Time is everything.
Yet somehow it seems that time has flown by in the blink of an eye during our first semester of Opt School here at OSU. For many, we are grateful to have completed one of the most stressful semesters we have ever experienced. For some, time may be moving too quickly. However, I am certain a collective sigh of relief was echoed after exiting Fry for the final moment of the first semester for us Opt I’s.
So what exactly have we learned within this first semester? That’s quite a hefty question, but I definitely have some ideas.
We’ve learned that sleep is vitally important. Some of us have taken this to heart and gotten nearly 8 hours every night. Others have stayed up till 3 a.m. attempting to shove the last pieces of ocular anatomy or pathophysiology into their overworked and tired brains.
We’ve learned that we are at an institution that truly cares about us. From office hours, to joking with professors, to interacting with our amazing upperclassmen, we are certainly well taken care of. Shout out to the second years who brought us all those sweet treats before our General Anatomy skull practical!
We’ve learned that we must rely on each other to get through both the “easy” and the seemingly insurmountable days. Without our peers we would be nothing. Without the friendships we have solidified, the time spent studying (and definitely laughing/goofing off), and the memories made with those we spend countless hours with, we would be nowhere. Personally, it is my classmates that push me even harder, challenge me to know more and be better, and make me a happier student. I am so grateful for each of them.
We’ve learned what it’s like to fall short and keep moving forward…I think this is a really important point. We all come from such great schools, we are all very much “type A”, and we all love to succeed. However, this is not an easy task for anyone, and we would be crazy to think that Optometry school was going to be a walk in the park. There are always bumps along any journey, some more eye opening than others, but in the end, we just keep moving forward.
Last, but certainly not least, we have learned that the dream is very much alive because we have made it to the end of our very first semester! Just typing those words makes me feel phenomenal. Though we have a long way to go, I like to think we’ve come a long way, and I’m thrilled to see where our paths lead. Cheers to the end of first semester, and to the beginning of a new year!