By Kendra Nguyen
Southern California College of Optometry Class of 2028
Student Ambassador
Kendranguyen.scco28@ketchum.edu
Congrats! You’ve made it into your dream optometry program. What should you expect? That’s a hard one, but I’ll start by saying graduate school is a different beast. You should expect to become the best version of yourself.
Throughout my academic career, I have always excelled – earning my associate’s degree at age 18 and bachelor’s degree at age 20. I came into SCCO thinking I would be prepared for anything, but that’s never really the case, is it? My first quarter humbled me in ways that I will never forget. Though I scored well in didactic studies, I fell short on the first few proficiencies. The crushing weight of my first failure in life sent me into a spiral, and I experienced imposter syndrome for the first time. The pressure of wanting to perform well left me nervous and sweating before each one. Adapting to the intense environment took time, but I practiced for countless hours with classmates and improved dramatically.
Thinking back, I think it hit so hard because I had never allowed myself to fail. I ended up having to re-take the lab but saw it as a chance to prove I was proficient. I was right because the extra hours of practice made me entirely confident in my manifest refraction. It was a reminder that hard work will always pay off, and I took that lesson with me as I aced both Winter and Spring quarters. That’s all to say, hard work will always be a cornerstone in ensuring your success, and failure is never the end. Allow yourself to be broken down and remolded repeatedly.
MBKU provides a unique environment in which a sense of community is heavily apparent. I was told this on my first tour, but doesn’t every school say that? I quickly learned MBKU is different. For the first time in my life, I don’t feel like I am competing against my peers. The workload is so intense that you find there is no time to compete with others, only with yourself. Every day feels like a battle to test your knowledge and improve your clinical skills from the day before. This can be overwhelming, but my biggest advice would be to lean on each other. Support, teach, and learn from each other – it will be your biggest tool. The relationships I have fostered with fellow students and staff have been beyond encouraging. On days when you feel like none of your friends or family from back home understand why you’re so stressed all the time; your cohort and professors will. Take care of yourselves and each other.
