Given the choice between spending an evening with friends and taking
extra time for his schoolwork, Andy Klise admits he would probably {{U}}
{{U}} 1 {{/U}} {{/U}}for the latter. It's not that he doesn't like
to have fun; it's just that his desire to excel {{U}} {{U}} 2
{{/U}} {{/U}}drives his decision-making process. A 2001
graduate of Wooster High School and now a senior biology major at The College of
Wooster, Klise acknowledges that he may someday have {{U}} {{U}} 3
{{/U}} {{/U}}thoughts about his decision to limit the time he has spent
{{U}} {{U}} 4 {{/U}} {{/U}}, but for now, he is comfortable with
the choices he has made. "If things had not {{U}} {{U}} 5
{{/U}} {{/U}}out as well as they have, I would have had some regrets," says
Klise, who was a Phi Beta Kappa inductee as a junior. "But spending the extra
time studying has been well worth the {{U}} {{U}} 6 {{/U}}
{{/U}}. I realized early on that to be successful, I had to make certain {{U}}
{{U}} 7 {{/U}} {{/U}}." {{U}} {{U}} 8
{{/U}} {{/U}}the origin of his intense motivation, Klise notes that it has
been part of his makeup for as long as he can remember. "I've always been goal
{{U}} {{U}} 9 {{/U}} {{/U}}," he says. "This internal drive has
caused me to give my all {{U}} {{U}} 10 {{/U}} {{/U}}pretty much
everything I do." Klise {{U}} {{U}} 11 {{/U}}
{{/U}}Wooster's nationally recognized Independent Study (IS) program with
preparing him for his next {{U}} {{U}} 12 {{/U}} {{/U}}in life:
a research position with the National Institute of Health (NIH). "I am hoping
that my IS experience will help me {{U}} {{U}} 13 {{/U}} {{/U}}a
research position with NIH," says Klise. "The yearlong program gives students a
chance to work with some of the nation's {{U}} {{U}} 14 {{/U}}
{{/U}}scientists while making the {{U}} {{U}} 15 {{/U}} {{/U}}from
undergraduate to graduate studies or a career in the medical field."