1st Tri, 1st Try

Abstract:

Maintain balance.

Practice gratitude.

Keep the end in mind.

You're probably going to fail. It's better to admit that now than just offer a bunch of tips and tricks to avoid the inevitable.

It's okay. It happens. And when it comes to chiropractic school, it's darn near inevitable.

Chiropractic school is extremely challenging. In case you didn't know, it's a Doctorate program. The only reason I say that is because I myself didn't understand the entirety of that statement in the beginning of my schooling. Not only are you earning a doctorate, but you'll also probably find yourself doing one of three things: getting married, ending a relationship, or, if you're really ambitious, having a baby. It's known around these parts as The Big 3, and one of them will probably end up happening to you. (I offer you my pre-emptive congratulations!)

Life does not stop when you're in school. If anything, it seems to get fascinatingly faster and harder to keep up with. Your relationships still need your attention, your kids still need to get to their activities, your pets still need to be fed and walked, and your house still needs to be cleaned. (Getting married and having an extra set of hands around to help with these tasks doesn't seem too bad of an idea now, does it?)

This massive decrease in free time to keep up with everything was perhaps the greatest challenge for me to grapple with during my first trimester of chiropractic school. How do I manage all of these classes ON TOP of everything else I still have to do? Yes, I did get married, and that did help. However, that's not the only thing you can do.

1. It's okay to take a little off the top

 The smartest thing you can do in the beginning of your chiropractic schooling is getting to know your academic advisor. They will be the first best friend you make in this program.

Find out who they are within the first few weeks of the trimester before the course withdrawal deadline (usually halfway through the term). Make an appointment to meet with them to discuss all schedule options that could help make your course load easier to manage now and in the future, if needed.

Mind you, you don't have to make any decisions during your first meeting with them. That's what the withdrawal deadline is for. However, it is best to know ahead of time all your options so you can make an informed decision when/if something unexpected happens or if you find out the workload is too much for you to handle.

Most students in my chiropractic school are on a modified schedule. Some students arranged it ahead of time, some made alterations after a trimester or two of struggling through it, and some were forced into a modified schedule from failing a course. The best way to avoid failing and prevent overwhelm and burnout is by planning ahead.

There is no shame in being on a modified schedule, whatever your reason is. There are even a few perks to going off the beaten path! One of the best parts is that you get to know a variety of people across trimesters. This means more resources and advice for you from higher trimester students, being a mentor-like figure to students in lower trimesters, and more body types to palpate in your hands-on classes. The more practice and exposure you have to a variety of people during your schooling, the better off you'll be when it comes to passing your classes and working in the real world. Being on a modified schedule is one way to expand your horizons in school rather than having to do so when a patient is on your table expecting (and paying) you to help them feel better.

2. Take a look around you

No, I'm not quoting Ferris Bueller. I'm referring to an invisible phenomenon that's sweeping doctorate programs all over the world. They look like regular students, but something sinister is happening to them. They are becoming...

Energy Vampires.

These are people who look like normal people, but when they walk into a room, you'll notice they suck the very life out of it. They do this by constantly complaining about things within and outside of their control. The topics range from homework, jobs, relationships... they'll even be mad about the weather.

The good thing is they're easy to identify if you're around them long enough. You'll start to notice that they hardly ever have anything good to say, and if they do, it's quickly followed up with a comment about how much that one good thing doesn't outweigh all the bad. You might also notice you're not feeling as content as usual, and more things are starting to bother you, too.

Unlike their sparkly counterparts (I'm from the PNW, after all), energy vampires are not lost causes. I'm also not saying I never complain--it's human to be verbally upset about things every now and then. But the very best of humanity is when we rise above our natural inclinations and live as much as we can in an elevated state of being--full of hope and love.

I'm not suggesting you shut energy vampires out of your life completely. All I am saying is be mindful of how much time you spend with them. Set boundaries, don't let them be crossed, and be as grateful as possible (lest you run the risk of letting your own outlook on life be dimmed). There is only so much of your own light you can expend shining into the abyss of another's poor attitude.

Are you reading this and thinking: Am I an energy vampire?

One way to find out is to make mental notes of all the comments you make throughout the day and see if the thankful ones outweigh the complaining ones. If you're ratio leans toward complaining, this is your wake-up call. Come out of the critical coffin and face the light of day! You won't die in the sunshine of a grateful attitude. It's what you need to survive.

3. The big questions are waiting

The double-edged sword of chiropractic school is that while you are going through one of the most rigorous and stressful phases of your life, you'll find yourself hard-pressed from every corner to answer a lot of important questions.

Do I want to do this for the rest of my life?

How am I ever going to get out of debt?

Do I like who I see in the mirror?

Is this relationship "the one" for me?

Do I believe the things I used to?

You don't necessarily have to answer them, but when you're overloaded with exams on material you can't see having any application in your life, your mind tends to veer toward the topics that really do matter in the big picture. (This is why The Big 3 tend to happen while you're in school; challenging times reveal who we really are.)

I didn't have these questions figured out until a few trimesters into my program, and some of them are still waiting. You'll make your own choices, but I will leave you with this to ponder: in order to keep going when the going gets tough, you have to keep the end in mind. And to keep the end in mind, you have to have some semblance of an end goal that you're working toward. You have to start asking yourself these questions so you can add to your life the habits and relationships that contribute to your end goal, and let go of the ones that don't.

In conclusion...

Chiropractic school is not just intellectually challenging. It's emotionally, physically, spiritually... any -ally you can think of... challenging. But, if you're ready to quit playing around and finally get a grasp of what it means to work toward something bigger than you--something that will change lives by the power of your hands alone--this is the path for you.

It takes a lot of little "first tries." But once you're there, you'll look back at this time, this beginning, and be grateful you said "yes" to the question:

Will you give it a try?