Hello all!
My name is Elizabeth Worsham, and I am so excited to be a Freshman at ERAU! I have been looking forward to this time of my life for several years now, and I can’t believe that I’m finally getting the chance to live my dreams. Choosing a college is a very difficult and important decision and I hope that my experience can help any prospective students.
As I made the long trek down to Daytona Beach from my hometown of Loveland, OH, I had a lot of time to reflect on why I decided to come to Embry-Riddle, and how I came to this point in my journey.
I had a very hard time choosing where I wanted to go to college. I applied and was accepted to 11 different schools. I didn’t know if I wanted a small school with a more personal atmosphere, or a state school for the “big college” social and academic experience. I had never heard of Embry-Riddle until I started getting emails and pamphlets in the mail. Since I was really interested in NASA, Embry-Riddle’s connections and partnerships to the aerospace industry caught my eye. I thought “why not?” and decided to apply.
As Decision Day came closer and closer, I still had no idea where I wanted to go to school, but my path seemed to keep heading toward Embry-Riddle. I received an invitation to the Honors Program and received a prestigious FIRST Robotics Scholarship but I needed to be sure of my decision before I committed to a school 15 hours away from my home.
I did overnight campus visits at my top 3 schools and that’s when I became aware of the distinct differences between Embry-Riddle and other universities. I was able to see first-hand the way that faculty members interacted with students, and how students interacted with each other. The professors and staff cared about the success of the students, both in the classroom, in professional development, and in extracurricular activities. As for the students, there didn’t seem to be major competition between them but rather they were brought together by common interests and goals. I knew soon enough that Embry-Riddle was the place for me. In fact, the two freshman I roomed with that weekend continue to be my friends.
The first few weeks here have been incredibly exciting, and although I was worried about fitting in, this place has already become my home. I was once told that “everything is better in college,” and it’s true! Classes are harder, homework is tougher and more time consuming, but I enjoy it because each physics and math problem is another step closer to my dream career.
We all know that there is a lack of females on the Embry-Riddle campus, but it leads the girls who are here to become great friends. I’ve grown incredibly close to my roommate, Blair, and suitemates, Clare and Maggie, and we get plenty of girl time with dinners out and pedicures (sometimes the guys even join in). There are so many clubs to be involved with and new people to meet that I am never bored! I have always liked to be involved, so I joined “The Flock” spirit club, volunteer my computer graphics skill to The Avion student newspaper and am a Hall Representative for the Embry-Riddle Resident Student Association.
One thing that you should know when coming to Embry-Riddle is that most people don’t walk to their classes. Biking, free line skating, and longboarding are very popular. However, be careful! Blair bought a long board recently and fell off on her way to class. She got a huge scrape on her leg, but luckily we used our first aid skills and it is healing fantastically (That’s another thing to note, ALWAYS have a first aid kit).
Also, most of the time the weather is warm, but beware of pop-up showers in the afternoon! Carry an umbrella on you at all times. Regardless, the cloud patterns are magnificent. I love looking out my window and seeing the lightning and clouds for miles and miles. It only affirms my goal to get a minor in meteorology!
On weekends with light homework, my friends and I like to explore the area. We’ve taken trips to the beach and even spent a day at Downtown Disney and ate at the TRex Café.
I have so much to talk about after completing my first month of college. I hope that you have enjoyed reading and stay tuned for more!
