Art, who graduated last year, is now enrolled in the Touro College of Pharmacy. His passion for the sciences—including Biology, his major at NYSCAS—and desire to help others led him to enroll in the graduate program. 

“A pharmacist doesn’t just distribute medications,” Art explained. “He’s part of the medical community and the first line of help.”

Art originally chose NYSCAS for his undergraduate education because it would prepare him for his goal of attending graduate school and eventually becoming a pharmacist, as well as the college’s affordability.

NSYCAS exceeded his expectations. “I was very well prepared for pharmacy school,” he said.

The care and attention faculty, staff, and other students offer at NYSCAS pushed Art to succeed. “Everyone is there to help,” he said, naming Professors Filomena Caligano, Arthur Babayan, and Jean Well as instructors who stood out to him. Academic Advisor Anna Veritilnaya and Financial Aid Counselor Galina Ivanova at Brooklyn’s Neptune Avenue location, he noted, were also supportive and helpful.

Art is only in his first year of pharmacy school, but he’s looking forward to his career as a pharmacist. He’s planning on working in a retail pharmacy or hospital and will have a clearer picture of what his role might look like after his second or third year in the program.

For other NYSCAS students who want to be successful like him, whether that journey includes graduate school or immediately taking the next step in their careers, Art advises putting in the hard work. “You have to be well organized and follow a schedule,” he noted. “You can’t procrastinate. Keep looking ahead to the next topic or lecture.”

It will be well worth it, Art said. “Touro is a great college, and putting in the hard work will pay off.”