(April 4, 2011-Jupiter, FL) Finding and being accepted into graduate school can be a very stressful experience for an undergraduate student. But this year at least four students at the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College of Florida Atlantic University will graduate knowing that they have been accepted into one of Florida’s most acclaimed graduate programs. Salvatore Crusco, Eric Bishop, Lindsay McCullough, and Leonid Zlotcavitch were recently informed that they have been admitted into the University of Florida’s medical school, and all four are excited about this great academic opportunity.

           Salvatore Crusco received the news of his acceptance on February 18th. “I could hardly speak when I received the call,” he says, adding that his shouts of excitement were probably heard throughout the Wilkes Honors College residence hall. He feels that the University of Florida is the perfect place for him to pursue his medical studies. He was attracted to the program due to its acclaim and high USMLE (Unites States Medical Licensing Examination) Board scores, and after taking a tour of the campus, immediately decided that it was the graduate school for him. Crusco states that he hopes to excel in his medical studies and become more than just a “cut-and-dry” doctor. “I want to be active in my patient’s problems, not only acting as a doctor, but as a teacher. I want my patients to be educated about their health and not dread their trips to the doctor.” He is unsure as to which area of medicine he will eventually choose as his specialty, but says that he is interested in surgery and in medical education.

           Lindsay McCullough was also overjoyed to hear of her acceptance into the program. “I was grateful that all of my hard work paid off,” she remarks. Lindsay was encouraged to apply to UF by a doctor who she was able to shadow during her sophomore year at the Honors College. She feels that the medical program at UF will help her to achieve her educational and professional goals. “The education I will receive along with the opportunities that will be presented at to me at UF will motivate me to be the best doctor I can be.” McCullough hopes to specialize in radiation oncology after completing her medical studies.

           Both students maintain that their time at the Honors College has been invaluable in preparing them for the application process and for medical school. “The Honors College undoubtedly prepared me for every obstacle I encountered in the application process,” states Crusco. “The education I received here has catapulted me above and beyond my expectations.”

           McCullough says that the faculty of the Honors College has been instrumental in helping her pursue her goals. She says that the Honors College professors have made themselves available to her throughout her undergraduate years and have always been willing to help her and mentor her through difficult academic periods. She says of her time at the Honors College, “The Honors College has been a great place to grow academically and bond with students, faculty and staff as a tight-knit community.”

           Both students look forward to the opportunities they will encounter in their graduate studies. At the University of Florida they will be able to enjoy the company of other Honors College alumni as well as that of the two other accepted students from this year’s graduating class. Crusco says, “I am thrilled that I will be continuing my education with my peers from the Honors College. I know that the FAU network that is already there will be welcoming us with open arms.” Several other students from the Honors College have also heard that they are on the waiting list for acceptance into UF’s medical program, and are hoping that they will be able join the four accepted student at the university this fall.

           The faculty and staff of the Honors College is proud of the achievements of these four students, and wishes them the best of luck in their academic and professional futures. As Jeffrey L. Buller, dean of the Wilkes Honors College, noted, “With our close ties to FAU’s own new medical school and now this phenomenal placement rate at UF, it’s becoming increasingly clear that FAU and its Honors College are the place to go for undergraduates with big dreams.  Wherever it is that students want to go, they know that they can get there from here, and I’m convinced our record of success is just going to grow and grow.”

byline: WHC Student Intern Megan Geiger