of stray cats. One is quite friendly, approaching the tables where people sit and watching us. The PAWS (Protecting Animal Wellness Society) club has named her Beep, and I always liked seeing her around. She reminded me of my cats who are here at home.
Finishing the Year
It was nice to end the schoolwork of the year, but I missed my friends as they moved out. Some people moved out before finals week, others moved out during and after. It was bittersweet, but at the same time, most of them are coming back for the fall 2021 semester, so I’ll see them again. The year ended with a lot of good memories, too many to put into just one blog post. I’m glad I got to have a semi-normal first year at Embry-Riddle, and I’m even more glad that I can say I go here.
See you in the next post, and hopefully at Riddle! (Maybe you’ll even be in my orientation group…)
More notably, all of Walgreens saw me swing my arm like the people on TikTok.
I got the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on Thursday, April 29 after getting the first one three weeks ago! So begins the 14-day countdown to being fully vaccinated.
When I went in for my first appointment, the person administering the vaccine told me I didn’t have to come back exactly three weeks from the first shot (see CDC website here). That was good news for me since I got the first dose on a Tuesday and got the second on a Thursday. Since tomorrow (Friday) is a study day, I have all of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to recover before my first final on Monday.
The process for getting the second shot was pretty much the same. The only difference was that I didn’t need the proof of residency and health card information since it was on file. I simply had to bring my CDC vaccine card and fill out some paperwork. They administered the vaccine and said I’d have to stick around for 10-15 minutes, but I was free to walk around the store.
So what did I do? Arm circles, of course.
There’s a trend going around TikTok to swing your arm for a bit after the vaccine so it won’t get sore. I decided to try it, and it ended up working for me. I swung my arm in a circle for five or so minutes and it felt fine after. It’s still a little sore when I push heavily on it, but I can lie down indirectly on it in bed, so I’m going to consider that as “working.” I’m also going to put a general disclaimer that I’m not a medical professional, and it could be pure coincidence that it “worked” for me. This is not medical advice and should not be taken as such.
I felt fine for the rest of the day, just a bit tired. My arm was still sore, and I spent most of it in bed watching TikToks and scrolling through Instagram. The next morning, after sleeping for hours on end, I woke up with a slight fever, soreness, and chills. And I was very tired
I woke up around 12 PM, and I stayed in bed for the rest of the day. Five hours later, some of my friends and I ended up going to get slushies at Buc-ee’s and pizza from Domino’s. I got to feeling better after that, and while I do have a slight headache, I’m fine for the most part. The next day, I boarded over to the student union and back.
I took a final on Sunday and did fine, so I was pretty much back to normal. I could move my arm up and down without too much pain. Instead of hurting, it’s more sore, and that’s fine with me. I’ll be leaving for the summer before I can get the All Clear badge (two weeks after your second dose), so I’ll just get it when I come back for the fall. It’ll be really nice… the CDC says fully vaccinated people need not wear masks outside. As part of the Orientation Team working during hot August, that’ll be a great feeling.
See you in the next post… and hopefully at Riddle!
Carly slamming face-first into an inflatable go brr.
Sooooo finals week is coming, but there’s been no shortage of stuff to do. This weekend, we had EagleFest, which was moved indoors due to the rain. However, the Touch-N-Go, the entertainment division, pulled off a great event. There was free ice cream, cake on a stick, candies, donuts, plants… anything!
And the capstone: sets of inflatables plus an outdoor zipline. The inflatable obstacle course I went on was modeled on Wipeout’s big red balls, and we’ll just say that I wouldn’t win Wipeout.
The physics professors are having a field day: if Carly launches herself at a 30-degree angle at 2 m/s, then how long does it take her to fall flat on the ground?Brownie points to anyone who solves this.
I was a little too short to get back on top, so I ended up walking along the sides. A few of my other friends chose to do the inflatable obstacle course race, and it was pretty fun to watch.
That’s when we headed over to the zipline. Touch-N-Go had somehow gotten a portable zipline company, so I was able to zipline down Legacy Walk towards the Henderson Welcome Center. It was raining during part of the day, so the zipline had to shut down at points, but it was so worth it to wait in the line.
Zipline go brr.
It was a fun weekend.
As for the rest of this week, I’ve been anticipating finals. I’ve finished two classes already, but I do have more work to do. I’ve turned in and had my EGR 115 project graded, and I’m happy with the grade I got. I also took my chemistry lab practical on Tuesday, and there’s no more work in that class.
I’m still working on my HON 250 class, which is about video games. The final assignments relate to our project, where we design our own video game based on ERAU, Daytona Beach, or somewhere significant in Florida. Our video game is about a fictional ERAU campus on a fictional world. I’m in charge of the narrative.
I’m also working on my EGR 101 project. Our team is making a tennis ball launcher for dogs, called the Fetch for Fun! ball launcher. If I had a dog, and it was for sale, I would totally buy the ball launcher: it’s cost-effective, designed by a small business, yet still hand-built with care. We show it off to the professor next week.
As for my other classes, math and physics, we haven’t been doing any projects. In physics, we’re talking about rotational motion, and my professor brought a spinning circle to class. It proved his point well and also made us dizzy.
Wheeeeeee! And yes, those are cats on my mask.
When I stood on it and slowly spun, I’m not going to lie, I felt like a video game character. Either way, it’s been a fun week here at Riddle. See you in the next post, and hopefully at Riddle! (:
Hey yo, just got the vaccine check. That means that I have anti-body-ody-ody-ody-odies!
So, as the post says, I got the COVID vaccine! I got the first dose of the Pfizer one on Tuesday, April 6, 2021- exactly one year after I committed to Embry-Riddle.
Vaccines opened up to all part and full-time Florida residents on Monday, April 5. On Friday, I had registered for a vaccine at 12 PM at the Walgreens about a mile south, so I was good to go. Since I’m not from Florida, I had to bring two proof of residency documents.
For all on-campus students, the Embry-Riddle Housing Department offers a proof-of-residence letter. For the other, since I have an on-campus job, I printed out my W-2 form with my ERAU box address on it.
I arrived about ten minutes early and checked in, having already filled out the vaccine informed consent form. Once they looked over my proof of residency, I was good to go. They stapled my receipt (it was free, billed to my insurance) to an information packet about the vaccine, and then directed me to the waiting area.
Pfizer vaccine information sheet.
Since I’d already signed the informed consent form, I waited around in the waiting room until my name was called. The vaccine itself was like a normal shot; I was called into a private room where someone administered the vaccine. It was a tiny needle and didn’t really hurt; in fact, it was one of the least painful shots I’d ever gotten. I can’t watch needles go into a person, but I’m not afraid of them, which is pretty lucky.
Once I was done, I got the infamous CDC vaccination card:
Since the shot was done, I underwent the mandatory 15 minute waiting period. This period is to ensure that I didn’t have a serious reaction to the vaccine, and once it was up, I was free to go. I continued the rest of my day like normal, and I can’t say I’ve felt too many side effects from the first dose of the vaccine.
I’ve heard the second one is worse, but this one’s fine. I haven’t had any side effects at all, which is really nice. I’m excited that vaccines are becoming available for people who want them. I’ll see you in the next post and hopefully at Riddle!
“Ever loyal, ever lasting, ever big/little.” – My Instagram Caption
So, as you may have previously read, I joined the Theta Phi Alpha sorority back in mid-February. One of the most well-known aspects of a sorority is the Big and the Little Sister- or simply the Big and the Little. In our chapter of Theta Phi Alpha, each new member gets an older mentor to help her acclimate to the sorority.
The process begins with the Big and Little bios. Each potential Big and Little will fill out an information sheet with contact information (the “bio”). Each Big receives the Little bios, while the Littles receive the Big bios. From there, the Bigs and Littles can reach out to each other during a period called “Big/Little dating,” where the point is for each Little to meet each Big.
In my incoming class (Beta Rho), there were two Littles, myself and one other girl, while there were four Bigs. I went on dates with three of the four Bigs, since one of the Bigs’ schedule did not match up with mine.
After that, we told our New Member Educator who we wanted as our bigs, and then it was her job to pair us up for the fun part: Big/Little Week!
Big/Little Week is the week where Bigs will send someone to deliver their gifts to their Littles. The Littles don’t know who their Big is until the reveal, and no one in the sorority will tell them, but they are free to speculate. During Big/Little Week, the Bigs also give their Littles gift baskets on each weekday. Here’s what my Day 1 basket looked like:
Reece’s are my favorite candy, but I ate them before I took this picture. Whoops.
It was really nice. Before I took the picture, I had eaten all three Reece’s cups that came in the basket. Each basket has a note in it, usually some painted canvas decorations, and food. The notes usually explain the day’s theme while also giving hints to who the Big is. However, there is no guarantee that the Big is honest in the hints…
This sort of process continued for the entire week. I’d get texts from a burner phone number that my Big had, and then she’d arrange to get gifts to me.
On Friday, at the arranged time, I went over to the College of Arts and Sciences and waited inside while the initiated members prepared the reveal. I waited with the other girl in my pledge class and one already initiated girl, who then walked us with our eyes closed in front of the Wright Flyers statue and Embry-Riddle sign.
The New Member Educator took a Polaroid picture of us with our Bigs behind us. We had to face forward while the picture developed and then when it developed, she handed it to us.
This is my Big!
The other new member and I turned around to find my Big behind me! From there, we hugged, laughed, and talked for a bit. We took more pictures and hung outside for a bit. An hour or so later, we went to dinner.
I met the rest of my sorority family, which is a line of Bigs and Littles. Everyone in Theta Phi Alpha is part of a family, and six of us went to Ichi Ni San, an Asian restaurant in Daytona. It was a great week with a great end; I enjoyed the entirety of Big/Little Week and was glad to meet my Big. Joining a sorority was a good idea, and if you’re considering it, I highly suggest looking into them.
See you in the next post… and hopefully at Riddle!
So every college has a basic packing list with stuff that you’ll need like sheets, blankets, and towels. But what about the stuff they don’t tell you to bring? Stuff that’s not absolutely necessary, but it’ll make your life a little easier? Or what about the stuff that nobody ever needs in their first year of college?
Well, I’ve made these lists for you. Here are a few things that I’ve found very, very, very helpful in my freshman year here at Riddle… and things I want to ship home. Please keep in mind that this list is subjective, and it’s just advice from me, someone who has way too much stuff in her dorm.
THE GOOD:
#1: An umbrella AND raincoat. You’re going to school in Florida. It rains a lot. And in addition to that, there are plenty of popup showers. These storms can get pretty bad- I walked from my dorm to class during part of tropical storm Eta. (Disclaimer: it wasn’t bad, just windy and rainy. It was completely safe to walk.) It sucked, but my top half stayed dry due to the raincoat and umbrella. If you want, you can only bring one, but I highly suggest both unless you enjoy impromptu free baths.
#2: A bedside caddy/shelf, especially for lofted beds. THIS IS A MUST!!! Without it, you’ll be getting out of bed to plug your phone in or reaching over the side of the bed. With mine, I’m also able to plop my laptop in there on the very few days I have to get up early. It’s very nice; when I register for my classes, all I have to do is pick up my umbrella.
#3: A vacuum cleaner. I assume you’ll have at least one snack in your dorm, and your roommate will, too. People- all people- are messy. Don’t attract bugs.
#4: A super-long phone charger. And by super-long, I mean 10+ feet long. You can always coil it up if it’s too long. A cord that’s too short won’t reach. Especially if you choose not to get a bedside caddy, get a long phone charger so it’ll reach from the outlet under/beside your bed into your bed.
#5: A back pillow. Okay, so apparently studying in bed is bad for you, but you’ll probably do it anyways. Or you’ll want to
#6: Snacks. Food is good. That’s all that needs to be said.
#7. A storage container that also works as a seat. THESE THINGS ARE TO DIE FOR! I can store a bunch of my textbooks in it, throw the lid back on, and it’ll be a seat for my suitemate(s) if they want to come and sit in my half of the suite.
THE BAD:
#1: A mini-blender(or similar) I used to make smoothies in it… and now I’m too lazy to use/clean it out. Unless you’re sure that you’re going to use it, don’t bother.
#2: More than, like, 7 pairs of shoes. Fifteen was too many. During break, I threw a bunch in my suitcase, and by “a bunch,” I mean half of my stash. Only bring 1-3 pairs of dress shoes, and only one of those should be heels.
#3: That shirt you haven’t worn in, like, six months. I brought waaaaaay too many clothes. As a general guideline for casual clothes, if you can see yourself wearing it at least once every 2-3 weeks, then wear it. If it’s something formal (like a blazer), take at least one.
#4: A popcorn maker. Bagged popcorn is good.
In the end, whatever you want to bring is completely up to you. Some people bring small TVs and regret it; other people bring full-on couches for their dorms and are very happy with it. Whatever you bring, it’s a good idea to check your specific dorm’s schematics and size, which is found on the ERAU housing websites.
After your first semester, you’ll learn what you do and don’t use. If you can send some things home, that’s great! If you can’t, you can always take it home at the end of the year, sell it during the year, or repurpose it to do something else. This school does have several engineers; chances are that you’ll be or know one!
(Note: This article will be about my experience going through recruitment. For more general answers, click here for an interview with current Panhellenic President Izzy Hoare.)
Each organization supports at least one philanthropy, and some support multiple. Throughout the year, the sororities fundraise for their organizations. One thing that I noticed about the Riddle sororities, however, is that there is no aggressive competition. I was exploring sororities right before Theta Phi Alpha’s Theta Phi Cutie Pie event, and I noticed that all of the other sororities were posting about the event, trying to raise more money for the Theta Phi Alpha philanthropies.
I started looking at sororities last semester, but not seriously. When the sororities started recruiting in the spring, they were each posting about their events.
I went to a Theta Phi Alpha event on Thursday night, and I was welcomed in by some of the sisters. They were making friendship bracelets with their colors (blue, gold, and silver) while music played in the background. There, I got to ask the sisters any questions I had about Theta Phi Alpha or sororities in general, and they were more than happy to answer.
On the next Monday night, I went to another event. One of Theta Phi Alpha’s local philanthropies is the Halifax Humane Society, and they were using cut-up clothing to make animal toys. That event was similar, except the sorority was doing volunteer work as well. We took three strips of cut-up clothing and tied them in one knot, then threw them in a canvas bag for someone to take to the humane society.
That was the last scheduled recruitment event for Theta Phi Alpha specifically, and they announced that bids would be sent out soon. (A ‘bid’ is an invitation to join a sorority or fraternity.) A few days later, on Wednesday, I was offered a bid!
I ended up waiting until Thursday to accept due to my busy Wednesday schedule. Theta Phi Alpha was running their Theta Phi Cutie Pie week table, so there were sisters out and about. To sign a bid, one of the sisters in the sorority will take you to the Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life office, and then you will officially sign a paper to accept the sorority bid. The sister that went with you will then serve as a witness when you sign.
Me, right before signing the bid.
No one in my family has ever been a part of a sorority, so I don’t have “legacy” status. I was also on my own, and I had no idea what to look for in a sorority. I talked to some, and others reached out to me, and I’d schedule times to meet girls in the sorority (usually at an open event or 1-on-1 with the recruitment director).
If you’re looking at Greek life, my advice is to do it. If you’re only considering it, at least look at the sororities. If you do COB (continuous open bidding), like me, you are under no obligation to accept a bid and you can get a bid from multiple sororities. Since I didn’t go through traditional fall recruitment, I don’t really know what it entails, but I liked the way that I did it.
Either way, I chose to join Theta Phi Alpha because of the people and the mission. When I stepped into the room and met some of the some of the sisters, I felt like each of them had a genuine interest in me as a person. In addition to the sorority information, we talked about likes and dislikes. I met a girl named Victoria who also liked the same musicals as I did, and we’ve been friends ever since.
Many sisters also said hello to me when I passed by, and told me that if I had any questions to just ask them. On the day I signed my bid, there were several sisters around the table, and they were all happy and excited for me to join.
I am not an official sister of Theta Phi Alpha yet, but I will be once I go through the recruitment process (which takes a little while). Either way, I’m happy that I decided to go Greek and check out the sororities.
I’ve also learned that each sorority is very supportive of the others. A representative of another sorority messaged me, and I told her that I was planning to accept Theta Phi Alpha’s bid. She was happy for me and said that she was glad I found my home, and I thanked her for reaching out.
If you’re thinking of going Greek… do it! Research the sororities, talk to sisters, and go to their events. I didn’t know if I ever wanted to be in a sorority, and, well, here I am, going through recruitment.
