Texas Tech has been named a veteran-friendly school by gijobs.com for the last two years and Jason Partain's experience has been just that.
"I was in the infantry unit at camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and I also was a sniper out of North Carolina,” Partain said. “I came to Tech because it is really accommodating for the students and the faculty attends to veterans needs in a way that can't be beat. The football out here is pretty awesome too."
Partain said that adjusting to life as a college student has been difficult, and he would recommend any soldier to pursue further education post service.
"It’s been quite an adjustment because I have to get used to studying and I also have had to get used to learning to wait for things that I want,” Partain said. “But all in all, I am adjusting well and things are going really great."
Juan Munoz, a vice provost at Texas Tech, said there are approximately a thousand veterans, or those on military benefits, attending Texas Tech. He thinks the school's appeal has to do with its location.
"I fully believe that it has to do with the existence of the military and veteran office and the commitment of our administration to military and veterans,” Munoz said. “As well as just the culture of West Texas which is just very patriotic in general."
"The layout of the university is very flat and so it’s a very physically accommodating campus for those service men and women that may have been injured in uniform,” Munoz said.
Munoz said his goal for the program is simple.
"My hope for the program is that in a year or two, we will literally double the number of military veterans and those people with military benefits at Texas tech,” Munoz said.
“We want Texas Tech to be the university of first choice for service men and women and their families."
As for Partain, this Red Raider has true West Texas aspirations.
"I am majoring in wind energy and I am hoping I can help turn people and the environment green,” Partain said.
Program directors said most vets are in the engineering program with online education coming in at a close second.
