How To Avoid Burnout in Optometry School?

[bobsacamenoh]

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For those that have gone through it/are going through it, how did you/do you avoid burnout while trying to complete the OD program? What difference in personality and habits do you see in your peers that seem to be cruising versus the ones that appear to be struggling to get through each week?

 

[eyestrain]

For those that have gone through it/are going through it, how did you/do you avoid burnout while trying to complete the OD program? What difference in personality and habits do you see in your peers that seem to be cruising versus the ones that appear to be struggling to get through each week?

I think the best advice is to not spend all your time studying. Do NOT try to get all A's. It doesn't do you any good anyway and it will take ten times more studying to pull it off. If you're the type of person who needs to get outstanding grades or you can't live with yourself, sorry, optometry school will be a lot of work for you. If you can handles getting the occasional B, you'll be a lot happier in the end. I think the best way to judge how you'll handle it is how much work you did in undergrad. If you worked your ass off to get good grades in undergrad, you'll have to work even harder in optometry school and you'll probably be miserable a lot of the time. If you spent as little time studying as you could get away with, then optometry school won't be too bad.

 

[anchan]

i agree, who cares about the A, as long as you feel you sufficiently know and understand the material then you're fine. the margin for error to make an A grade is slight and a wordy question on an exam or some inexplicable detail that you needed to remember to answer the question could be the difference between an A and a B, does that really make all the difference in the world if you could not answer those couple questions? probably not, so just enjoy yourself while you're in the program.

people who worry so much about their grades perform much more poorly than those who take a lighter and more encompassing approach to learning. i see these ppl freak out before exams, try to pull all-nighters so they can cram every last detail in, run themselves into the ground stressing about everyhting, they just need to relax, you pass even with Cs...so....grades aren't everyhting, though i don't approve of just low balling and doing the minimal to jsut get the C to pass, you should still try the best you can but no need to go overboard.

 

[Ryan_eyeball]

i agree, who cares about the A, as long as you feel you sufficiently know and understand the material then you're fine. the margin for error to make an A grade is slight and a wordy question on an exam or some inexplicable detail that you needed to remember to answer the question could be the difference between an A and a B, does that really make all the difference in the world if you could not answer those couple questions? probably not, so just enjoy yourself while you're in the program.

people who worry so much about their grades perform much more poorly than those who take a lighter and more encompassing approach to learning. i see these ppl freak out before exams, try to pull all-nighters so they can cram every last detail in, run themselves into the ground stressing about everyhting, they just need to relax, you pass even with Cs...so....grades aren't everyhting, though i don't approve of just low balling and doing the minimal to jsut get the C to pass, you should still try the best you can but no need to go overboard.

Who cares about a stupid written test anyways? I received excellent grades in undergrad and have done well in OD school. The true marks you will receive are from patients. You have to be able to gather information, interpret, analyze, synthesis a response to their problem (yes some are a lot easier than others).

Every patient is a test (because they don't present with A, B, C, or D marked on their foreheads). They'll let you know either verbally or nonverbally if you have helped them.

I wouldn't stress out about grades, as long as you know the information and can provide high quality eyecare I think that's the most important. Develop social skills by enjoying your friends (have a good personality), because I know I dislike doctors that can't relate to others.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[iiiimonica]

optometry school is no joke! it's graduate level work with an insane number of units. you are excpected to perform well in everything thrown at you. don't kid yourselves into thinking it will be like undergrad - it will be harder (as it should be)

the stress can be crushing! especially when you are staring at 6 straight weeks of midterms - learn how to balance the stress of school and life and learn quickly because the time flies.

DO NOT take on very much on top of school. if you are in a relationship, make sure to count that as an extra curricular. as for all the organizations and things thrown at you, take on as little as possible. it is very easy to stretch yourself too thin.

study for your patients, not for your tests but study hard - you will not be able to "get by" study your butt off, if you only make B's who cares? you will know that you brought it

make a strong core group of friends and be good to eachother - learn to say no and mean it😉

man i wish i would have read that last year....

For those that have gone through it/are going through it, how did you/do you avoid burnout while trying to complete the OD program? What difference in personality and habits do you see in your peers that seem to be cruising versus the ones that appear to be struggling to get through each week?