As high school seniors prepare to graduate and head off to their first year of college, they are filled with a mix of excitement and nervousness. Freshman year is different for everyone. Some may think of it as a breeze, while others struggle. Some people may do great academically, and others won't. However, even though it may be easier, sophomore year is different. Here are five major differences between freshman and sophomore year.

1. The First Day of Classes

Freshmen are worried about finding their classes and how different the atmosphere is from high school. They usually dread the first day, expecting a load of work. For most freshmen, it usually doesn't work that way. It's almost like high school classes. Homework isn't usually assigned because the professors want to give them a chance to adapt first. However, being a sophomore is different. Professors know that we have been through a year of college before and expect us to get straight to work right away. Most sophomores have homework the first day, and it can be a lot at once.

2. The Coursework and Difficulty

This may not be true for everyone, but most of my classes as a freshman were close to easy if not one hundred percent. Basically, if you did the work and put an effort in, you would end up with an A. Most freshmen classes are general education courses, so they definitely tend to be easier than the latter years of college. During sophomore year, classes definitely start to get more challenging. There is way more information thrown at you, and you are expected to advocate for yourself when you are struggling. There is more expected of you in general. There are more quizzes, more tests, more reading, and higher difficulty.

3. Schedules

Unless you automatically threw yourself into every activity or organization you could possibly think of, chances are, your schedule wasn't completely packed. You may have just gone to classes, or you may have joined an org or two, or you may have rushed a fraternity/sorority. You may have had a job, but most freshmen don't in order to adapt to their new lifestyle. On the other hand, as a sophomore, you have more commitments. You most likely will have a job, along with more credits and/or harder coursework, and dedication to Greek Life or orgs/productions/practices. These commitments take up a huge amount of time in your schedule.

4. Relationships

For many freshmen, it can take a while to meet new people and make new friends. It will eventually happen. You eventually have a person that you can do everything with, and a small group of friends will begin to form. As a sophomore, you meet even more people, whether it be in class or orgs. You start to talk to more people as well, and some of them can even lead to something more.