The summer after my freshman year of college was pretty much a victory lap, letting all my friends and relatives know that yes, I had made it through a year of college fairly unscathed. Visiting loved ones after such a monumental year was a treat, and we were so proud and excited to share the intricacies of our new lives outside the small towns that had cocooned us for 18 years.

All of my friends had stories of school friends and places that seemed mythical, and it was hard to grasp that this new audience to their lives had no idea about their awkward braces phases, or the times we would race to Dunkin Donuts during high school free periods. But somehow it was true, we all had created new communities at school that we missed for their lack of rules, independence, and general entertainment.

Like most incoming sophomores, I was extremely excited to go back to school, and I’m not exaggerating when I say I was counting the days. Yet when I returned, the place I’d daydreamed of all summer wasn’t exactly how I remembered it. I’ve since learned to love my school for all new reasons, but I would like to pass on a disclaimer and some advice to incoming sophomores, so that they might handle the Sophomore Slump better than I did.

For one, you need to keep in mind that sophomore year is not a continuation of freshman year. Many of your peers spent the summer basking in the accomplishment of completing freshman year, but others didn’t see it as such a success. Three months is a long time, and people do change over the course of one summer. Whether or not it is in your opinion for the better, you have to accept them for who they are come sophomore year, not their freshman self.

While some spend the summer changing or bettering themselves, others might have acquired issues, or will unveil issues in sophomore year that you had no idea they struggled with. Sophomore year is when it becomes real that you will be here for four years, when it sinks in that your friends have become the closest thing to family you have here, and you may see some ugly things together.

Sophomore year is also when you are reminded of your primary purpose while at school, which is education. You may have spent freshman year “exploring” options, I know when it came to majors, everyone echoed the same “you have time to decide.” While this is true, and there is no need to settle a life plan, it’s always good to start actively trying out options. This way, no path or program is out of reach and you are one step closer to finding who you might be.

While there are many perks and beautiful experiences to be had moving on to your sophomore year, the year also demands a special maturity of you that may be foreign at first. It may take some tears, but the Sophomore Slump will spit you out a stronger and more complex person than you’d ever dreamed you’d be.