As I approach the end of my sophomore year and think back on these eight months, the most apparent thing to me is that it was very different from my freshman year. Freshman year was full of excitement and hope. Everything was so new. There were so many opportunities available to me. Better yet, there was no pressure to get started on professional experiences. Going into my sophomore year, I could already tell things were going to be different. Campus wasn’t so new anymore. I was forced to declare my major by second semester. Finding an internship became a must.
Even though I love my school, I wasn’t fresh-faced and eager for college because I knew what to expect. One might say I was beginning to experience the “Sophomore Slump.” No matter how far I've come in my college career, it never felt like enough. I always had so much more to achieve and my purpose in life was beginning to become more and more unclear.
I’ve heard of the “Sophomore Slump,” but I never really knew what it was and never thought I would experience it. Here’s a few tell tale signs I knew I was slipping into the slump.
1. I was more confused than ever about the direction in which my life was heading
2. I was changing my perspective on things because I didn’t really care anymore
3. My relationships were getting harder to maintain
4. My connections with friends from home were decreasing
5. I was pressured to choose my major immediately and fulfill the requirements
6. I didn’t want to go home for break
7. I felt bad that all this money was being spent for me to be so confused about what I wanted out of this education
The “Sophomore Slump” was becoming a time period of self-discovery for me. Though it was stressful and contributed to many mental breakdowns, as I look back on this past school year, I feel as though I have grown. I narrowed my career interests, participated in internship programs, and found some new places of interest along the way. Many people want to deny that the “Sophomore Slump” is real and that we spend all four years growing, but it is very real and here are some ways I tried to combat it.
1. I recognized that my feelings are natural and it’s very hard for someone to decide their fate in one school year
2. I set goals that I wanted to reach (e.g. Get an internship, focus on nutrition, get eight hours of sleep)
3. I improved my friend circle to include strictly people that I can confide in and bring me the least amount of stress
4. I got involved in clubs and organizations so that I would not be in a static state of uncertainty and boredom, but instead refreshing excitement
5. I visited areas around campus and tried to get a change of scenery so my life wouldn't be so routine
Sophomore year is very different from the rest. Freshman year is full of excitement, junior year is when most students generally have an idea of where they are headed, and senior year is when everybody is eager to graduate. However, sophomore year is just a little different because you are slowly having weight after weight dropped on your shoulders and there’s so much pressure to have it all figured out. Well, I’m here to tell you that you don’t need to figure it all out just yet. In life there is an element of uncertainty that we need to learn to accept. There's no way for us to have it all figured out, ever, no matter how old we are. Sophomore year really gave me time to reflect on how far I’ve come and plan for where I want to be. By no means am I confident in my ideas of where my life is headed; but if I know nothing else, I know that I am slowly but surely climbing my way out of and conquering the "Sophomore Slump."
