Before optometry school, I was intimidated by the idea of becoming a doctor. Not only because I doubted myself initially, but also because I feel I found my passion for optometry relatively late. You always hear stories about people wanting to be doctors their entire life, but that was not my situation. It felt like everyone had all the answers going in and here I was, faking it ’til I made it.  

Two years and several leadership positions later, I found that sometimes no plan is a plan. When you have so much to learn about being successful, sometimes it’s easier to retire your expectations rather than do the work to unlearn them and build from there. Once you recognize how productive it is to always be learning, you’ll find there are very few things you can’t adapt to.  

This isn’t meant to sound scary, but balancing your life in optometry school is not something anyone can prepare you for. Professional school is transformative, and I believe the key to finding that balance is to identify your strengths and learning how to use them to your advantage. In my case, I knew I had strong communication skills and a deep passion for community service, not just future patients. Since then, the Student Government Association and many other committees have played a large role in my experience at NOVA Southeastern University. 

Through my years of involvement, the skills I once lacked confidence in naturally began to develop. I became more organized, improved in networking, gained insight on how to be successful, and learned many invaluable life lessons. The point is, looking at me now, you would’ve never known how hard it was to manage during my first two years of studying optometry. So, to my fellow student doctors and student doctors-to-be, here are some things I wish I knew going into it and things I remind myself of daily: 

 1. Tailor your method of studying to the course 

 You can’t study for optics the way you study for disease. You can’t study for disease the way you study for clinic. No matter your what your GPA was coming into school, do not limit yourself to the student you were before just because you got good grades and expect that to work in graduate school. Be ready to adopt different modes of learning or in some cases, multiple modes for one course. Personally, optics didn’t stick unless I did practice problems three or four times over. In disease courses, it was all about using flashcards and diagrams. For pharmacology, I needed to compartmentalize and study tables and make charts. Other classes, simply reading the power points and listening to the lecture was enough. 

2. Failing is necessary 

Reject the idea that you need to be perfect. Versatility and the ability to find multiple solutions to a problem is a useful life skill, especially for a student doctor. Embrace the opportunity to learn different ways to approach a problem. Remember, your ability to perform on tests does not determine if you will be a good doctor. It takes more than straight A’s and even the best test-takers will struggle in clinic.  

3. If you don’t schedule a break, your body will schedule it for you  

When I was in undergrad, I used to study myself into these headaches that would cause me to burnout. One day, my mom said to me, “this is your body’s way of crying, saying it has had enough.” To this day, it saves me on exams. Trust me, if you cannot digest the information you are reading, it is time to take a break. If it helps, promise to make it up to yourself by getting up a little earlier to squeeze in lost time. Being rested does make a difference, it won’t matter what you read the night before if your brain is working at half its potential.   

4. Talk to your instructors, for help and for fun 

Not only do you get direct feedback on how well you’re studying, but also the faculty will remember you. It is not like undergrad where you get a teacher and never see them again; you are going to see a majority of your faculty in lab and clinic throughout your four years. Get comfortable asking them questions and get to know them as people. They could be teaching you one of those four years and working beside you right after. Additionally, for those of you who have test anxiety, learning your instructor’s thought process can be beneficial when working through exam questions. In fact, you may pick up on hints during your exams just because you spent time learning what they’re passionate about. (Bonus points if you find you’re passionate about the same things.) 

5. You are an investment  

They didn’t pick you out of a hat; you were hand-picked because you have something that makes your program want to say, “they graduated from here.” They put in all this work to impress you during tours and interviews and at some point, they needed you to pick them to make you a doctor. They wouldn’t put their name on someone who didn’t show promise and they don’t want to lose you. 

These doctors believe in you before you’ve even begun, focus on why that is.