Symptoms may include but are not limited to:
Lower GPA
Lack of interest in life
Exhaustion
Little to no motivation
Excessive amount of studying
Feeling overwhelmed
If you are experiencing one or more of these symptoms, you are experiencing the Sophomore Slump. But do not fret, it is curable.
A lot changes from your Freshman year to Sophomore year. Everything is old and boring instead of new and exciting and you gain more responsibilities like a job or a position in a club on campus. Being a sophomore is like being an adult-in-training. In your sophomore year, especially after you turn 20 years old and you are not a teen, it is no longer socially acceptable to do poorly on a test, bail on responsibilities, or skip your morning classes to sleep after a Thursday night out on Geary.
Sophomore year is also a time of figuring out your future after college. You may start to ask yourself some important questions. Am I happy with my major? Should I start interning? What career do I want to have? How will I prepare for my future career?
If you are experiencing the symptoms of the Sophomore Slump and don’t know the answers to the previous questions, here are some tips to get through your Sophomore year of college.
1. Prepare for each semester
The best way to feel organized and be free of anxiety is to plan ahead. Procrastination is a college student’s worst enemy. It’s easy to push things aside that aren’t relevant for the near future but take action instead of being lazy!
At the end of each semester, plan out your classes for the next semester. As soon as they release the classes available for next semester, get out a sheet of paper and write down the classes you need to take that work with your schedule. Registering for classes can be stressful because classes fill up quickly and you might not get the classes you want. On top of planning out your desired class schedule, write down a few backup classes just in case. The good thing about college is that you can have class any time of the day and you can decide your class schedule so be smart about it.
After syllabus week at the beginning of each semester, put all test dates and important due dates in your calendar. Finding out you have 3 midterms in one week 2 weeks prior is not fun (trust me I’ve been there). Studying ahead of time is key to doing well on exams.
On the Monday of each week, check the syllabus for each of your classes and write down what’s due in your planner so you can plan on when during the week you’re doing the assignments or readings and you won’t forget to turn them in.
2. Read books
Feeling unmotivated? Feeling down? Start reading! There are so many ways to improve your life and become your best self and self-help books are full of knowledge. Not only will reading help you gain knowledge about how to improve yourself and your life, reading books has a lot of other benefits.
The Secret by Rhonda Byrne: discusses the law of attraction and how to bring joy into every aspect of your life.
You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life by Jen Sincero: is about how to love yourself and see how truly awesome you are.
The Power of Positive Thinking by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale: talks about how to achieve fulfillment in your life.
Self-help books sometimes have a negative connotation but they are more common than you think. Research has found that Millennials read self-help books more than any other age. Reading one or more of these books will change your outlook on life and bring you out of the Sophomore Slump by making you feel positive and motivated.
3. Think about life after college
Sophomore year is the beginning of getting serious about what you want to do after college. Some people have it all figured out but some don’t and that’s ok! With a lot of majors, there are a lot of different directions you can take. Sometimes it’s hard for students to decide what they like and what kind of career they want to have after college. To bring some more excitement in your life, start thinking about your future!
One way to figure out what direction you want to take with your career is internships and sophomore year is the perfect time to start looking for internships. We are so lucky to live in a city like San Francisco that is full of job and internship opportunities, take advantage of it! Build up that resume by gaining some internships. By having several different internships, you will figure out what you like and don’t like, it will help you narrow down what you want for a future career, and you'll gain experience and a more impressive resume.
4. Be Organized
Feeling overwhelmed and exhausted can lead to being unmotivated during your Sophomore year. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed with everything you have to do from school assignments to meetings and events for organizations on campus. Being organized is a great way to decrease any anxiety you may be having.
Planners are a great way to be organized. Not only can you write down your school assignments in your planner, but they also have calendars to keep track of any social events, travel plans, or commitments you have. Consistently looking at your calendar and marking it up is a great way to stay on top of things and not end up feeling overwhelmed. Taking notes in your planners about any goals or lists of things to do you have for the month is also a great way to use your planner.
If you are a forgetful person, be even MORE organized by setting reminders for yourself. The “Reminders” app on the iPhone is a great resource. You can label the reminder anything you want and remind yourself on a specific day and time or when you reach a certain location.
5. Have fun!
A lot of seriousness happens during your Sophomore year of college when you start focusing more on your grades and future career. Of course, a lot of attention should be spent going to classes and studying but don’t forget to have fun. Being stressed and spending hours in the library is seriously detrimental to your mental health. It’s common for a lot of students to feel down and tired because they are studying too much and putting a lot of pressure on themselves.
It’s still college! Go to that party, go to that sports game, or go to that bar or club. Let loose by dancing the night away at a club downtown or go out to brunch on Sunday morning with your best friends and devour a plate of French toast. Whatever it is you enjoy doing on the weekends for fun, do it and don’t neglect it no matter how tired or busy you are because it will add to the slump.
6. Maintain your physical and mental health
It’s easy to neglect your health when you’ve been studying in the library every day for 10 hours a day for a midterm. Neglecting your health is one of the worst things you could do for yourself during a stressful time in your life because it will add more stress.
Keep up a healthy and balanced diet instead of eating cereal or Top Ramen for dinner. Exercise at least three times a week including some type of cardio. Set aside time every day for some relaxation time for your brain to rest by watching Netflix, reading a book, coloring in an adult coloring book or hanging out on the couch with friends. Be efficient with your time while you're cramming for a test by studying on the lawn in Gleeson Plaza to get some sun or bring healthy snacks like carrots instead of potato chips.
