Every year in college is different. Freshman year was all about new experiences- living in a closet-sized dorm with a roommate you only barely knew, meeting new people, and joining clubs and organizations to try to find your place in the journey that was only just beginning.
After a long, relaxing summer, sophomore year began. And, it feels like that was just yesterday.
I’ve been sitting in the library staring at my laptop for about the last thirty minutes, reflecting on this year and trying to put my experiences into words. I might also be procrastinating studying for my last final, but that’s not the point.
The point is that sophomore year has been the best year of my life.
Last year, at this time, I was thinking the exact same thing. I was naïve enough to think that freshman year was the best year of my life, and then somehow this year topped it.
This year was especially great because of my incredible, fun, sometimes dumb, and supportive, and wild friends. The thing about freshman year is that everyone is in the same scary, transitional and sometimes overwhelming phase. Everyone wants to find that one good friend to cling to, to attend every event with, never having to show up alone. Sophomore year enables you and that one good friend to make other friends and, ultimately, find a solid group of best friends. My group of best friends have helped me through everything this year- the good, the bad, and the ugly. Not to mention, they’ve also made this year very interesting. From inappropriate group chats, to movie night Friday’s, gym sessions, late night food runs, and everything in between- you guys are the best friends I’ve ever had. Three months of separation is three months too long.
Sophomore year is an interesting time. We are no longer babies wandering the campus aimlessly looking for buildings and signing up for 8 am classes, both rookie mistakes, and we aren’t quite upperclassmen. As juniors, everything becomes more serious: harder classes, trying to find internships, and potentially studying abroad. Because of this, sophomore year is the year when everyone comes together, aware that things might change after it’s over.
Sophomore year is also the year that most people are turning 20, just one year shy of being legal, and not quite old enough to hit the bars. Sophomore year is the perfect time to go out with your friends, hit the frats, dance until you can’t feel your feet, and order some dominos.
I guess what I’m trying to say is thank you, sophomore year. Thank you to my awesome school, my incredible friends, my awkward age enabling me to continue to go to the same fraternities over and over, and everything else that made this year unforgettable.
Sophomore year, you will be missed, but junior year- we’re coming for you.
