HCTCs Travis Jent benefits from college experience before transferring

Travis Jent is working on his doctorate degree in Pharmacy and although he already had a bachelor s degree, he enrolled, then graduated from Hazard Community and Technical College and it s a decision he s very glad he made.

He obtained a Bachelor s of Science degree from Morehead State University in 2009. He had 52 credit hours of pre-requisite courses that he needed before he could apply for pharmacy school so he decided to enroll in all of them at HCTC. He started July 2014 and he has taken them all over the course of the past year and he graduated in May.

He will pursue a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Sullivan University College of Pharmacy. He has been accepted to the incoming class that started this summer and will graduate with the class of 2018. He was attracted to Sullivan because it has an expedited program that allows him to earn a doctorate in three years. Most other doctor of pharmacy degrees are a four-year program. I liked the idea of being done an extra year early even if it means that I do not get a long break for summer and winter, he said.

HCTC has been wonderful in assisting me in my transfer process. My advisor, Dr. Paul Currie, has assisted me in everything from helping me to figure out what classes I needed, to giving me personal advice for my interviews that I feel helped me a great deal. Also, the teachers tend to know what classes you need for your future degrees and try to emphasize the skills that you are learning and how they will be applicable to your field once you graduate. They really take a personal interest in every student and make them feel confident, he said.

Jent said he would give the highest rating to HCTC. The teaching methods and the friendliness of the teachers is exemplary. All of my teachers are very intelligent and full of encouragement. I hope that my experience at Sullivan is anywhere near as wonderful as what it has been at HCTC, he said.

Once I am practicing, I will definitely be referring any interested students I meet to HCTC to complete the courses that they need to get their degree, Jent noted.

He said his biggest challenge was actually committing to going back to college. After spending five years in college the first time, it was hard to convince myself that going back to college for another four to five years was a good decision. After getting my foot out of the door though, there has been no doubt in my mind that this was the best thing for me to do. I am so excited to be furthering my education, Jent said.

Jent said he is leaning towards practicing as a pharmacist in a hospital setting but he is unsure of his exact career. I am highly interested in the research aspects of the field and perhaps I will go that path and help to one day research a new medicine that will help out many people, he said.

Travis is the son of Paulette Jent and grandson of Geraldine Jent, both of Vicco. His brother, Justin Jent, is enrolled at HCTC.