Ph.D. student says undergraduate transfer pathway helped him on journey to doctorate; Montana Tech to hold transfer night March 14

These days Xavier Vorhies spends most of his time in the Montana Tech Nanotechnology Laboratory, growing extremely thin perovskite materials and looking at them on the nanoscale under a powerful scanning electron microscope. He is a Materials Science Ph.D. student from Olney, who dreams of working at a national laboratory one day.

Vorhies started as a non-traditional college student. Growing up Vorhies attended the tiny Olney-Bissell School, which has less than 100 students in grades K-8. He later attended Whitefish High School before life events culminated in him dropping out.

Vorhies’s father was seriously ill, and Vorhies wanted to give his dad a chance to see him cross the college graduation stage. At 20 years of age, and without a high school diploma, he worked to earn his GED and find a pathway to a career he loved, where he could make a difference.

 “I always had an aptitude for tinkering, playing with gears and puzzles,” Vorhies remembers.“The classes I excelled at in high school were chemistry and physics. When I scored well on the science and math on the GED, I felt like everything indicated that I had an aptitude for STEM.”

“I started off with a general associate’s degree,” Vorhies said.

Montana Tech has an established pathway for students to complete the first two years of pre-engineering coursework at Flathead Valley Community College. Students then transfer for the final two years at Montana Tech. While an agreement on file specifically applies to mechanical engineering, Vorhies was able to transfer the majority of his credits to use in obtaining a bachelor’s degree in metallurgical and materials engineering.

“The transfer was pretty seamless,” Vorhies said. “There was a little bit of culture shock. I moved away from everything and everyone I knew.”

Vorhies excelled at Montana Tech. He was named the Outstanding Graduate of the Metallurgical and Materials Engineering program of 2020. Vorhies gained access to the university’s high-tech laboratories as an undergraduate, which was a big reason he has stayed for graduate study. He recently won an award for the Best Electron Micrograph at the International Conference on Electron, Ion and Photon Beam Technology and Nanofabrication (EIPBN) for his micrograph entitled “The Wheat from the Chaff” and the Grand Prize for his micrograph entitled “Nano Cubism.” The micrographs were created on a scanning electron microscope in the Montana Tech Nanotechnology Laboratory.

 “A huge advantage of being here is that Montana Tech’s programs are so hands-on,” Vorhies said. “Something that is important to me is gaining hands-on experience with lot of this equipment.”

Montana Tech is committed to helping transfer students like Vorhies reach their full potential. On March 14, 2024, Admissions will host a Transfer Info Session for prospective transfer students who are currently or previously have been enrolled as a degree-seeking student at other colleges.

The session will provide an opportunity to take a campus tour, learn about financial aid options available for transfer students, housing options, hear from current students on Tech culture, and what to expect during the transfer application process. Sessions will be presented by current students, admissions, and financial aid staff who can also answer any questions you may have. The evening begins at 4:30 p.m. MST on Zoom. If you'd like to learn more about admission to Montana Tech, but don't want to attend any of the info sessions, feel free to reach out to transfer admissions staff directly at dluft@mtech.edu or (406) 496-4889. To register, click here.