UA freshman sets high goals

Wildcat File Photo Arizona Daily Wildcat freshman fast facts

Good enough to earn a full scholarship to the UA. Smart enough to know 18 units is plenty for the first semester of his freshman year. Wise enough to know that grades aren't necessarily the most important part of college.

No, books aren't all that matter to this molecular and cellular biology honors student. Fernandez wants to be happy, and he thinks he will be happy at the University of Arizona.

"Looking back, I don't think anybody really cares about GPA once you leave high school," said Fernandez, who got all A's until his senior year of high school, when he picked up a few B's in Advanced Placement courses. "I know for medical school, GPA is really important, but I think I'd favor having a lighter course load and doing more activities out of school and being more well-rounded."

The 17-year-old said he has wanted to be a doctor for as long as he can remember, and the relationship he started building with the UA's medical school while he was still in high school has helped him focus on that goal and make Arizona his college choice.

After he was offered the Flinn Foundation Scholarship, which is awarded to about 20 Arizona high school graduates each year and covers tuition and expenses at any of the state's public universities, he immediately chose the University of Arizona.

Fernandez applied to a few 8-year programs that combine undergraduate and medical degrees into one course of study, but since he lived in Tucson, he shadowed several University Medical Center doctors, including Jack Copeland, one of the state's leading heart transplant surgeons.

"The doctors here are just phenomenal," Fernandez said. "After that, I was just hooked. I knew this place, and I liked it, and we have a good (medical) program here."

Fernandez, who said he is considering a double-major in psychology, is taking 18 units this semester: Honors Biology 181 and the accompanying lab, Chemistry 103A with lab, Honors English 109, Individuals and Societies 101, Traditions and Cultures 101 and the one-unit colloquium "Of People, Plants and Medicine."

"I didn't want to kill myself this semester," Fernandez said. "I know people who are taking 20 or 21 units."

Fernandez also earned college credits in high school by taking the English, biology and math AP exams.

Freshmen do tend to take heavier course loads than their senior counterparts. Last fall, 94.2 percent of freshmen enrolled in 12 or more units. Only 79.1 percent of sophomores, juniors and seniors took as many classes.

Lori Goldman, director of admissions, attributed that trend to the extracurricular activities and leadership roles students tend to get involved in as they plant their roots at the UA.

"You go into school thinking that it's going to be like high school, but the classroom is only part of the experience," Goldman said.

Fernandez agreed, saying he plans to focus on the whole college experience, not just his grades.

He said his parents don't pressure him to study excessively.

"My family is really supportive," Fernandez said. "They think academics are really important, but they don't really get angry at bad grades as long as you give your best effort."

Fernandez said a good education for him and his siblings was one of his parents' main reasons for coming to the United States from India 13 years ago.

He grew up in Tucson and now lives in Yuma Hall, which houses 144 honors students near the heart of campus.

"I really, really like it here in this hall," Fernandez said, explaining that he made many friends during his first weeks there. "You're surrounded by people who have similar interests as you. Everyone prioritizes work at the top or near the top."

But at the same time, life hasn't been all work and no play.

"I've probably been more social in the last week than I have in the past two to three years of high school," Fernandez said. "Just living in this hall is a special opportunity, because you're surrounded by interesting people that have similar opportunities as you."

Fernandez said he expects to finish his degree in four years, after which he plans to apply to UA's College of Medicine, among other medical schools. Meanwhile, he said he is excited about his first year.

"I'm a little bit nervous, but I think it will be all right," he said. "I know it's going to be a whole lot different than high school."

Fernandez said he has found campus resources readily accessible, particularly in the Honors Center.

"They're really out to help you," Fernandez said of the center. "It's kind of nice, it's a little, small community in a school with 35,000 people."

Fernandez said he's found the UAInfo Web site and Student Link especially helpful.

"I wouldn't even know my schedule without Student Link," he said.

And even though Fernandez's college education is paid for, he said he would rather go to the UA than a more expensive private school.

"If I would have gone to some really expensive schools, I'd just feel like a customer," he said. "It takes a lot of guts to get into $120,000 worth of debt when you can get the same education through the honors program at a state school."