RELEASED: October 8, 2009

By Leigh Ivey

DANVILLE, KY—Like many Centre College students planning on entering medical school, junior J.B. Boone spent many hours preparing for the MCAT.

The devotion paid off. While studying abroad this term in Strasbourg, France, Boone received his score, which places him among the top group of those taking the MCAT this year.

And although his accomplishment thrills him, he is more excited about how his future career in medicine will benefit others.  

"I want to make an impact with my life, to create a difference in the world by helping people in a way that's best suited to the talents, abilities and opportunities that I've been graciously blessed with," he says.

Rather than participating in a formal MCAT preparation course, Boone studied independently throughout the summer. Because his job allowed him time to study, he devoted three to five hours a day, six days a week, to preparing for the exam. 

This studying was made easier, he says, because of the education he has received at Centre.

"The success that I had was thanks in large part to the habits and principles I've gained from my time at Centre," Boone says.

"Beyond teaching me the basic material in physics, chemistry, organic chemistry and biology that's covered in the MCAT, Centre prepared me for the test by instilling in me a sense of personal responsibility, self-discipline and inner motivation to go out and achieve whatever it is that I want to accomplish."

Centre has also helped Boone become the well-rounded person he is today. On campus, he is a member of the Student Senate, Student Judiciary and Centre Christian Fellowship; a resident advisor; president of Club Soccer; and treasurer of the Pre-Med Society.

"The opportunities I've been afforded through my time at Centre, combined with the advice and encouragement I've received from my professors and the incredible support I've gotten from my friends, have been instrumental in the success that I've had," he says. "All of it has reaffirmed in my mind that Centre was the perfect college for me."

Though it will be several years before he will be choosing a specialty, Boone is currently interested in anesthesia or orthopedics.

When he returns to Danville, he plans to get involved with research during the spring term and the following summer.

"Perhaps those will spark a desire to go deeper into research in and after medical school," he says.

Whether he chooses to pursue anesthesia, orthopedics, research or any of the many other options available to him, Boone is determined to use his knowledge and talents to make a difference in the world.

"I think there's more to life than living solely for one's own benefit or enjoyment, and I want to be able to serve others in the most effective way that I can," he says. "Practicing medicine is something that's always intrigued me, and I believe it's the unique way in which I can be of the greatest benefit to others."

Have comments, suggestions, or story ideas? E-mail leigh.ivey@centre.edu with your feedback.

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Founded in 1819, Centre College is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges. Consumers Digest ranks Centre No. 1 in educational value among all U.S. liberal arts colleges. Centre alumni, known for their nation-leading loyalty in annual financial support, include two U.S. vice presidents and two Supreme Court justices. For more, visit http://www.centre.edu/web/elevatorspeech/

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