need help w/ Split()

I am attempting to take a line of text (a list) that has been entered into a form and split it into the appropriate parts, placing them into an array. I am splitting the input on commas, semi-colons, and spaces. Problem 1: Is with "white space". If the input has spaces after a comma, it splits on the comma, but enters each "space" as a separate element of the array. Problem 2: Is with "white space" also. If the input has just spaces between the appropriate parts, then it will split on the first "space", but enter the rest of the "spaces" as separate elements of the array. Here my code: $course_list = preg_split("/[\,\;\s*]/", $input_list); for ($i=0; $i<count($course_list); $i++) { echo("Item $i: $course_list[$i]<br>\n"); }

Which on input "0101, 0102,      0103" produces [0101][ ][0102][ ][ ][ ][0103]

Any help would be appreciated!!