First four exams of optometry school….. check!
The first four midterm exams of my optometry school career are complete! It was such a great feeling once I realized that all the hard work and hours of studying from the get-go were so worth it. While it was a stressful and busy two weeks, it was definitely manageable and helped me learn effective strategies for successful test taking in the future. As a class, we now have a short little intermission until our next round of midterms. This past weekend many of my classmates and I celebrated the completion of our first exams and had a blast! It was nice to be able to relax a little bit while still putting in some study time.
Also this week, Student Council held the elections for our class officers. We voted on twelve different positions including President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. I decided to run for one of the two Class Representative positions and am excited to say that I will be holding the position for the next four years! I am really thrilled to have been elected to serve and represent the Class of 2018 and look forward to not only helping the other officers of my class but also the entire college.
On a final note, I am going home to Youngstown this weekend for the first time since August! I can’t wait to be able to visit with my family! So far this semester it has been hard to go home because I’ve been so busy with studying on the weekends. Although I’ve learned from undergrad that it’s usually difficult to motivate yourself to study when you visit home, I know I’ll have to set up a plan to ensure I get some work done (while also playing with my puppy and visiting the nearby fruit farm for fun fall activities!)
I’m going to leave you with a list of some of the simple yet important things I’ve learned so far as an optometry student. Here it goes:
- I try to study a couple different topics every night. It’s too overwhelming to try to master one entire subject each day.
- Sometimes my brain is so full of information at the end of a long day of class it’s hard to go right into studying. I’ve learned it’s okay to take a 20-minute break to let yourself unwind before looking at material again!
- Exercise and eating regular meals are really important to designate time to. I’ve found that the breaks to eat meals or to exercise really energize me and keep me motivated afterward.
- Continue to do what you like to do! If you like to play catch with a friend to relax, go out and do that. If you enjoy watching a particular reality or weekly TV show with friends, do that! If you like to meet up with a friend for coffee and chat, meet for coffee. I’ve learned that it’s okay to take a small break each week to enjoy myself and stay sane.
- It helps to Call/Facetime/Text my parents and other family members or friends when I’m feeling stressed or down. They are usually pretty good at cheering me up!
That’s all I have for now, thanks for reading!