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Michael Acutt '10: "R-MC is a
good fit for me." |
Life for an international student can be overwhelming, but for South African
Michael Acutt ’10, the transition into college life was eased with the help of the Randolph-Macon community. “Being in college in a different country is a daunting experience,” says Acutt. “But R-MC is a very closely-knit community where you get to know everyone, which made transitioning into a new college in a new country very easy.”
It didn’t take Acutt long to feel at home at R-MC. “My first impression of Randolph-Macon College was that it has a beautiful campus and the people are very hospitable to international students,” he says. “When I met my roommate for the first time, he and his mother offered to take me out for a steak dinner and then invited me to visit their home the following weekend. That type of friendliness and hospitality made me feel comfortable and welcome. I’ve also been able to share my experiences as an international student with my girlfriend, who is from Colombia, South America. I met her during the Office of International Education’s student orientation.”
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Acutt hit the ground running and got involved on campus in a variety of endeavors. “I played on the
men's basketball varsity team for two years before I injured my foot,” says the
accounting and economics double major. “R-MC is a good fit for me as it has a very good basketball program with a successful history, is a top liberal arts college, and is close to my sister and her family, who live in Richmond. They are my ‘family away from home.’”
Acutt is also the president of Omicron Delta Epsilon, an economics honor society, as well as the vice-president of the Society for the Advancement of Management (SAM). “As president of Omicron Delta Epsilon, my role is to strengthen relations between economics professors and students and create awareness of the importance such an honor society gives to Randolph-Macon,” he says. “As vice-president of SAM I help organize events on campus, such as guest-speaker appearances to promote our organization.”
In the summer of 2008, Acutt traveled with the R-MC basketball team to Chile. The experience left a lasting impression. “I remember the beauty of the Andes Mountains, which surround Santiago, the capital city,” says Acutt. “It was winter, so they were completely covered in snow and they were so majestic.” While in Chile, the team played both college and professional basketball. “The team does this tour once every four years, so every player looks forward to it during his career, as it is both a great cultural and sporting experience,” says Acutt. “Traveling with the team was a great experience; it was something completely new and exciting for all of us. For many of my teammates, it was their first time out of the United States.”
Acutt was part of the ODAC all-conference academic team for 2006-08 and is currently on the Dean’s List. In addition, he is a Presidential Scholar and a member of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society. In November 2008 he received the Douglas Foard Award for Scholarship through the Phi Beta Kappa society.
Acutt feels his majors will prepare him for real-world experiences and career choices. After college, he hopes to go to law school to study either business or taxation law. “My
accounting major has given me a solid background in the fundamentals of business transactions, while my economics major helps me understand the complex variables that interact with each other in the corporate world,” he says.
For information on R-MC's international studies department, visit
http://www.rmc.edu/academics/international-studies.aspx For information on R-MC’s economics/business department, visit
http://www.rmc.edu/academics/economics-business.aspx For information on R-MC’s accounting department, visit
http://www.rmc.edu/Academics/Accounting.aspx For information on R-MC’s athletics department, visit
http://www.rmcathletics.com/landing/index For information on R-MC’s student organizations, visit
http://www.rmc.edu/student-organizations/Student%20Organizations.aspx For more information about the breadth of programs and opportunities available at Randolph-Macon, contact our Admissions Office at (800) 888-1762 or at admissions@rmc.edu