Matthew received some pushback from his high school advisers when he expressed interest in attending a tech college—they weren’t sure it was the right fit. But Matthew had already taken a few courses at a local college and knew he’d thrive at a school with hands-on practical learning, “I could’ve gone to a school that offered mostly theory-based classes, but actually doing what you’ve talked about in lecture is more beneficial.”
His parents were his biggest influence in choosing a college—supporting him in aligning his interests with a degree, while searching for quality and affordability. Matthew chose to attend Vermont Tech’s Computer Engineering major. “I’ve always been interested in computers and wanted to learn more about how they’re made and how they work. That, combined with my interest in building things, were the main reasons I picked the major I did. Going on an on-campus tour to see some of the labs and equipment helped me make my decision.”
Matthew’s choice to attend a tech college paid off. He took labs with professors that gave him the opportunity to build, learn and ask questions, “I’ve had a few professors that completely blew my mind with how knowledgeable they were in such a wide variety of topics. I could ask nearly anything about circuits and computer hardware, and they could explain how it all worked, from the hardware level, all the way up to how a user interacts with the system.”
Matthew quickly got involved in activities, including the ski and ride club, ski and board building club, student athlete advisory committee, radio club, bowling club, e-sports and Foosball club. He also discovered a new interest—cross-country, “I didn’t think that I’d ever really enjoy running as much as I do now, but when I came to VTC I was convinced to do cross country running and it’s been a good use of my time. I got to go to a lot of places that I may never have been to otherwise and meet some interesting people.”
Matthew’s advice for incoming students? “For incoming students in general, I’d say my biggest advice is to take advantage of everything that campus has to offer. It’s important to know that Vermont Tech offers a bunch of varsity sports, intramural sports, we have our own rope tow, and student affairs frequently is holding some kind of event.”