Month: October 2016

Studying and Procrastination

If you procrastinate too much, it won't leave you time to get outside and enjoy the beautiful Ohio fall weather.

If you procrastinate too much, it won’t leave you time to get outside and enjoy the beautiful Ohio fall weather.

Yesterday, in the midst of a multi hour study session, I locked eyes with a chubby squirrel sitting on the fence outside of my window. I wanted to ignore the squirrel and look back down at my notes to continue educating myself on aqueous humor flow, but I couldn’t look away. For some reason, the squirrel couldn’t look away either. It was official: we were in a staring contest. A staring contest that I was determined to win. This inter species staring contest, much like my hour long session of tracking European weather patterns , was yet another manifestation of my procrastination. Whether it’s modelling old Halloween wigs in the mirror or composing ballads during an hour long shower, the temptation to procrastinate seems to increase exponentially the more midterms build up. A little procrastination is nothing to worry about, but too much procrastination can lead to low quality studying, which eats up a lot of time. For me, it isn’t easy to ignore the click-bait headlines of those articles advertised around the borders of popular websites, for example: “She just pulled WHAT out of this box of Oreo’s?!?” or  “Doctors Hate Him! Check Out This One Trick ….”. Who could resist clicking on those tantalizing albeit misleading article descriptions? Or what about those articles that claim “So and So Won Christmas” or “So and So Just Won Checking Out At The Supermarket.” I mean, what’s that all about? This whole concept of winning these imaginary competitions. What are the rules? Who are the authorities that get to decide who wins? I get that it’s just an expression, but I can’t stop thinking about it. Oh no, I’m in the middle of a procrastination episode right now! It’s such an easy trap to fall into, but I must remain strong. The opportunity cost of too much procrastinating is high, because there are a multitude of school sponsored events,  volunteering, and socials awaiting all optometry students. In addition, Columbus is incredibly vibrant and dynamic, so there’s incredible value in having enough free time to explore the city. Thanks to some efficient studying last night, I was able to go out and try Gogi bbq, a Korean bbq restaurant that’s about a 15 minutes drive from campus. The food was extraordinary and it was a satisfying experience to cook my own food on the grill that was built into the center of the table. From pinball bars, food truck festivals, gallery hops, strong man competitions, microbreweries, off Broadway productions, to stellar dining, there is a lot to experience in Columbus; so, staying on top of school really pays off. Regarding that staring contest with the squirrel? I lost. That disheveled tree rat would not take his eyes off of me and although bragging rights would be nice, I feel much better knowing that I was able to recover from my distraction and complete some good work that enabled me to enjoy my evening.

My Journey Begins!

Diagrams and equations are intimidating for sure, but with a little time and effort, they'll become your best friend.

Diagrams and equations are intimidating for sure, but with a little time and effort, they’ll become your best friend.

Change is scary. Scratch that. Scary isn’t a strong enough word. Change is cripplingly terrifying! After spending the past six years confronting nothing but change, I figured I was prepared for anything. I assumed that my series of brief stints as a vagabond, a substitute teacher, a packaging engineer intern, an EMT-B and a research associate had given me the skills to cope with anything that life had in store for me. I felt uniquely equipped to face the challenges associated with transitioning to optometry school with resounding ease. After six weeks of school, I realize how foolish and naive my original false sense of security was. Don’t get me wrong, I’m living out my dream, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t terrifying at times. Self-doubt and the fear of failure are often closely linked to change (in fact, they love to brunch together on Sundays). What if I say or do the wrong thing? How then, could I earn the respect and admiration from the brilliant, charming and witty professors that I hold in such high esteem? The same goes for my new classmates, all of whom are smart and captivating. The pressure to engage and impress such a diverse mix of wonderful people can result in a lot of cringe inducing ‘foot in mouth’ moments. I haven’t even begun to mention the bounty of complex material and threat of impending midterms! Scary, right? Yes, but at the same time, I’ve never been more excited about anything in my life. Life is full of change and the unknown is inherently frightening, but the ability to meet life’s challenges and persevere is what allows us to become a better version of ourselves. The next four years will be the most transformative years of my life and based on what I’ve experienced from my first several weeks of school, I’m excited to embrace life’s new challenges and begin this four-year journey surrounded by such an incredible group of people. I look forward to conquering my fears, immersing myself in the world of optometry and making memories that will last a lifetime with my new family, the class of 2020. It’s a good time to be Buckeye! O-H!