Matthew Minich has pulled his fair share of all-nighters at the Saint Michael’s College Fire and Rescue station, where he’s been a volunteer firefighter for the past couple of years.

“Hopefully you get some time off during your shift where you can work on school work and get that stuff done,” he said, wrapping up a 12-hour shift the week before finals.

On a recent evening, he gave a tour of the station just across the street from the campus in Colchester, Vermont.

“It’s not a traditional classroom, but there is definitely a lot of learning going on here,” he said, pausing for a beat before adding: “Most of the time.”