Alexander Benton
DeVry campus: Orlando
Degree program: Computer Engineering Technology
Expected graduation: Fall 2007
Why DeVry?
A DeVry recruiter came to my high school to talk about what DeVry had to offer, and it sounded cool. When I visited campus, I was really impressed with things like the E-lab where the hands-on electronics work is done. Even the placement test was impressive. It had an essay section, and as soon as I submitted it, the system graded it right then and there. I had never seen anything like that and neither had any of my friends.
A campus close to home.
I really appreciate that the Orlando campus is so close to home—less than an hour away—because I’m really close to my parents and my girlfriend. My mom even brings me food sometimes.
Diving into college life.
Since I came to DeVry I’ve really gotten involved on campus. I’m a Student Ambassador, a math tutor, a student housing Resident Advisor, and I helped start up the Orlando Game Developer Club. There’s almost nothing happening on-campus that I’m unaware of. I really stay on top of what’s going on here.
A great place to be—if you’ve got game.
The game developer club, my major in CET (Computer Engineering Technology), and what I spend a lot of off time doing, playing online video games, all fit together well. When we’re not in class or studying, lots of the students in housing just hang out together. Online gaming is pretty much our thing and sometimes we throw LAN parties at the Student Center. But we do get outside. Every Wednesday afternoon the Game Developers Club goes to a wakeboarding park.
Small classes and one-on one attention.
As far as the education I’m getting, one of the great things is that you don’t generally have to worry about classes getting too big. If anything, they might be too small, like two or three students. It’s no problem to get personal with the instructors and they have even arranged to meet me in the E-lab to help me, one-on-one. Most of them are highly dedicated and will do whatever it takes to get you to learn.
Confident about my future.
As a Student Ambassador, I help out at the DeVry career center job fairs and other events. Seeing what goes on at these has put down my fears about what will happen after I graduate. Representatives come in from Lockheed Martin, the FBI, and other organizations to interview students. Sometimes they get several job offers as a result of these events. I feel pretty comfortable knowing that I’ll have a stable job in video game development after graduation that will let me pay off my student loans and still have money to live well.
The help I needed to cover my costs.
I use a combination of things to pay for my DeVry education: student loans, a scholarship, and work on-campus. Everybody has different needs, but I would advise potential students to fill out the FAFSA (Free Application For Federal Student Aid) form as soon as possible. The earlier it is submitted, the more opportunities you have for aid. FAFSA gave me all sorts of wonderful things to choose from.
The best part: Professional AND personal skills to take me further.
It’s not just the education you get at DeVry, not just what you learned in the classroom, though that’s a big part of the picture. Since I’ve been here, I’ve learned a lot of personal skills. I now feel very able to go into a job interview and convince the interviewer that I could be a big asset to their company. I’m confident that I’ll be doing some cool work when I graduate.
