Hello, I’m glad to say that I just booked a flight home for Christmas. I can‚t wait to get back to Ireland to see the family, my girlfriend and a bit of rain no doubt.  That‚s after only two full weeks of college.

It‚s 6:00 pm on Sunday evening and this is due in by 12:00 am, it‚s not that I have left this to the last minute; it‚s because of all the work that I have to do for college. It seems that I don‚t have a minute to do anything apart from college work. I don‚t know if it is the same for the majority of the student population or it is because I have to train every day after college, as well as having to work for spending money. I could probably quit my job as I don‚t have the time to spend it. As well as that, the hurricanes didn‚t do us any favors, all those days off that were so great at the time, I am starting to regret. History exams, English papers etc., when I‚ve finished one and think I‚ve got some time for myself, along comes another one. Thank God the semester is not that long. On a better note, the Eagles (men‚s soccer) are lying on top of the conference after a win against second-placed Northwood, we are undefeated in the Conference thus far this season. The best game I have played in this season is undoubtedly the 3-0 win over Flagler last week, on their home turf no less. It was the best atmosphere I have played in since I got here. We did take some abuse all the same, but thanks to two  goals from Ian Thomson, we soon silenced the crowd. I will be expecting a good crowd for the return home game on November 2nd to return the favor. I didn‚t realize that college soccer and sport in general was taken so seriously over here. The rivalry I’ve seen against Flagler was great and it was even better to play in.

Got my first taste of a fraternity party last weekend, it was not exactly how it looked on American Pie, but it was not bad all the same. I‚m not sure how many of you were there, but it was pretty packed. By the way, I am talking about the one in the field, I got eaten alive by mosquitoes, and it did stink of horse manure but over all it was good craic (Irish for a good time).

Anyway, apart from a lot of college work and the odd night out on a weekend, everything has been pretty quiet. So I am going to go back to the village for a bite to eat before I hit the sack, not sure what I‚m going to have yet. Maybe I‚ll have pizza or even some pizza. I‚m sure if you‚ve eaten in college canteens you will know they lack a bit of variety and they don‚t provide salt to complement the food, but instead to give it a bit of taste. Thanks for tuning in.

Hi everyone! Boy have I ever felt so tired! School is just becoming so hard that it’s not even funny. Then on top of that try to get your very first relationship started and somehow study for your Calculus 1 and Chemistry exams at the same time (let me tell you guys are big distractions, but ladies we can handle it, just put your foot down)! I am handling the pressure just fine. I have learned that you do need to take a break every once in a while before your head explodes! Plus you need to have some fun in college because it’s like a rule or something!

Let’s see…chemistry is my hardest class right now, I think it’s because it’s such a fast-paced class, but all of us EP students are working together to get it done! All my other classes are going great and I wouldn’t leave Embry-Riddle for anything…I always love a challenge! It makes you a stronger person in the end! Ok well I’ll give you all an update when I take all of these exams during the week! You all take care and I’ll talk to you soon! Adios mis amigos!

*~Terryel~*

Hi everyone! My name is Terryel Leisan Neal, 19, from Reynoldsburg/ Blacklick, Ohio (like 15 min. away from downtown Columbus, the capitol) and I am currently a freshman majoring in Engineering Physics (EP) here at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach campus!

I have wanted to become an astronaut for NASA since I had visited the Kennedy Space Center when I was nine years old. There was a display case with all of the black astronauts in it and ever since I saw that I wanted to be part of the selected few to venture into space. I would love to at least become the second black female to venture into space, along with becoming the first person to walk on Mars, which is like my favorite planet anyway!

I had heard about Embry-Riddle through my older brother when I was only in the 7th grade! My brother had gotten a pyramid in the mail from the school with the list of majors and it had airplanes and a space shuttle launching into space. After I had seen the space shuttle, I knew instantly that this would be the school for me!

So by the end of my freshman year of high school I had been doing really badly since I must have figured that I had passed the Ohio 9th grade Proficiency Test and that I was just done for the rest of the school year. Well that was not the case and I had to work even harder for the rest of high school to make a decent cumulative by the end of senior year (so work hard all of high school and don’t slack off like I did)!

But the summer after 9th grade I visited Embry-Riddle and I  just loved being there and I just didn’t want to leave! I mean I was in such awe on the day that I had just taken the tour at the campus that my family literally had to drag me away from the school! After my first visit to the campus, I had worked my ass off to make sure I had the best grades ever, especially in my math and science classes which were like my favorites anyway! Well the summer before senior year I came back to Embry-Riddle for like a final visit before I would apply here and all the same feelings of awe came back into my mind and I just could not wait to get here the following year!

And since that day I just could not wait to get into the school, I had applied for Early Decision and I literally cried when I got my acceptance letter in the mail! I mean my cumulative GPA was a 3.55, but I had only gotten a 21 on my ACT test so I was really worried about that. Plus the school gave me some scholarships, which is always a plus!

So the time came to come to Embry-Riddle, my dream school, and I was just such a nervous wreck! I had no clue what to expect since everyone kept telling me that EP is going to be a lot of work and they make a sound like it’s going to be painful or something! So I get here and finally see my roommate Marquitta and she is like really cool and we are so alike that it truly scares the both of us at times! She is also in EP and I know we’re going to be helping one another out as time goes along! I live in Woods hall and I just absolutely love it! The guys and girls are just so very cool that we truly bonded already (especially during the hurricanes because they just don’t want to go away!). Ladies, I must tell you that the guys here are just so freaking nice to look at and have great personalities, I mean you will love the whole guy/girl ratio (I think it’s like 7:1 or something like that!). I mean I figured that I wouldn’t really find anyone since you know I didn’t think that I would have any free time to actually have a relationship or something. Well to my surprise I actually found someone and his name is Mike ; ) a really cool guy that lives down the hall and we’re like “talking” right now and seeing where things go. So for all of you out there that think that you cannot get anyone now while you are in high school, just wait because college is just a totally different kind of thing!

Well, classes are going pretty good right now, I just think chemistry is worrying me the most but once I understand it I’ll be fine. I love school anyway so all I need to do is focus just a little more than what I was used to doing and all will be good. I haven’t been in classes long enough since the school kept closing and opening because of the hurricanes, but I will update you all about my progress in EP. Oh and I’ll tell you all about the Slip ‘N Slide action that happened on Woods 2nd floor during Hurricane Jeanne! It was a blast! Ok take care everyone and I hope to talk to you all soon! ¡Adiós mis amigos!

Warm greetings to all of you with mind and spirit ready to consider the challenge and excitement of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

My name is David Kowzan Zivnuska and am currently enrolled as an Aeronautical Science major. I come from a strong Polish heritage, although born and raised in Lakewood, Colorado. Prior schooling includes successful completion of the International Baccalaureate Programme, advanced studies in Political Science at the University of Northern Colorado, and having filled summer teaching and conference speaker positions at the Universitas Studiorum Polona Vilnensis in Vilnius, Lithuania. For the past two years. I currently take part in the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps unit on campus, the unit’s color guard team and am in fierce competition for the program’s scholarship. Though an AS major with minimal flight time, I will not intentionally fly for a least the first semester, if not the year , because of financial constraints.

Through these posts, I will attempt to provide some picture of what opportunities, resources and experiences may be available to you, should you choose to study at Embry-Riddle. Considering most of the other journal writers will delve into their personal lives and emotions, I shall endeavor to maintain a more experientially informational account, since most of you might not feel things the same as I. If more personal matters do interest you, my email is open to questions of any nature, and I will attempt to review the discussion boards at least once per week and respond appropriately.

Where initial thoughts are concerned, overall I have been pleased with the services and considerations provided to me as a transfer student. The application and orientation stages passed quite smoothly; even an alternate section in Orientation was devoted to transfer students. NROTC provided a five-day orientation session that proved incredibly beneficial to all prospective midshipmen in respect to gaining an understanding of what is involved and required of aspiring candidates. Orientation for the school itself primarily focused on paperwork, etc. for incoming students, most of which can be completed during the ERAU Open House and other events on campus beforehand. Having participated in all the preliminary days, I found Orientation to be more free time than productive, although some elements were useful (i.e. group meetings, etc.). I highly recommend visiting the campus and meeting with the various directors, deans, and/or professors who are related to your major or areas of interest and inquiry. Whether or not their feedback is immediately beneficial, you will get a good understanding of the school and what you will be dealing with in the future.

The first three days of classes this semester consisted of the usual introductions and summaries of class plans. Each professor has their own particular strengths and weaknesses that become evident early on, either through classroom contact or reading works that they have authored. For specific issues relating to professors, I would recommend visiting www.ratemyprofessor.com where you will be able to read student reviews of each instructor. This proves very useful in class scheduling as you may be inclined to learn more successfully under a certain instructional style. Use this and pre-registration to your advantage. Also in regards to scheduling, be mindful of available class times and schedule your days as efficiently as possible. In my case, where I PT (Physical Training) with the Navy every morning at 0600, I found it very advantageous to schedule all my classes in close succession there after, granting me all afternoons from 1130 onward to be class-free time. Since the afternoon is when most communities are active, I am unhindered in any extra activities I choose. Many of you might be partial to a late-starting day, and if you are one of these, I would advise considering what you intend to involve yourself with and see if you can afford not having a free afternoon/early evening. Mornings are usually spent sleeping by those who follow this type of schedule.

As many of you may be aware, on the afternoon of the third day of class, Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach campus began evacuation procedures for the upcoming hurricane Frances. Watching the University’s fleet of aircraft evacuate at once not only awed many of us watching the planes file out at 40-second intervals, but also stood as testament to the level of the University’s preparedness for emergency situations. I agree with the College of Aviation’s Dean, Dr. Tim Brady, that all staff should be commended in how well the situation was handled. Even with nearly three weeks gone without any class time, the professors and faculty have arranged to maintain graduation and end-of-semester dates. Classes are now more compacted, and some classes have required extra sessions, but overall this is preferential to the possible alternatives.

Before departing, I would like to cordially invite you to pose any and all questions you may have about the college experience, Embry-Riddle itself, the ROTC programs, and so forth in any way that most comfortably suits your needs. For the time being, the discussion boards are the most opportune locations. Should more direct or personal communications become necessary, you may contact me at zivnu70f@erau.edu, though I strongly request that you post on the discussion board so that a single message thread can answer the questions of many all at once.

To you, the next generation of collegiate students, be you an ERAU applicant or no, I wish the best of luck and success on your journey. Take fullest advantage of the resources presented to you, and perhaps one day your dreams will take flight with the Eagles. Onward + Upward, David

Born in Newry, County Down, Northern Ireland on 3-31-84, were I lived for the first 16 years of my life. The best years I’ve had thus far. Brought up in a family of eight, I always had plenty of company, a lot of mates and probably more importantly to me, a soccer field very close by. Before finishing high school, I got an opportunity to pursue a football career across the Irish sea in England. After 2 years of this, I decided it wasn’t for me and so I up and left for the Republic of Ireland to University College Dublin to continue playin football, but not full time. I also attended college.

When I finished my 2 year course, I decided that there was a lot more of the world to be seen and a degree to be earned, so I went on the hunt for another move and, in my mind, there was only one place to see next. The land of the free. And so six weeks on from my move and still with a girlfriend back at home, here I am.

Why Embry-Riddle? After my two years in England, I had a decision to make about my next move, and it was between going to college in America, Atlanta to be exact or to go to college back nearer to home in the Republic of Ireland. When the Atlanta college thing fell through last minute it made my decision a hell of a lot easier and so off to University College Dublin (UCD) I went.

Now, after those two years are finished I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I met some great people in Dublin, not least my girlfriend, my team mates and I also had a lot of great times. When i had finished my two year part time course in Dublin, I wasn’t ready for the real world yet and I felt underqualified as well, so I started to look at my options all over again. And still after two years America still appealed to me and so I started to look. It is amazing how sometimes you meet people and you think that it is almost impossible that you will ever see them again. This is how I felt about a lot of friends I had made when I left England. But as it turns out, I met some of them a lot sooner than I thought I would. When I went looking for a college in America that might be interested in somebody with my credentials, I remembered a fella who left England just 6 months before me and that he had went to a college in Florida. So after a few phone calls, I was able to get in touch with him and ask him for some help and advice as to what I should do next to get to America. As fate would have it, I phoned at just the right time and they had some vacant spots on the team and it just so happens that one of them was the position that I play. So one thing led to another and after I had checked out my available courses and made sure that I could do a course that suited me, and obviously that I had what Embry-Riddle wanted, both academically and athletically, I was on my way. Not knowing exactly what to expect I set off for America, but this was not a decision that I came to with ease, I had a lot going for me back at home, like a girlfriend and another college course as well as some good friends I had made, but in the end I felt that it was the best option.

Now, after 7 weeks in Florida and I’ve lost count of however many hurricanes, I still think I’ve made the right decision. It’s tuff sometimes to be so far away from home, because unlike England you can’t just jump on a plane and fly for an hour and your home. I miss a lot of things about home but as there are so many Europeans on the soccer team, they are all on the same boat and they understand exactly where I’m coming from. They are all “great craic” and they’ve looked after me a lot since I’ve been here.

On that note I’m going to leave this entry as it is because I’m sure like many of the rest of you, I have a lot of work to catch up on after all of the school missed due to the hurricanes. Thanks, Hugh.

What’s up guys? My name is Darryl. I am 21 years old and have been in college now for three years. However, I am an incoming junior and Computer Science major to Embry-Riddle at Daytona Beach. I previously attended Pellissippi State Technical Community College (yeah, I know the name is too long) back home in Tennessee. I am from Oak Ridge, a small city just outside of Knoxville. For those of you who aren’t familiar with TN (which is probably most of you) it’s in the east part of the state between the Smokey Mountains to the east and the Cumberland Plateau to the west. I received 86 credit hours and an Associates degree before coming to Embry-Riddle. I always wanted a bachelor’s degree but it was cheaper to get my core classes done at a community college before going to a university. There was only one problem. Of my 86 credits, ERAU took only 30 and the rest were electives. That’s the problem with transferring between schools.

Well, how is school going so far you might ask? Let me tell ya! It’s been one crazy day after another. First of all, for those of you who might be turning 21 before school starts, I would suggest that you just forget on campus housing and start looking for an apartment now. I paid my housing deposit and turned all the papers in early so I could get a room. Everything is good right? Well, not really. I got a letter saying that there was no room for me and because I was 21 I wasn’t guaranteed housing. So, with my deposit refunded and some money from my summer job I set out to find an apartment. Much to my dismay nearly every apartment was already filled to capacity. The apartments that weren’t filled up didn’t look like they would be the safest of places to live in. I won’t lie; parts of Daytona Beach can be kinda scary. But really, what city isn’t? The school is in a good neighborhood, but there are a few areas between the school and the river (not the ocean, just the river) that could use a little revitalization and a much better economy. But, I did find one apartment in Port Orange (just south of Daytona) which is awesome. One problem there it’s in the process of being built. They are brand new apartments, but I am still waiting for my building to be completed so I can move in. I have been living in an extended stay hotel since late August waiting for them to complete it. I am really anxious to move into my apartment when it’s finished mostly because it will be cheaper than a hotel every night. But that’s not the only crazy thing around here.

Daytona has something else to watch out for. Hurricanes! I arrived in Daytona after Hurricane Charley did all its damage, then had to evacuate like everyone else for Hurricane Frances, and then they kept school closed since Hurricane Ivan was approaching, but then of course it didn’t hit. So anyways, we had the first three days of school and then it was closed for two and a half weeks!! Weíre just now getting back to school and getting everything back to normal. School is good though. It’s really nice here, always warm outside. ERAU has a lot of activities to keep you busy (when they’re open and there’s not a hurricane nearby). They have movies and pool parties and all kinds of different things. The classes are relatively small. It depends on the class, if it’s a basic class that everyone needs you might have 30 or so people in there. The upper level classes have many less. It’s a lot of work already. I’m taking Physics 150. LOTS of hw. But, life goes on. That’s just how college is. Well, I am going to do some homework (I say that a lot now, haha). Later guys.

My name is Sergio and I am one of the journal writers for the 2004-2005 school year here at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Daytona Beach campus. Let me start off by telling you a bit about myself then I will talk about my experience thus far here at Riddle.

I am from Pico Rivera, California which is a mid-sized city that lies 15 minutes east of Los Angeles. I have always liked airplanes, have enjoyed flying to many places, and loved aviation; these reasons are what brought me here to Embry-Riddle. I am a freshman here at Embry-Riddle and I am studying Aeronautical Science. For those of you still not sure, the Aeronautical Science program is kind of like a dual program, you receive both a university curriculum (English, humanities, etc.) as well as actual flight training. Most, if not all, aeronautical science graduates go on to become professional pilots after graduation. My goal is to one day become an airline pilot.

That’s a background on me and why I am here, now my experience, which I admit, has been quite hectic.

From the moment I arrived here, people were welcoming and very helpful in assisting others and me to his or her respective dormitory. I got lucky and I am staying in McKay Hall which was built sort of as a motel, it sure looks like one. The dorms here are nice and are furnished with everything to cover your basic needs. Check-in was easy and the campus is small enough that no walk is longer than 15 minutes long. After a half-week of orientation events and a good weekend, we started school; this is where it got quite hectic.

I have a 17 unit course load which translates into 6 classes with 1 flight course. If I am to advise anything to high school students, it would be to take as many Advanced Placement mathematical, physics, and English courses as possible. Personally, I am not one for general education classes, so I finished my entire math and half my required physics credits for the Aeronautical Science program in high school. Anyways, classes were great for 3 days, but then Hurricane Frances crept towards Florida. We were evacuated at which time I relocated to Halifax Medical Center, a hospital across the street, and volunteered until the hurricane passed. It was quite an experience. At times, other volunteers and I worked for about 30-50 hours without any sleep. It was something I never experienced, not to mention, my first hurricane. Soon after returning to campus, we received word that we would get evacuated for Hurricane Ivan. I decided to fly back home into LAX and stayed there for a week. I returned to campus on September 19 and just completed my first week of school. Now, Hurricane Jeanne is on its way. I have to get going in preparation for that.

As for flight here, I haven’t flown due to all the hurricanes, but I know I will be flying soon. I have no hours or experience, so I am waiting how it turns out.

Hey guys! My name is Melanie Pugh, and I’m a military brat that moved to DB from NJ. I’m a freshman majoring in Aerospace Studies and I’m on scholarship so I’m doing the whole Air Force ROTC thing. My brother attended Embry-Riddle and recently graduated and was commissioned into the Air Force. Let’s see… I want a pilot slot in ROTC [like everyone else], and if that doesn’t work out I hope to get OSI or JAG. I figure I’ll do that for awhile, find some political gig after that, and be President in 2036. I’m seeing Ann Coulter tomorrow, so maybe she can get a head start on helping me out with my campaign…

Coming to Daytona from NJ was a big transition for me. I’ve visited my brother here several times, which prompted me to choose Embry-Riddle, but it didn’t quite prepare me for living here. The humidity, along with the heat, here is killer..especially for afternoon runs. I went to a lot of punk/emo shows in NJ, but the scene here isn’t very big, but there is plenty to do. Move-in day was August 25th, and my mom and I drove down and stayed the night before. I checked into my dorm pretty early to avoid the rush and ended up in Wood Hall- very nice. The student village dorms are a bit of a walk from the main part of campus, but worth the hassle. All the frats, sororities, and athletes were outside with shopping carts to help, much thanks to them!

After that, all the check-in lines and paperwork were pretty lame but nonetheless organized. After a few days, everyone seemed to be settling in and meeting people on their floor so it was a good time. My roommate never showed up, so for now at least, I have a single. It can get a little lonely, but it definitely has its perks. All the welcome week stuff is definitely worth going to. The luau (including musical chairs..with the guys as the chairs) was probably the best- and a good place to meet people. I went to the beach with a bunch of people one day, and got a chance to get out on the town a couple times before classes started.

Classes started the 30th, and for the most part I like my professors an the class sizes were typically pretty small. The first day was pretty informal..we got a syllabus and left early..did icebreakers in some classes. All the AFROTC kids had lead lab at 0530 on the first day, so that was fun. We had been challenged to paint the ‘spirit rock’ on campus before our PT session that day, so a group of us woke up before lead lab and went painting at 3:30 AM. Of course, the rock had been repainted about 5 times by the time we met for our PT session, but it was Air Force, so all was good in the Land of Oz. The first week was supposed to be NSOP in ROTC, early morning yelling and marching, I guess to weed people out who didn’t want to be there. But nothing too bad at all..