Laramie, WY: Almost a year ago a spokesperson from Universal Technical Institute (UTI) came to my school. I'd already been thinking about a future in restoring and customizing cars. Then a representative for Wyoming Technical Institute (Wyotech) came. His talk was so great that I dropped wanting to be a student at UTI and instead wanted to attend Wyotech.

I had wanted to attend UTI because it offers some of the best training facilities and programs, and its courses are packed with good technology. Their courses, however, take a long time; to do what I wanted would have taken three years. UTI does not offer many breaks - only Christmas and other major holidays. I wanted to study automotive technology, auto body collision repair, and refinishing. UTI is a good school if you want to work for a high-paying company, but I really want to be my own boss.

Wyotech specializes in customizing cars, which is the main reason I want to attend. I am very interested in customizing cars because I view it as an art. The campus is right in the middle of the Rocky Mountains, so I could hike and ski. The courses I would take include collision and refinishing technology, trim and upholstery, chassis fabrication and high performance engines. I decided Wyotech is the best technical institute for me because of its focus on customization. And, Wyotech encourages its students to become self-employed.

UTI has a great training program, but is too into preparing its grads to be employees instead of business owners. Wyotech also has a great training program, and it does not take as long to complete. I have made my choice: Wyotech is the place for me.



Reviewed in 2003