The College of Engineering’s freshman class of 2012-2013 is notable on many levels. Thirteen of the university’s 51 Singletary Scholars are engineering students, as are 18 out of 66 Patterson Scholarship winners. Among such examples of the impressive academic quality the college attracts are three students who accomplished a rare feat: attaining perfect scores on their ACT exams.

Grant Boggess, Todd Montgomery and Samuel Potter each received phone calls from UK President Eli Capilouto congratulating them on their accomplishment. While the students had been accepted by institutions with prestigious names such as Johns Hopkins, Georgia Tech, etc., each chose to pursue their undergraduate engineering education at UK. Why? We’ll let them tell you in their own words.

Grant Boggess (undecided)

The biggest reason I chose UK was the money. UK offered a really good education for essentially free compared to over a quarter of a million dollars at some of the more prestigious out of state schools. Money aside, once I got on UK’s campus I absolutely loved it. Everyone on campus is so welcoming. UK bends over to everything in its power to make sure students exceed their own expectations—I am not just one more student in the crowd.

Todd Montgomery (mechanical engineering)

One of the biggest reasons I chose to come to UK was for the undergraduate research program. UK is very welcoming to students who want to take part in one of the many outlets for research. As a student in the MSTC (Math Science and Technology Center) program at my high school, I was allowed to conduct my own research through the Kentucky Young Researcher’s Program at UK during my junior and senior years in high school. That experience really showed me that UK had made a commitment to giving their undergraduate students every opportunity they need to succeed.

Samuel Potter (materials engineering)

I chose materials engineering because of my interest in medical implants. Today, most orthopedic implants are made of stainless steel or titanium. Although these materials do a decent job, they do have their drawbacks. Knowing what I want to do, I was able to determine that UK’s program would get me there. A lot of schools offer degrees in biomedical engineering, but the field is quite broad. Since my interests relate directly to implant materials, a degree in materials engineering seemed perfect.