Before you are actually a college student, you'll hear from a lot of people about how you only have one Freshman year and it will be the best year of college. Some may agree with that statement, but I don't. I think Freshman year is the experimental year. It's the year when you figure out who you are or who you want to be. You join different clubs, make different types of friends, try different things and then filter out the stuff and people that you don't like. This way, by the time that Sophomore year rolls around, you'll have already gone through the process of weeding out certain aspects of your life, and you're finally ready to just live it. On top of this beautiful realization that I made during the first few days of Sophomore year, I have also thought about the many other reasons that make the second year of college better than the first.
1. You know what to expect.
During Freshman year you basically go about your day not really knowing what the hell is going on half the time. Do you get to class 30 minutes early? 10? 5? On time? Is it socially acceptable to eat alone? Do I actually stop by people's room's to make friends? Should I buy the textbooks before class? Etc... Freshmen's minds are like atomic bombs waiting to go off. A simple, "Hey, how are you" could make their brain's turn to mush.
Sophomore year is wonderful, because you already know the answer to all of those questions that you stressed over during the first year of college. You know that you should get to class about 10-15 minutes before it starts if you want to grab a decent seat and not be sweating as you run through the door. You know that it's totally fine and normal to eat alone if you want to or have to. You know that introducing yourself to your floor neighbors is a good form of etiquette that many others do as well... and probably the most important thing: you know not to buy the textbooks until your professor has told you they are absolutely REQUIRED. Knowledge is power my friends. By Sophomore year you too will have the power to relax and breathe.
2. You know your way around campus.
Not knowing where the hell you are or are going is pretty terrifying actually. It might be one of my biggest fears, seeing as I am "directionally challenged" as I put it. Freshman year I pretty much stuck to certain routes every day and didn't bother venturing off to see new places or change my routine, because I was too nervous that I would get lost and never find my way back to my dorm. I also left for class about 40 minutes too early.. You could say Netflix was my life saver as I sat outside the classroom like a puppy dog waiting for the door to open.
During Sophomore year these problems and fears don't really exist, because finally you know your way around even if it took you two semesters to check out where the little food convenience store was across campus. Being aware of the shortcuts to your classes is a huge benefit and saves so much more time than you realize. As college students we need all the time we can rack up.
3. You have your core group of friends or individual friends that you hangout with.
Nothing is more awkward than clinging to someone or a group of people because they are the only ones you have to hangout with. Well, that's what a lot of freshman do. Within your first few weeks of college as well as during orientation, you will meet people who you are always hanging around. However, usually those people don't end up being the ones you are still friends with the following year. This is because during Freshman year everybody is overwhelmed, desperate and terrified. So, we all cling to other overwhelmed, desperate and terrified individuals who share some things in common with us or who just don't want to eat alone. Thankfully, second semester of Freshman year is where you slowly rid yourself of those people who you actually don't like, and this makes for an amazing Sophomore year spent with people who are your friends and that you love dearly. It's okay freshmen, you'll find your true people soon enough.
4. You already discovered tricks when it comes to being a college student.
Nothing is better than knowing a short cut or a trick that helps you to get by easier in life, especially in college! During my Freshman year I had a lot of people telling me their secrets and what they've learned to make life easier for them. I also learned a few tricks or so throughout the first two semesters. I learned when the best and worst times to go to certain dining halls are. I learned when the gym is the busiest, so I wouldn't be awkwardly walking around searching for an open machine that didn't exist. I learned the quickest short cuts to class. I learned that we have a bus, it is free and it takes students to pretty cool places! These tricks, which seem so little, actually helped me SO much during the end of Freshman year. Now that I am a Super Sophomore I qualify as a master of these tips/tricks, and I can pass down my wisdom to the new babies (freshmen). Sweet.
5. You'll have less mental breakdowns.
This sentence explains itself. With all that you have learned throughout your trial period of college (aka Freshman year) you will be able to be calm, cool and collective throughout your second year at school. There will be no more (or just much less) phone calls crying to your mom or boyfriend about how overwhelmed and miserable you are. There will be no more Googling other schools to transfer to, because you can't see yourself at the school you are enrolled in. There will be no more questioning what's going to happen to you when you drop out of school, because you just can't take it anymore. You will stay here. You will suck it up. You will kick ass.
YOU GOT THIS SOPHOMORES.
So yeah... for any of you freshman reading this, I'm not saying freshman year was horrible or anything. I'm simply explaining how the ups and downs of Freshman year made for a better Sophomore year even on day 3 as I write this, and it made me into a better individual who knows what she wants.
