| Today I had my orientation for optometry school. Aside from being very long, it wasn't too bad. They went over a bunch of things that I barely paid attention to, but it seems like the next 4 years are going to be somewhat intense. I hope I can really focus and get things done because it's definitely a huge step up from undergrad. I can tell that there's going to be a lot more things I'm expected to know. However, it's important to know that the school emphasized that I'm not learning simply for the sake of learning anymore. Rather, my education is primarily for my patients. It's also up to my patients to determine whether I can continue practicing or not, since, once I graduate and get my license, it can be revoked if I don't constantly keep up with new techniques to renew it or if patients deem my performance unsatisfactory. Pretty sobering stuff. I think my fellow classmates are going to at least make going to school bearable though, since they all seem to be nice and helpful people. We're all supposed to think of ourselves as future colleagues afterall. As for living in New York City, it's definitely a different place than North Carolina or Maryland (especially if you compare rent). I wouldn't rave about it being the best place to live in the world, but it's got a lotta good and unique things about it. For example, there's a LOTTA diversity, so dining out is always fun. The problem is, I'm now living off of graduate loans, so I gotta watch my budget. It may also be surprising to learn that I don't spend all my free time in Manhattan, especially when I don't live there. Manhattan is always the place everyone comes to visit, but I find myself satisfied with the things around my own neighborhood. I have a number of groceries (including 2 decent sized Korean groceries), laundromats, convenience stores, restaurants, rent videos, etc. all within easy walking distance. In fact, before coming to orientation, I only ventured into Manhattan one or two times for minor visits. So, while Manhattan is certainly where I'll be spending most of my time for school, I think I'll prefer to simply remain in my apartment area. It's not far from downtown though, so if anyone I know needs a place to crash during a visit to NYC, my apartment is free. |
