Peer Advisors are upperclassmen who are trained to assist incoming students make the transition into professional grad school. One of the ways they assist is through the Peer Advisor Blog. Here is an example of such a blog article that may even be helpful to you as a pre-optometry student as you go forward with the process of getting into optometry school.

This article was written by a Peer Advisor from SCCO’s Class of 2022, Andrew McCan.

Andrew McCan SCCO Class of 2022 Peer Advisor

Balancing Extra-curriculars and Education

First, welcome to the MBKU family.  I hope that you have celebrated your achievement! You should be very proud of yourselves. MBKU is an amazing place to enhance your life academically, socially, and professionally.

When I first arrived at MBKU, there was so much information thrown at me that I felt overwhelmed by it all. It was because of my Peer Advisor that I succeeded those first few days. So please feel free to contact your Peer Advisor during your summer break and ask us anything. Our jobs are here to make sure you are ready to take on the challenge that is Grad School.

One of the many reasons I chose MBKU was because of all the ways that a student can get involved. There are social clubs, community service clubs, special interest clubs, class boards, etc. You can bet that I was excited for the school’s Club Info Night. In my opinion this night is probably the most important night of your first week here at MBKU. Every club on campus gives you the opportunity to learn more about what they offer.

The Club Info Night can be a little overwhelming so the one piece of advice I have for you is to sign up for everything that seems interesting. Your first year will be the year that you will have the most time for extra-curricular activities. Join the special interest clubs (like Private Practice Club), join the social clubs (like Omega Delta), join the community service clubs (like Lions Club), join your class board, do it all because you might not have the time during your later years at MBKU. Take full advantage of what is offered here.

But how will you manage your time between the extra-curriculars and all your school work? This question will be on everyone’s mind after Club Info Night. Honestly, finding time to do school work and extra-curriculars was an easy transition. I think the main reason that it was easy was because most clubs are not very time consuming. They are student run, meaning that it is understood that the members will be busy and most likely overwhelmed by the new schedule. Each meeting is designed to be as efficient and low maintenance as possible.

Getting involved does take time out of your already busy schedule. But, with time management skills and perseverance I know that you can make your experience at MBKU a great one! No one person can tell you the secrets to balance a busy schedule. You need to figure out what works best for you and go with that. The best advice I have is to use this summer to think about how you can balance your school work and extra-curriculars for the upcoming years. I’m going to be honest with you, the next couple years will be difficult and will push you to greater limits than what you have experienced before, but with the right support group, the right mindset and balance, it will be the best years of your life!

I am so excited to see the start of your new journey. I know that MBKU will adequately train you to become amazing healthcare professionals!