By Angela Choi
Southern California College of Optometry Class of 2028
Student Ambassador
Angelachoi.scco28@ketchum.edu
I graduated college during COVID, when ctrl+f was my best friend for getting through classes. After finishing a year early with my psychology degree, I decided to pursue optometry. I spent the next three years taking prerequisites and building my application, feeling prepared for what was ahead. Despite all that preparation, the pace and workload still caught me off guard. I quickly realized my study habits needed improvement – both in how efficiently I was studying and how deeply I was learning the material.
First year became my personal experiment in figuring out how to study effectively. Fall quarter was all about adjusting to grad school life. By winter quarter, I felt like I was finding my rhythm with better study habits. Then spring quarter arrived with its
surprise of two exams per week instead of the usual one, and I had to adapt all over again. Each quarter brought its own learning curve. I tried so many different study techniques, and honestly, the only way to know what worked was to test them out. I talked with classmates, second-year students, and faculty members to get their advice on what might help with whatever I was struggling with. It became clear that everyone studies differently – there’s really no one-size-fits-all approach. The real key was simply asking for help and being open to trying new things.
What was interesting was how a study method that worked perfectly for one class would completely fall flat in another. Learning to be flexible and stay open to different approaches made me much more adaptable to each course’s unique demands. First year is academically challenging, but it’s mentally demanding too. I discovered that leaning on the people around me – not just for academics, but for everything else – was just as important as studying. Learning to accept support from my community and tackle this journey together is what really got me through this marathon of a first year, and it’s how I plan to keep growing throughout optometry school.