A series of articles written by SCCO Student Ambassadors.

What Surprised Me (in a Good Way) About My 1st Year of Optometry School

by SCCO Student Ambassador, Matthew Nguyen

Going to optometry school was something I dreamed of for most of my life. As you can imagine, that means it also came with very high expectations. I was excited to be part of a community sharing the same interests and to begin a formal education in something I was so passionate about. When I started my first week of orientation, a sense of nervousness crept in. I was worried that all my hopes for what optometry school would be filled with disappointment. However, after completing my first year, I can confidently say it didn’t just live up to my expectations, it surpassed them.

I thought I would learn a lot in optometry school, but I am still surprised when looking back at how much I learned. Like many of my classmates, I knew close to nothing about optometry. I went to my optometrist every year and had experience shadowing, but that only gave me a glimpse into the depth of how much you learn. Within just the first couple weeks I already learned how to get a patient’s prescription and by the time you finish the second quarter you learn how to do more than half of a general eye exam! I still like to look back and think about how little I knew when I started and compare that to all the things I learned along the way.

I was also surprised by the community in optometry school. Before getting accepted, I went to many of the events hosted by SCCO and kept hearing about how special the community was. I believed it was true but didn’t truly understand until the first couple weeks. It was such an amazing experience to meet all my classmates and the doctors, and I don’t think I have ever been a part of a community this supportive. What makes the community here special are the shared experiences and hardships. Graduate school isn’t easy, but going through it with the right community can make it a really special time.

Starting optometry school is so exciting, but do not be too surprised if there are areas that even exceed expectations. Life does get busy, and times can be tough but there is so much fun to be had learning with this special community.

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