Testimonial

William B. Anderson

[M.S.M.E. 1997, Ph.D. ME 2001]
Product Specialist
New Product Development Laboratory
The Valvoline Company
Lexington, Kentucky

When considering graduate schools, I looked for schools that had research programs in which I was interested. I took that information and talked with my undergrad faculty to get a short list that included Georgia Tech. After my visit to Tech, I was impressed with the faculty and facilities, which are world class. However, I was also very impressed with the effort that is put forth by the graduate office to recruit students. In the end, I chose Tech for the available opportunities and excellent job placement record.

I feel that the graduate education that I received at Tech was an excellent preparation for my career in industry. The classes provided a very good foundation of theoretical knowledge. However, the greatest preparation that I received was in the laboratory and interacting with faculty and other students rather than in the classroom. My graduate work gave me invaluable research and problem solving experience. I learned to independently plan and conduct my research activities, deal with sudden or unanticipated problems (e.g. equipment failures), and how to recognize and ask the important questions. In my current position, I am responsible for planning, setting up and running experimental test programs, where these skills are an absolute necessity. The strengths of the Georgia Tech mechanical engineering graduate program are numerous: size, facilities, reputation, students, faculty, funding, and alumni - to name a few. Each of these enhances the others.