First year (Ouch)

[pre-O.D.]

Are any first years feeling a little overwhelmed? I feel like I am studying all the time. I am beginning to think, what did I get myself into. Do I really want to study like this for the next 3 years?

I am doing pretty good in most of my classes, but it is just so much work. Also the amount of studying it takes to get an A is so much more than the amount you have to do to get a B or C. Plus, with high averages there is no curve and failing is a 75%. Anyway, I am not too worried about the grades I am getting, but more concerned about the time commitment I got myself into.

I know that I made the right decision to go into optometry, but sometimes... geez. Anyone else feeling like this?

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[prettygreeneyes]

Preachin' to the choir sister!!!

 

[blazenmadison]

Are any first years feeling a little overwhelmed? I feel like I am studying all the time. I am beginning to think, what did I get myself into. Do I really want to study like this for the next 3 years?

I am doing pretty good in most of my classes, but it is just so much work. Also the amount of studying it takes to get an A is so much more than the amount you have to do to get a B or C. Plus, with high averages there is no curve and failing is a 75%. Anyway, I am not too worried about the grades I am getting, but more concerned about the time commitment I got myself into.

I know that I made the right decision to go into optometry, but sometimes... geez. Anyone else feeling like this?

yes i agree. it is a lot of work.
to think 2nd year is worse

 

[sco1styear]

yes i agree. it is a lot of work.
to think 2nd year is worse

Well...second year will be worse for you, blazen. But it varies with other schools. Good luck - it'll go by faster than you can imagine.

 

[alferec]

Are any first years feeling a little overwhelmed? I feel like I am studying all the time. I am beginning to think, what did I get myself into. Do I really want to study like this for the next 3 years?

I am doing pretty good in most of my classes, but it is just so much work. Also the amount of studying it takes to get an A is so much more than the amount you have to do to get a B or C. Plus, with high averages there is no curve and failing is a 75%. Anyway, I am not too worried about the grades I am getting, but more concerned about the time commitment I got myself into.

I know that I made the right decision to go into optometry, but sometimes... geez. Anyone else feeling like this?

You know, the hard work that we will be doing will be just through third year because I heard fourth year is not all that bad!

But I totally feel you on the "what did I get myself into" stuff. At SCCO, we an exam EVERY WEEK (sometimes two!). But if you think about it, med students are doing much more than we do, and we had similar preparation like them during undergrad. I think the best thing to do is to go out and enjoy your free time. I like the whole "study hard and party hard" thing because it balances the hard times with some good times. Of course, you do want to make your experience memorable and not just all studying!

In other words, make the most out of your optometry school experience, because this is basically our last chance to hang out and make friends with a bunch of people our age (just like in undergrad again!).

 

[iiiimonica]

hey y'all!

so yes first year is tough (i'm repeating the first semster right now). but there are some ways to make it better. here is a great book i found on how to study (i went to a tough undergrad and basically crammed all the time, so my study skills pretty much sucked coming into od school. developing better study skills has helped me SO MUCH!! i feel 1000x better and i feel that i am actually learning instead of going from test to test)

and 2nd year pretty much sucks at every school! oh well 2 tough years, 1 less tough year and 1 nice year arent too bad when you consider how fast time flies and how we are paying others to put us through this.

good luck my fellow 2010'ers!

http://www.amazon.com/Study-Without-Stress-Mastering-Sciences/dp/0761916792

the best things i got out of this book:
1. we have no time (no really, break your time down - you have none! damn you SDN!)
2. make questions from your notes (do not recopy them or rehighlight them, make actual exam type questions and fill in the blank tables)
3. go over your tests to see why you missed points. was the info not in your notes? do you need to review a concept you thought you knew? did you make a mistake on the test?

these are the best things that i got out of this book, but there are many others ~it's worth every penny!

 

[rpie]

You know, the hard work that we will be doing will be just through third year because I heard fourth year is not all that bad!

But I totally feel you on the "what did I get myself into" stuff. At SCCO, we an exam EVERY WEEK (sometimes two!). But if you think about it, med students are doing much more than we do, and we had similar preparation like them during undergrad. I think the best thing to do is to go out and enjoy your free time. I like the whole "study hard and party hard" thing because it balances the hard times with some good times. Of course, you do want to make your experience memorable and not just all studying!

In other words, make the most out of your optometry school experience, because this is basically our last chance to hang out and make friends with a bunch of people our age (just like in undergrad again!).

To AL all Opt students. Come on you all, quit thinking that your education is easier/ second rate or you're not as bright as a med. Student. Having been to both schools, the first 2 years are about the same. I'm not saying that opt. School = med. School because they are different. Especially in the in the 3rd and 4th year when med. Students are busier, but nothing an opt. Student can't handle. Hang in there things will get better.

 

[stevec]

I'm a second year now, and I have to say I worked harder one semester in chemical engineering than anything in optometry school so far. I've gotten more sleep and feel much less burned out. Overall though, od school hasn't let up. I had some much easier times in undergrad, especially after I switched to biology. SCO does a good job working with the students to try to spread out the exam schedule. I think if it weren't for that, I would feel much more overloaded. In undergrad professors didn't care. You could have two hard exams on the same day or consecutive days even when it wasn't finals week. I don't have all the homework, papers, or projects to do like I had in undergrad either. Now I can concentrate on studying more.

 

[orangezero]

I think the important thing to remember is why you are there. Its certainly not to pass tests. A good part is so that when you leave you will have an understanding of how to aquire new knowledge in an effective manner, and also have a foundation to base you clinical decisions upon. You still have to learn even after leaving school, its just much less structured.

breaks are good....

good luck.

 

[PreOptMegs]

cha

 

[planex]

I think the important thing to remember is why you are there. Its certainly not to pass tests. A good part is so that when you leave you will have an understanding of how to aquire new knowledge in an effective manner, and also have a foundation to base you clinical decisions upon. You still have to learn even after leaving school, its just much less structured.

breaks are good....

good luck.

I agree with what orangezero stated above.

I also wanted add this piece of advice for those who study alone...I had been used to studying by myself throughout my undergrad schooling, and did very well. Then, the first semester of opt school came along with the mounds of information with it and it was tougher than I imagined.

Once I reached out and made friends within my opt class to study with, that made it so much easier to to force out more study time and really learn the information.

It also helped to be in a group that periodically had b@#ch sessions about school, clinics and basically what each of us was going through those years as well.