Good morning all!

Well, this is it.. The moment we’ve all been waiting for. Today officially starts the race to the finish that will include 5 tests in the next seven days.

It may be a bit rough.

But this morning as I was thinking about what to write as a post, I happened to come across a Facebook conversation (thank you Facebook memories!) between my freshman year roommate and I. It went something like this:

“I brought you a flower…but I ate it. I ate the flower.
But I don’t wanna be fat! Don’t make me fat!
Then eat your raisins!
No. They taste like raisins.
..But they’re more like subtle raisins..
Raisin’s aren’t subtle. They’re more kumquatish.”

Okay, so no one ever said that my friends and I are exactly sane.. But that’s not the point. Rather, this fantastically nonsensical conversation gave me three reminders that I would love to share as Finals Week Spring ’16 begins.

*Ahem*

1) Don’t take life too seriously. No one makes it out alive anyway.

2) It’s okay to be a little bit crazy. I obviously am. Just be thankful for the people who embrace your crazy and love you anyway.

3) Never forget to smile. 🙂

And with that, let the finals begin!!

Catch y’all on the flippity!

-Hannah 🙂

So, if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the past two semesters at The Ohio State University College of Optometry, it’s that I’m pretty terrible at studying.

Just kidding. That’s not actually a new revelation; studying has never been one of my top 85 skills. Nevertheless, it’s a point that I was reminded of as I started my 8th study break in the past hour.

Yeah.. Maybe it’s best to not comment on that.

In any case, today’s “Day in the Life of an Ohio State Optometry Student” is brought to you by procrastination… I hope you enjoy it as much as I am enjoying (yet another) study break!

So, as I mentioned in my last post, this semester has been pretty chill for me, which is a fact that I have largely loved. Despite the wonders of a free schedule though, sometimes it’s nice to spice life up a bit and have an exciting weekend.

And so that’s what I did.

This past weekend’s first excitement started with the National Optometric Student Association (NOSA) sponsored “Dinner with the Docs”. At this event, a group of 15-20 NOSA members gathered at Eddie George’s 27 Bar and Grille to eat dinner and talk with several local(ish) optometrists. Though networking is definitely not one of my strong suits, I enjoyed going and listening to each of the doctor’s stories about the paths that they chose to pursue after graduation. It proved to be a very informative few hours, and showed me just how much plans may change upon reaching the “real world”.

Part two of my exciting weekend was the EYE Spring Banquet. Though this annual event is primarily a celebration of the fourth year EYE members, it provided a fantastic excuse to dress up and spend an evening with optometry students and faculty, while eating amazing food and just having an all-around great time. I can’t wait to go back next year!

The final highlight of my weekend was sitting for a second year during his mock practical, or in other words, pretending to be a patient while a second year student performed a complete eye exam on me in preparation for his upcoming practical. Though I love in general hearing about what other people can see in my eyes, I especially loved being dilated for the second time in my life, which I used as the perfect excuse to buy my first pair of reading glasses. It was great.

Well, I really should attempt to study for tomorrow morning’s exam again.. Catch y’all later!

Hannah

Hey guys! Long time no see… 🙂

So, somehow this semester has completely flown by, and I now find myself 6 weeks from the official end of my first year at The Ohio State University College of Optometry.

Holy cow. That’s just crazy.

Overall, it’s been a great semester. Despite having 1-2 exams every week since February 3rd, the course load has seemed lighter, and I have finally had enough free time to branch out into new activities. Check them out!

1. The School of Professional Students Orchestra
For as long as I can remember, music has played a huge role in my life. It should come as no surprise then that spending first semester without any real musical outlet was frustrating for me. Though I had had the opportunity to join upon moving to Columbus, I was hesitant: I had never played in an orchestra before, and they already had several pianists (my main instrument) signed up. Thankfully, several other first year optometry students joined, and then coaxed me into going to a practice. I loved it. Here’s a picture of the five of us after our spring performance!

2. Life Group
Here on campus, I call H2O my home church. During first semester, though life groups (groups of 10-20 people who get together 1-2 times a week and help each other grow spiritually, while being encouraged in every day life) were heavily emphasized, I never really explored the options that were available to graduate students. After having life groups brought up by 4 different people in a matter of days though, I decided to check them out. One week later, I found myself at a random apartment, eating food and playing games with a group of women that I had previously never met. It was a blast. Needless to say, I have now become a regular at life group, and absolutely love it.

3. Pelotonia ’16
So, I have an announcement to make.

*Ahem*
Ladies and gentlemen. I have officially decided to participate in the Pelotonia 2016. With this, I will be riding 100 miles on a hot August day to support cancer research. This year, I am joining The Ohio State University College of Optometry’s team, “The Rolling Eyes”, in support of our fellow classmate, Mark Ortiz, who is currently undergoing cancer treatments. Your donations, 100% of which will fund cancer research at The James Cancer Hospital here at OSU, would be greatly appreciated. Check out my personal story at Pelotonia.org/Hannah.Vollmer. Thank you in advance!

Well… I think that about exhausts my excitement for tonight.

‘Til the next time!

-Hannah