I’ll never forget that fateful day when I got accepted into optometry school. All the hard work I put into my application, studying for the OAT, going through interviews, summed up to this moment in my life. I waited by the phone all day waiting for the phone call from admissions saying I was accepted into my dream school, Southern California College of Optometry. When I got it, I tried my best to contain my enthusiasm over the phone, but as soon as we ended the call, I couldn’t help but scream out in joy and run out the front door, all the way down my street. Once I got to the end of the street, I stopped and as the adrenaline wore off, I thought to myself, “Now what?”
With my acceptance in March and school not starting until August, I knew I had to plan my next 5 months to maximize the most out of my summer. Other than work out and watch television at home every day (nearly every day, I deceive you guys), here are a few things I did before I started graduate school.
One of the first things my girlfriend and I decided to do was to plan a vacation, so we looked for the cheapest international plane tickets and found a deal to Barcelona. With school starting, I wanted to be able to enjoy one of the last few times I would actually have a summer break, so traveling was a must. We stayed in Barcelona for about a week, ate amazingly fresh seafood, and appreciated the beautiful culture of Catalonia. A tip if you ever visit Barcelona, get a guided tour of the famed cathedral, “Sagrada Familia.” It has the most breathtaking architecture I have ever seen and all their tour guides are extremely knowledgeable about the history. If plane tickets or traveling is too expensive, even a weekend trip, solo or with friends, would be a great idea to make some memories. The wanderlust within you will thank you once you’re halfway through winter quarter, craving for a vacation.
I think it’s important to explore new hobbies before starting school, so that when school gets tough, you have a way to unplug from studying; summer is the perfect time to pick one up. One major thing on our bucket list that my girlfriend and I had been wanting to do was get a dog. So the summer proved to be the perfect time because I was home most of the time, training our Frenchie, Oliver, while she was at work. Every day it would be just me and Ollie hanging out at home, housetraining him, teaching him new tricks, and becoming a doggy daddy. Looking back on the school year, I am very thankful to have had a loving companion that’s kept me sane throughout the rougher times of the year. He’s always been there to happily greet me home after a long day at school and loves to keep me company by sleeping next to my desk while I’m studying late at night. And whether or not a pet is a viable option, pick up that hobby you’ve been putting off, because the best time to start is now.
Lastly, as obvious as it sounds, I made it a priority to hang out with as many friends and family before school started. Pretty much every weekend of the summer was dedicated to either grabbing lunch with grandparents, eating with my family, or going out with friends. These are the people that supported me to get where I am today and where I’m going to be in my future so I had to reciprocate all the love back to them.
No matter what you do this summer, whether it be travel, get a pet, or even binge-watch every season of Game of Thrones, make the most out of it and come to school with an open mind and revitalized spirit, ready to tackle on grad school.
David Cho
Southern California College of Optometry, Class of 2022