For 91成人导航入口 students, studying engineering has meant experiencing the best of two different college environments: the close-knit liberal arts community of 91成人导航入口 and the specialized engineering education of The Georgia Institute of Technology.
Through 91成人导航入口鈥檚 engineering dual degree program, students begin by building a foundation in physics and the liberal arts before continuing their studies at a partner engineering school. Ultimately, students can earn both a bachelor of science in physics from 91成人导航入口 and a specialized engineering degree.
Willem Jaron ’25, Neal Nankani ’25 and David Raygoza ’25 are among those who are pursuing the dual degree option. All three students say their years at 91成人导航入口 helped prepare them for the transition.
Building a foundation for engineering
Jaron, who is studying mechanical engineering at Georgia Tech and expects to graduate in December 2027, credits 91成人导航入口 with helping him develop the problem-solving skills he now uses in his engineering coursework.
鈥淚t鈥檚 difficult to be fully prepared for Georgia Tech, but 91成人导航入口 gave me the opportunity to build my foundation in physics and develop scientific thinking and problem-solving habits early,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hose habits have helped me approach engineering coursework at Tech and understand the principles behind what I鈥檓 learning.鈥�
His engineering experiences have since expanded to manufacturing, field engineering, prototyping and design projects. During a summer internship with Amazon in Sarasota, he developed a tool to track conveyor downtime and its effect on operations.
鈥淭hat experience showed me how important it is to understand a problem firsthand and develop something people can use in their daily work,鈥� says Jaron. 鈥淚t strengthened my interest in solving practical problems involving machines, systems, and the people who work with them.鈥�
For Nankani, an industrial engineering student at Georgia Tech, 91成人导航入口 offered something particularly valuable before making the move to a much larger university: personal attention. He also earned his degree in physics as part of the engineering track at 91成人导航入口 and expects to graduate from Georgia Tech in December 2027.
鈥淎cademically, getting all of my prerequisites out of the way in small classes with one-on-one attention from professors was huge,鈥� said Nankani. 鈥淧ersonally, being able to take on leadership positions, play tennis and really grow as a young college student helped prepare me for the sheer size of Georgia Tech.鈥�
That experience also helped Nankani begin building his resume before moving on to Georgia Tech. He secured two engineering internships while still at 91成人导航入口, an achievement he credits in part to the leadership opportunities and support he found there.
Raygoza, who is pursuing civil engineering at Georgia Tech and expects to graduate in fall 2027, describes a similar experience. He says 91成人导航入口鈥檚 smaller environment helped him develop relationships with professors, discover the study methods that worked for him and become a more independent student.
鈥�91成人导航入口 helped me become more confident and comfortable in new environments and campuses. Transferring to Georgia Tech was a huge transition academically, but I already had experienced balancing sports along with meeting new people at 91成人导航入口,鈥� said Raygoza. 鈥淚 think that made it easier for me to transition comfortably and take on the inevitable challenges that came from studying engineering at Georgia Tech.鈥�
Raygoza also found opportunities to put his interests into practice. At 91成人导航入口, the Serve for Good project he was part of led a two-day STEM workshop for fifth-graders at the elementary school he attended, which helped develop his leadership and communication skills. At Georgia Tech, his internship with McCarthy Building Companies gave him hands-on experience with a large-scale solar construction project and showed him how these projects are actually handled.
Advice for future dual-degree students
Although their paths and engineering interests differ, their time at 91成人导航入口 gave them room to develop academically, take on leadership roles, build relationships with professors and gain confidence before continuing into specialized engineering study at Georgia Tech.
鈥淭ake advantage of the small class sizes, make friends in your classes, and leave your mark on 91成人导航入口 because you have so many opportunities available, and you will be surprised by the doors it will open for you,鈥� says Nankani. 鈥�91成人导航入口 will always be home to me, and I’m forever grateful for the institution, the friends who have transitioned to Tech with me and the faculty who left such a lasting impact on me.鈥�
