Engineering+Athletics+Environment=Tech

"I knew with my first visit, this was where I was coming."

Aaron Ditty, mechanical engineering and cross-country skiing, was recruited by other schools, but when he visited Tech, he got "more one-on-one interaction with athletes, and I got to meet with the head of the mechanical engineering department on the first day."

Being an athlete helps Aaron get away from his studies, "where I don't have to think about it. It's a stress reliever." Tech is rigorous, he says, and he needs a way to "back off the books."

What he appreciates the most about Tech, however, is the support. "All of my professors have an open-door policy, and the coaches are always there for whatever you need." Tech is the kind of place where people really care, he says. You are "treated like a really valued member of a family. That's one of the things I'll always remember and take with me."