"Everything you read on the website and hear when you visit USP is true: small classes, a feeling of community, and an excellent faculty all within a wonderful city with so much to do," said Shelby Woodward who is in the physician assistant program. "The closeness of our University to hospitals influenced my decision to come to USP because I knew I would be able to volunteer and get the shadowing hours required for my program." Shelby views the hands-on experience and the opportunity to engage in research with her professors as an advantage over other schools because it means extra experience in her course of study. "It will give me an edge in terms of experience, which employers will notice."