June 4, 2014

Here is a snapshot of the newest students at the College of Medicine, the newly arrived Class of 2018:

• The class is split almost evenly between male (61) and female (59).
• The students’ ages range from 20 to 37.
• Twice as many did their undergraduate work at Florida State (56) as at the University of Florida (28).
• The class includes 20 students who are Hispanic (16.7 percent), 16 African-American (13.3 percent), 15 Asian/Pacific Islander (12.5 percent) and three Native American (2.5 percent).
• In keeping with the College of Medicine’s mission to make medical school accessible to members of underserved communities, 26 students fall into the category of disadvantaged.
• Also in keeping with the mission, 12 students come from counties designated as rural.
• This statistic will gladden the heart of longtime Crestview legislator Durell Peaden, who helped create this medical school: 31 of these students are from Florida Panhandle counties.
• For the first time, one of our students is a faculty member’s spouse. Sangeeta Nair-Collins, Ph.D., is married to Michael Nair Collins, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Social Medicine.
• One student missed orientation last week, but she had a good excuse. Kelly Hensley was in Oklahoma City with her FSU softball teammates, competing in the Women’s College World Series. Her softball season ended with a loss on Saturday, but her med-school experience — like that of her classmates — has just begun. Welcome, Class of 2018.

Information provided by Dana Urrutia, admissions coordinator