Entering my sophomore year of college felt bittersweet. I no longer was a freshman, which had me a little depressed. I felt as though I was out of my prime time, and washed up.  I never thought my freshman year would fly by like it did, and I am no longer experiencing college for the first time. It is true - college is supposed to be the best times of a person’s life. With that being said, I can’t help but feel sad knowing that I have already completed my first year and am now down to only three years left. I thought freshman year was the time of my life, only to realize that sophomore year is not so bad after all.

I love being a sophomore! I am able to do so much more as a sophomore that I almost feel as though I missed out on many opportunities as a freshman. For one, I no longer have to live in a dorm. I am over the dorm life of having community bathrooms and small old rooms with no air conditioning. I lived in East as a freshman, and even though I enjoyed living there with the majority of my other friends, I enjoy being in an apartment so much more. I live with five of my best friends, all girls in my sorority. We get along great, have our own bathrooms, have more space and have a kitchen. This means that I no longer have to rely on the commons as my main source for food. Also, living downtown means that everything is close by. Last year, I barely went downtown because I was so far away from it. When it comes to going out at night, I love the fact that I can leave my apartment five minutes before the time of my social and still make it to  on time. I no longer need to fight the crowd to get on a bus twenty minutes before the social even started. I never was on time for the night’s festivities last year, so being so close to Fratland is definitely a perk.

This year, I discovered the magical place called the farmers market opened downtown only on Tuesdays and Fridays. Yes, I have heard of it before, but I never got to experience what it was until this year, being that it is downtown and I need to buy my own food now. The farmers market might be my favorite part of my week. I get all my fruits and vegetables there for a much lower price then I would in stores. Not only do they sell fruits and veggies, but also flowers and sweet treats. My favorite dessert to get is the pumpkin Whoopie Pies or the pumpkin bread. I highly recommend trying out the famers market. They really do have great deals!

The thing about sophomore year is, even though I may no longer be a freshman, I am still not technically washed up just yet. I know what to do as far as school work now since I tested out methods to study last year, so my grades are better, but I also still know how to have a good time. I do not need to worry about real-people jobs and making it in the real world - I have another three years for that. I am still young enough to go out multiple times a week and have fun at the frats, but I am more experienced with this lifestyle. It is kind of like having the best of both worlds since I now know the dos and don’ts of surviving college.  

I can only hope that the rest of this year continues like it has so far. I am not a freshman and I am not washed up. I am in that middle phase of still being young and having fun, but having more responsibilities. The mixed feelings I had about this year before the semester have started to decline. I can still enjoy the college life without feeling too old, and for this I am happy.