WE MADE IT! My very first semester of optometry school is complete. I’m writing this post from the comfort of home in between making cookies and wrapping presents! It feels so nice to relax, visit with family and enjoy the holidays after a long and strenuous finals week.
Compared to undergrad, optometry school finals week was a much more daunting and stressful time. With two practicals the week before and five exams during actual finals week, it felt like a marathon of studying! We learned so much over the entire semester that it seemed impossible to be able to study and remember all the topics covered the past four months. It took a lot of dedication, motivation (and coffee) but it was definitely possible. All of the hard work and hours at the library were worth it when all the tests were finally over and we received the last of our official final grades today. Also, before everyone went home for the semester, we made sure to celebrate being done with not just our class, but also those above us! It was a blast and the perfect way to end the semester.
Throughout gearing up for finals, we continued to have meetings for various groups, including our SocialEyes get-togethers. SocialEyes is a new program this year where a professor at the college volunteers to lead a group of first years and organize various fun meetings outside of school. My group, led by Dr. Walline, is called EyeCandy! We even have really cool matching t-shirts with our group name on them. Two meetings ago, we met for dinner and I tried Indian cuisine for the very first time! SocialEyes is a really cool program and I look forward to continuing it after break.
The EyeCandy group enjoying Indian food! From the back left: Max, Dr. Walline, Me, Cory, Casey, Elham, Paula, Nick and Libby!
Although finals week was arduous, the most important thing I realized was that all of the studying throughout the semester kept me on track and allowed me to solidify material during finals week and not just cram at the end. This semester was challenging and a lot of hard work but so rewarding and an awesome experience. I’m looking forward to the rest of this much-needed break and traveling to New Orleans to cheer on the Buckeyes in their playoff game at the Sugar Bowl! Wishing everyone a safe and joyous holiday! Thanks for reading along during my first semester of professional school–I can’t wait to see what 2015 will bring!