Peter Collins, a part-time student, said he is learning through his experiences as well as his classes. A self proclaimed adventurer, Collins has spent several of his college years away from school, working and traveling.

Collins is a business major but he has ventured into real estate as well, and he even took the class to get certified.

“I did that for my own educational opportunity,” he said.

Collins spent two years at technical schools before enrolling at N.C.State, but is still only a freshman by credit hours.

“I went to live with a friend who graduated in Thailand,” Collins said.

According to Collins, living in Thailand is not expensive. His rent, he said, was only about $25 a month.

“I spent $3,000 on the trip,” Collins said. “About $1,000 was on airfare.”

The most exciting thing Collins said he did in Thailand was travel to Konchang [Elephant] Island.

“I rode an elephant,” Collins said. “He had a box on his back and a chain around his foot.”

Collins and his best friend travel as often as they can afford to. For now, Collins is working as a full-time cook at Outback Steakhouse to save enough money for another trip.

“In about a year I want to go to Amsterdam,” Collins said.

Collins and his traveling companion have even started a Web site documenting their travels.

Collins claims his favorite part about traveling is meeting people.

“Crazy people lead to crazy times,” Collins said.

Although Collins has traveled to different countries, he said one of his favorite places is located in Asheville.

“Bear Wallow Mountain is really cool,” Collins said. “From the top you can see for 30 to 40 miles around.”

Collins plans to finish his degree in a few years — he hopes to earn a living as a real estate developer.

“I’m not talented, but I want people to remember me for thousands of years,” Collins said.

For now, Collins will put his dreams on hold to save money for his next trip. When he has some free time, he said he likes to relax with his friends and play hacky sack.

“We have had some pretty intense games of hacky sack out here,” Collins said, referring to the Brickyard.

And he’s not one to let his accomplishments or personality go unnoticed.

“Pretty much, I’m just the man.”