To my fellow sophomores as we near the end of the semester,

In some ways, it feels like just yesterday that we were those lost seniors in high school, going from college tour to college tour until May 1st when we had to make our final decision. But in so many other ways, we look at all these people on tours and it feels like forever ago that it was us.

We are now half-way through our college experience, which seems so crazy. How did we get to this point already?! We thought the first year went by fast, but the second year has gone by even faster. We are told by everyone that the next two years will fly by as well and to continue to enjoy every moment and to take advantage of everything that college has to offer.

We have survived yet another registration day and a another year of the housing lottery. We are beginning to feel more comfortable with the process of both, but that still does not take away the anxiety of wondering if you’ll get a good enough lottery number for your top housing choice, or get into your first plan of classes… we have learned to make many plans for classes…

Thinking ahead to next year, as juniors, there are many changes to our daily lives at college (some better than others).

One major change is having our our townhouses or apartments! So exciting because that means we can finally cook our own food and no longer have to rely on the dining hall for every meal and pay for this meal plan that we don’t always use every swipe per week.

We now have our own living room, common areas, so this means we leave our apartments and townhouses less to socialize in common spaces. The aspect of community that many of us had in our Residential Colleges will not be the same.

But we will finally have cars! The freedom to be able to go to the grocery store, without taking the bus and then waiting for the bus for an hour, when it only took 10 minutes to shop, will be in the past. Trips home will be made much more simple, along with traveling for jobs and internships.

Speaking of jobs and internships, the reality of career is beginning to hit harder now that we will be juniors in the fall. The stress of finding a summer internship or job, in your career interest, becomes your focus all spring semester. The reviewing of your resume and writing cover letters can feel like another job.

Even though the end of sophomore year is crazy and we continuously stress about our futures, we need to remember to enjoy where we are right now and know that everything will work out in the end.

For some of us, saying goodbye to sophomore year will feel great, while others will be sadden. No matter what though, we all look forward to the summer and what lies ahead for us in Fall 2018.

Sincerely,

A fellow sophomore