Matthew Kuch
Country
Kampala, Uganda
Major/Minor
Economics and Physics double major
Activities on campus
TRYBE (Wheaton's multicultural dance company), Physics Club
Why Wheaton?
Wheaton's size and liberal arts educational system was key in my decision to apply. In Uganda, the education system is very focused on specialized courses like engineering, medicine etc. which I feel is kind of limiting, and does not leave any room for one to explore different fields of study and think creatively. For instance, there is no way I would be studying both economics and physics if I had not decided to attend a liberal arts college.
Adjusting to Wheaton
After spending the last two years of high school in Hong Kong, in a culture that is in a lot of ways similar to the Ugandan culture, coming to the US was an adjustment, but I took each challenge as it came. For example, I was initially housed in a triple with two Americans who liked to party and play video games, but I used it as a learning experience and part of my introduction to some aspects of American culture. I am glad to say I feel in tune with Wheaton now. The Center for Global Education has really played a major role in my transition to Wheaton and the US in general, and in particular Jill Ostrowski, Wheaton's international student advisor, needs to be commended for an absolutely AMAZING job!
Who is your favorite professor?
Wheaton has a lot of really good professors, but my hat goes off to John Collins, a physics professor and my advisor for the last two years. He's just a true friend and always there for every student when he is needed, and that's what makes him a 5-star Professor.
Academics at Wheaton
The liberal arts system is very different to the system in Ugnada which leans more towards specialized learning. What I like best about the Wheaton program is how it brings you full circle with all the different fields of study from the sciences and languages and finally to the humanities with its requirements and connections.
Talk about the people you've met at Wheaton
As a small college, Wheaton makes it really easy to make friends because you see everyone frequently. Although most of my close friends are other international students, everyone on the Wheaton campus is sociable and starting random conversations is common place. I don't go out as much as I could off campus, but when I do my friends and I usually go to Thayer Street in Providence, or Harvard Square in Boston for dinner and the like.
What do you think is important for prospective international students to know about Wheaton?
The opportunities for growth at Wheaton are so many and so varied. For instance, Wheaton annually gives stipends for summer research in the form of Wheaton and Davis Fellowships. This summer as a Kathryn Wasserman Davis Projects for Peace recipient, I plan to us my $10,000 grant to teach people in a rural village near my home how to build fuel efficient stoves to ameliorate some challenges of their daily life. My inspiration for this project came from research I was doing as a Wheaton Fellow in the summer of 2008, trying to find a scientific way to reduce the rapid deforestation that was taking place in that particularl village.
The study abroad program is very strong and well linked with top-tier universities around the world. I am excited that I'll be spending my junior year abroad at the London School of Economics & Political Science, an opportunity which would have been far harder to achieve if I were not a Wheaton student.