As much as everyone denies its existence, I can first handedly vouch for the existence of the sophomore slump. Whether it stealthily creeps up on you, or forcefully hits you when you realize it’s 10PM on a Friday night and you are covered in highlighter ink while hibernating in the library – the sophomore slump is very, very real. By now, the excitement of leaving high school behind and having your first taste of independence has slowly faded away. You most likely just turned, or are about to turn, the least significant age of your life – 20. You’re stuck between your carefree teenage years and your first taste of adulthood.

With my second year of college behind me, I can’t help but reflect on everything that the past 12 months has taught me. Whether it’s the smallest of moments - like dancing around my dorm room with my best friend – that I’ve come to realize are actually the most important, or learning to survive an 18 credit semester, to realizing the immensity of the world around me – sophomore year has taught me more than I ever expected.

Cheers to you, sophomore year. In honor of the new school year beginning in just a few short weeks, here are five lessons you have taught me through the semesters.

1. Good grades never go out of style.
   It may be acceptable to live in a constant state of limbo your first year of college, but if you can’t decide on a major (and stick to it) by your sophomore year, it will seem as if everyone but you has their life planned out. Having to pile up on literature classes this year due to my constant indecision about my major has not only given me a new found appreciation for it, but has taught me the importance of studying hard. A 4.0 GPA is a much more desirable goal than figuring out how to cram a year’s worth of classes into one semester. If you work hard in your early years of college you won’t have to worry as much in the future. My mom has always stressed to me that grades are not everything, but they are in fact important. If I learned one thing this year, it is that hard work does pay off. I may have spent many more days in the library than I had originally anticipated, but receiving my transcript in the mail and seeing my grades at the end of the semester was well worth it.
   
   
2. If you can count your true friends on one hand, you are one of the lucky ones.
   You will never be surrounded by as many new people all at your fingertips, as you are when you first begin college. Everyone around you is in search of their new group of friends and it is easy to get caught up in wanting to be friends with every person who crosses your path. By sophomore year, however, your real friends begin to stand out while your freshman year and high school acquaintances begin to fall into the shadows. Who would have known that my very first friend at college would end up being the best friend I have ever had? While freshman year gave us some of our greatest memories, sophomore year has been filled with the greatest laughs – reminiscing on how naive we once were. You have taught me the importance of adventure while simultaneously keeping me grounded. Within you I have found not only my better half, but the sister who I have always wished for.
   
   
3. You never stop growing as a person.
   No matter how old I get, I find myself constantly evolving and this year I learned more about myself than I ever thought possible. Above all, I learned that I truly am capable of anything that I set my mind to. I learned that my biggest supporter (besides my mom) is the person in the mirror staring right back at me. This year has taught me that not only can I create a day-time smokey eye in five minutes when I overslept for my 9:55AM Education Seminar class, but also that I am independent and my own person. I’ve learned to live my life without the need for constant approval of everyone around me, and have also become aware of my capability to stand up to anyone who tries to tell me otherwise. If you are looking to make a change in your life, college is certainly the time to do it. These are the only four years of your life where it is completely acceptable to change your style, your interests, your goals – anything you wish – as many times as you want without being ridiculed, because it’s actually expected and encouraged of you.
   
   
4. It’s the little moments that add up to the big moments.
   So many people spend their lives wishing for “someday”, but how will they even be sure when that day finally arrives? As my college career is halfway over, I’ve come to realize that the little moments really do outweigh the bigger ones. This past semester has gone by so fast and not only did it make me more aware of the immensity of the world around me, but it taught me to make every second count. From cooking dinner with my suitemates, to raising money for our philanthropies with my sorority sisters, to laughing with my family on holidays and birthdays, to the overwhelming happiness of coming home after long school weeks, sophomore year has taught me to appreciate the value of a moment. You get out of life exactly what you put into it, so if you are sitting around waiting for “someday” to arrive, you better be sitting somewhere comfortable because you’re going to be waiting there forever. In fact, the day that you’re waiting for probably doesn’t even exist. Happiness isn’t a destination but rather it is an assortment of all your best days, your loudest laughs, your smallest moments, all thrown together to create the abstract picture that is your life.
   
   
5. Sometimes all it takes is a chance.
   There is more regret in living a life of “what ifs” than there is in a life full of mistakes. If you don’t ask, the answer will always be no, but if you do ask, you may just get everything you’ve ever wanted. This year I have quickly learned that it is impossible to plan out every single moment of your life – and that’s okay. The unknown, although scary, is actually really exciting. It’s impossible to have all of the answers at the age of 20 – actually, it’s impossible to have all of the answers at ANY age. Taking chances, going out on a whim, and being spontaneous can actually lead to some of the most memorable moments. Send that reckless text message that you’ve been dying to send (reckless is a very loose term because realistically, what could you possibly lose from this situation?) Smile at a stranger. Stand up for yourself. Be embarrassingly honest. Take a chance. I dare you.

It wasn’t until this school year was over and I took the time to reflect on the past two semesters, that I realized how important this year actually was. So many lessons were lingering right behind me and by looking back, I’ve learned to appreciate their value. Although the sophomore slump is very real, it is also VERY last season. So ditch the funks, remember the lessons, grab your coffee and start marking off your calendar because the countdown to Junior year starts NOW!