If I could go back, what I would tell my student self.
Nowadays, optometry school seems like it was eons ago for me. It included some of the best memories, some of the most difficult challenges, fondest friendships, most proud moments mixed in with integral life lessons about time, work, passion, and sacrifice.
I recently was asked what advice I had to give for a current optometry student. Now being more established in my profession and reflecting back on those years, I thought of a few things I would tell my younger, optometry-student self.
This is going to be hard. The workload will be hard. The amount of time and sacrifice you will have to give will be hard. The demand will be hard. Managing your time in lab and class then for study will be a challenge at first. Figuring out where family time, social time, selfceare time meshes in with the academic demand will be difficult. Learning it all will be hard. It’s just hard. And no it's not because your dumb. It’s just hard. Its supposed to be. Anything worth something, is hard. Remember that. You will need to remind yourself of that often. Chant it, tattoo it and stick it on a post-it note on your bathroom mirror. Remember, you are right where you are supposed to be.
Fight the inclination to compare yourself to everyone else when it undermines your value. When it distracts from your purpose or identity, it can reck havoc on your self. My favorite quote goes something like this, “There is no comparison between the sun and the moon, they shine when it's their time”. You too will shine when it's your time. You did the hard work to get here, you got in, you have made it this far and you will continue to go farther.
Take every opportunity to soak up every bit of knowledge. Whether it's a scleral lens lab, or prosthetic eye clinic rotation, get as much exposure to a vast array of expertise while in school. I was able to do an externship in vision therapy while in school and while, I do not practice vision therapy, it was an invaluable experience to learn from. The academic environment is such a less stressful environment to experience your ‘firsts’. Plus you have an arsenal of help with faculty doctors and colleagues at your disposal.
Questions? Comments? Let me know where you are at in your academic journey or if, like me, it was sometime ago, what did you take away from it?
Stay Happy and Healthy!
Dr. Jennifer Wademan
