After last semester I discussed How to Survive First Semester of PT School, and I also offered some reflections. This time around, I wrote How to Thrive in Second Semester:
1.    Stay Organized. In college, my room was constantly covered in piles of papers and clothes. I did a big clean about once a semester, and spent the rest of the time climbing over piles. In grad school, I’ve switched gears. I keep handouts for each class hole-punched and divided into binders. When it’s time to study, I know exactly where my notes are and don’t need to waste time finding everything. But it’s extended past my school supplies. I’ve found that I study better when my surroundings are in order, so rather than frantically cleaning each time I invited a friend over, I kept up with it, cleaning a little bit each week. That meant my apartment was constantly dusted and orderly, so even though I spent a few minutes cleaning every few days, I felt better afterward when it came time to study on the couch.
2.    Get advised. I this mentioned last semester, but I can’t stress this point enough. After a few of my midterm grades were lower than I would have liked, I met with almost every professor I had. I met with the ones whose tests had given me trouble to get advice on how to proceed. But I also met with professors in whose class I had done well to see what I was doing right. This helped give me the confidence boost I needed going forward. It paid off extremely well; as I saw my final grades rise in each class.
3.    Study with friends. I knew last semester that I needed more group study time, but hadn’t yet put this into action. I ended up finding two friends with whom I study extremely well. Even if we don’t always know the material perfectly by the time we get together, the sessions are always helpful. Talking the material over forced me to deepen my understanding of it, and I was always reminded of at least one detail that hadn’t made it into my notes.
4.    Stay busy. This is another idea I mentioned previously. I realized how important it was first semester to continue going to the gym and begin learning aerial yoga. But in addition to staying physically active, it’s also important to staying socially active to combat the stress of school. Whereas in the fall, I often told my college friends I was too busy to hang out, I made more time for them this spring. And I found that similar to going to the gym, scheduling in these social breaks made me more efficient in the time I did give myself to do work, and also made me happier after. This carried over into my studying, motivating me to work harder.
All of these tips helped set me up to study and learn even better than I had previously. While I knew I would succeed, these methods often gave me the extra oomph I needed to continue. And although I don’t know my final grades yet, I know that I did very well this semester and made some improvements over the fall. More importantly, I realize how much I’ve learned. Between noticing gait deviations as I walk down the street, and being able to advise a relative on how to treat a cut, the material I’ve studied is permeating every aspect of my life. Next week, I begin eight weeks of summer semester, and then I’ll finally be done with my first year!