Sophomore Year Is Completely Different Than Freshman Year, For Better Or For Worse

Now I may be biased, because I am currently a sophomore and also have not even started my third or fourth years of college. However, I am absolutely positively certain that sophomore year has got to be the most trying, confusing, and challenging year of college - and I’m not simply talking academically. Here’s a list outlining my reasoning.

1. You’re STUCK between childhood and adulthood.

Freshman year is when most of us turned 18 or 19 years old indicating the early stages of legal adulthood. Up until 19 for the most part, you’re still dependent on parents for most things and can technically say that you are “in the teens”. Sophomore year is when most of us enter our 20s. Parents start to ween us off slowly but surely and create independent citizens out of us. But wait! I want mom and dad to check my bank account for me, I don’t want to do it!

2. “Hey, Merry Christmas, it’s so good to see you again… yeah, so what’s your major now?”

Everyone and their brother wants to know the plans you have for the rest of your life. AND most colleges want you to declare a major. Are you going to be a doctor, or a lawyer, or a businessman? Or are you going to enter humanities and be an educator, or an artist? And the sad truth is, after only around three semesters of college COMPLETED, not everyone has that answer. Sorry grandma, I only have it narrowed down to six possible majors.

3. GPA

Quite possibly the most dreadful thing that sophomores have to face- especially at Emory. If you are applying for any type of program (Nursing, Business School, Law School, Medical School, etc.) a large lump of your GPA (if not all of it) depends on your first two years of college. By this point, your grades are either sinking, swimming, or barely able to keep their head above water even with two arm floats.

4. “You need a job during the summer!”

Now that we are “adults” (or something like that), our parents expect us to gain some sense of responsibility on TOP OF doing our own laundry. That means a summer job (if you don’t already have one). Whether working in fast food, participating in internships, or mowing lawns- there needs to be at least something in terms of your own income, and you better stop asking for gas money!

5. Home friends

When you go away to college, it’s the sad truth that you either go to the same school as your friends from high school, or you don’t. And it’s the sad truth that you either keep in touch with them, or you don’t. Freshman year it’s much easier to stay in touch with these old pals because you haven’t truly solidified all of the friendships that you will form in college. BUT - sophomore year, you have finally made most of the best friends who you will keep for a lifetime.

Unfortunately, you part ways with people you once considered your best friends and it’s up to you to decide which ones if any you will stay in touch with despite the distance.

Come next year, or the year after that- maybe you will find me writing an article about how I lied and Sophomore year is a breeze compared to Junior and Senior Year. Until then, I’ll be waiting for summer to arrive.