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Find a good note taking app for you iPad
All first year optometry students receive an iPad for taking exams, and many use their iPad to take notes. Generally, the two most popular choices for note taking are Goodnotes and Notability. They are both very solid choices and have similar features. I personally use Goodnotes because that is what a friend showed me in undergrad, but my friend has Notability and it has a new multiple choice AI exam feature that is great for active recall. If you are torn between the two, that feature alone is worth considering. There is also a useful side by side comparison on paperlike.com that details all the features.
A few other apps/services I would recommend are Notion and Anki.
Notion is a useful app for tracking deadlines and managing tasks. The class secretaries sent out a Notion checklist for each quarter listing out all the assignment, exam dates and proficiency dates for our class. It was super helpful because with so much going on it can be easy to forget deadlines.
Additionally, I used Anki to study material that was all memorization. With the program you can create flashcards with spaced repetition, so it focuses on the things you don’t know first. This program was super helpful for me, but it is very time consuming and I found that during Spring quarter when the school load was increased I didn’t have time to make flashcards.
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Utilize after hours and free tutoring
Once school starts, you will be sent a sign up sheet (called after hours) to use the lab machines from 6pm to 10pm. This time is very valuable because you can practice on classmates you don’t have lab with and there is a TA there if you have questions or need assistance. I found that going on Friday nights and Saturday mornings was the most helpful because you basically have one on one time with the TA.
Additionally, when the syllabus comes out there is normally a section that includes tutors. You can reach out to any of them on the list and they can help you determine what is high yield information or clarify difficult topics. I used it frequently for Optics because the labs can be confusing and it helped to have someone walk me through it. Many TAs are friendly and will gladly share their old study material or study guides with you which can give you a great starting point.
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Apply for EBT/CalFresh
This is a government program that is simple to apply to as long as you receive student loans and meet the income requirements. The process includes filling out an online form, uploading your financial aid award letter and lease and completing a thirty minute phone interview (to avoid long wait times call when they open). I receive about $200 a month for groceries that can be used at almost any grocery store. The only exception is you cannot use it for hot ready-made items. You can also search online for participating stores and fast-food restaurants.
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Make the time to have fun
The one thing I realized after this year finished was how fast it flew by. I feel like I just moved into my apartment and now I finished my first year. There were so many things I wanted to do while living in a new place and I was so caught up in school I never made the time to do it. I realized I wasted time procrastinating when I could have been doing something fun. Burnout is real and with a demanding program, take the time to do activities that recharge you.
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Lean on your support
What helped me the most first year was definitely having a strong group of friends in the program. I’m from northern California and without my family being close by, I really counted on my new optometry friends for support. What I found is many outside of graduate school don’t realize the load or understand how time consuming it is and it is nice to talk with others who understand and are going through the same thing. School is full of ups and downs and it is always nice to go through it with others. Whether we are celebrating someone’s birthday, venting about exams, or getting a sweet treat after class I know I can count on them to have my back.