The Final(s) Countdown

Today marks the second to last day of classes for our fall semester. As I have been preparing for final exams, I find myself in disbelief in how fast the semester has gone by. Since August, I have spent countless hours in Fry Hall, learned more than I ever thought possible in one semester, and formed many friendships with kind and bright people.

With my first of six exams beginning on Friday, I catch myself feeling overwhelmed, tense, and tired—physically and mentally. As hard as my classmates and I are working these last few days of our semester, keeping up my energy to face the last few hurdles of this semester has been really challenging. It has helped me to take a few minutes each day to relax and do something non-school related, such as calling a friend, going for a walk, or decorating for the holidays.

In one of my classes yesterday, we took some time to reflect on our long term goals and values. Thinking about the things that I want to accomplish in my professional and personal life helped motivate me to keep studying hard these last few days of the semester and reflect on how thankful I am to be a student here. While I’m certain that the coming week and a half will be stressful, I look forward to continuing my journey as an optometry student.