The sophomore slump is real people. This is not a joke.

When I was a freshman, my upperclassmen friends all warned me that the sophomore slump was a real thing, and that it was going to hit me whether I liked it or not. I, being the stubborn person that I am, shrugged them off. I’m a motivated person. I’m social. There was no way the sophomore slump would hit me.

Oh, but it did.

The first week or two everything seemed normal. I was happy to see everyone after a long summer break. I would pass people on the street and instantly attack them with hugs and use that shrill, annoying voice, “Oh my god! I miss you! How was your summer?! I saw you went to Rome! We need to catch up! Coffee?” Onlookers would judge even though they definitely did the same thing too.

But as the weeks went on, and the initial excitement of being back faded, the sophomore slump started to set in. I never got coffee with any of the people I said I was going to. I never went out to dinner with any of my acquaintances who I saw on the street and “missed so much.” I stopped going out to frat parties or clubs all weekend every weekend.

Instead, I went straight home after classes. I only talked to my roommates and the people who I walked with to my classes, which was a very small handful of people. I made dinner in my dorm because sophomores enjoy the luxury of having kitchens in their rooms. I made my own coffee with my Keurig. I was becoming increasingly more anti-social, and I thought it was just me.

But I talked to some of my other friends in my classes, and they all felt the same way. Sophomore year is a very awkward year. You’re not really an upperclassmen, so you don’t necessarily need to have your life together, but you’re also not a naïve freshman that’s looking for any reason to be out of their room.

You’re not really an adult yet, but you’re also not really a teenager anymore. It’s a very weird limbo place to be in.

We all made those friends freshman year that we don’t really care if we see again or not. They were just the people you might have met at a frat party, and you occasionally texted to see if anything was happening that weekend. These are more acquaintances or even periphery friends if you will.

But then you have your actual friends. They might be in a completely separate friend group than you, but you guys still hung out freshman year in other settings than frat parties or night clubs. You’re more comfortable calling these people your friends. They’re not your best friends, but these are the people you worry about losing during the sophomore slump.

Here’s how to keep them:

1. Make a routine with them

I made a friend last year who I really liked because she was just an awesome person. We’re not best friends, but I definitely want to keep her in my life. The thing is, she lives in a different dorm than me this year, has a different group of friends, and is in a sorority.

We fortunately have a class together, and we’ve decided to make a habit of getting coffee after class and catching up. We’ve even made plans to go out during the weekends every now and then. If you make a routine with them that fits with both of your schedules, you will be able to see them and reinforce the friendship.

2. Invite them over.

Going out on a weeknight can be time consuming and expensive, but we have kitchens now, guys! Use them! It’s less stressful, and then you can make each other dinner in sweats, and relax in the comfortability of your own home.

3. Stick to the organizations you joined freshman year, and maybe even join new ones.

Most organizations have social events that you and your friends can go to together, and this way you will have a reason to see each other. I joined a few new organizations this year that some of my friends from freshman year were in, and it made it easier to see them and keep in touch.

The final important thing to know is that if someone isn’t putting in effort to keep in touch with you, or constantly blowing you off, then they’re someone that you don’t need in your life anyway. I know it might be hard to let people go, but it’s the natural progression of things. Besides, they’re just making room for you to meet someone new and better.