The following letter is written by a new grad from optometry. Although you may not be doing optometry, a lot of the advice here applies to everyone. We hope you make the most out of your time here at the University of Auckland.
First of all, congratulations on making it into Optometry. It’s not easy. Only 60 places; You’re competing with people from all over the country and outside the country too. And you made it. To get into Optometry, there is a high reliance on your interview along with your GPA. That means you’re smart and have a good heart.
Optometry. It’s not just a job or a career. It’s a way of life. It’s a life of constant studying and learning. But it’s also the closest you can get to the community, build positive relationships with your patients and also your colleagues.
To your left, and to your right, are people you will be working with for the rest of your lives. Some of them will even be lifelong friends. Optometry is a stressful degree. It’s not a sprint; it’s a marathon. There will be times you feel like you’re going to burn out. These people around you are there to help you get through. Get to know your class well. Coming from Biomed, you guys are used to being competitive with each other. Here, learn to work with each other instead of fighting for the last chair.
Another difference from Biomed; the courses are full year. Keep studying consistently throughout the year. People will say you can cram, and yes, it is possible. But if you want it to stick better for the long term and be a better optometrist, revise consistently every day. Do practice tests from the past years (the question themes are very often repeated. You can find patterns if you look for them.) and ask those in years above you for help. They’ve been in your shoes and very often can give invaluable pearls of wisdom. There is this thing called the 80:20 rule. It means 80% of your test content comes from 20% of the work. You can find this through past papers and consolidating with people from years above you, and that will really help you direct your study more effectively.
For studying, unlike Biomed, you will notice that Optom goes very deep, very quickly, and there are a lot of details. It’s very easy to get bogged down by the details, and when that does happen, remember this; don’t miss the forest for the trees. Excessive specifics are not going to make you a better doctor to your patients than the one that doesn’t memorize the specific week a certain enzyme mutated because of a faulty gene.
Lastly, unless you are going to do another degree, this is the final four years of your study. Once this is over, you are out in the real world. You won’t get this time back with your friends that you make here. Along with study, try and get involved with the various events that are held throughout the year. Enjoy your time at uni. This stage of life where you are in uni is a special stage which flies by faster than you know it and even though you won’t miss the tests and exams when you finish, you will most definitely miss the people you met there. Make the most of the time you have now, so you don’t regret it later.
I wish you all the best for your year ahead, and I look forward to working with you as my colleagues and fellow optometrists.
Gabriel, Optometry Class of 2021
