First Week of Classes
Only 133 more weeks to go! I just finished my first week of PT school, and my brain is in a state of shock as it watches the balance between school and social interactions tip more and more to the academic side. We covered more in our first anatomy lecture than my undergraduate class covered in half the semester. I know I'm not the first person to face a gross anatomy class, and I just can't see how anyone has ever managed to remember all of this. For example, I went back to the lab on Saturday to go over the lower-extremity bones (which we had covered at the beginning of the week, so I was feeling pretty confident). I figured I would start with something easy, so I pulled a femur out of the box. It took me 30 seconds of blank staring to come up with "head, neck and shaft."
The calming factor during all of this has been my classmates. We are a group of about 55, and I can honestly say there isn't one person I dislike. I know it's very early to tell, but there seems to be an open and supportive dynamic within the group. That wasn't necessarily something I was expecting to find. Of course there is an inherent competitiveness that comes with any challenging academic environment, but most people seem to be able to keep it in check (or hidden). There are naturally a few exceptions.
This week will likely be more difficult as we'll be adding Kinesiology to our schedules, but I'm hoping the initial shock will wear off and we'll eventually settle into the rhythm of everything. Despite all my complaining, I'm really excited for the next three years. It's bound to be difficult, but I also think I'll have a lot of fun. For the record, my goal for this week is to recognize "head, neck and shaft" in less than 30 seconds.