Freshman year of college is a major milestone full of life lessons. But that doesn’t mean that sophomore year is unimportant or invaluable. 

Freshman year is all about getting accustomed to a new environment, new people and a new lifestyle.  By sophomore year, you are settled in and, probably, having the time of your life. Sophomore year might not seem like as big of a deal as freshman year since you have already moved to a new town, experienced the freshman dorms (and lived to tell about it), made new friends and great memories, and survived a year of college classes and professors. Sophomore year, however, can still be as much of a learning experience as freshman year. 

These are some things that I took away from my sophomore year at Baylor.

Even if you move into an apartment or house with a big kitchen and cabinets full of cookware, you still won’t cook. While I know this is a generalization and is not going to be the case for everyone, it applies to me and all of my friends. Coming into the year with the intentions of learning to cook and making time to cook meals several times a week, I soon learned that I still cannot cook, nor did I have the time or patience to. Frozen meals taste great and take a fraction of the time to make, and there is the added bonus of no cleanup. Seriously, I did not cook one single time the entire year.               

It is okay to still not have a plan for the future. Even if everyone around you seems to have his or her career path planned out, it’s okay if you are still unsure. Things will work themselves out and you will find things you are passionate about along the way. 

From Pigskin, Sing, float, chapter meetings, sub dinners and classes, it is impossible to not learn time management skills. Anyone involved in Baylor Greek life can attest to the fact that Sing basically consumes your life from January until early March. Finding the time to do homework and sleep can become as difficult as calculus. You are forced into finding good ways to manage your time so you can balance everything at once.  

After a day of living off campus, I realized how much better it was than living on campus. I am not saying that on campus life is horrible. It is awesome, but only for the allotted amount of time of freshman year. Sophomore year gives you the opportunity to really live on your own: no CLs, no curfews, no rules at all. Sophomore year gives you total freedom, which is so awesome. You also get your own room and your own bathroom, instead of having to share with 50 others.               

Deeper appreciation for Baylor traditions. As a first-generation Bear, I had never been to the Homecoming bonfire or parade, Pigskin, Sing, Diadeloso or Christmas on Fifth until my freshman year. While freshman year was my first time to experience all of the awesome traditions that Baylor has, sophomore year is when I really learned to appreciate them, the history and meaning behind them and the amount of work that goes into them.               

Importance, and the blessing, of having great friends. The first semester of my freshman year, I had no friends. None. When I finally made friends second semester (shout out to my sorority), I was so thankful and appreciative. As time went on, my relationships with my friends developed even more. Sophomore year is when my friendships became deeper and more meaningful, as I went to my friends for everything. True friends will always be there for you, in good times and bad, and in college these kinds of friendships are essential.        

The longer I live in Waco, the more I find things I love about it. While the transition from Plano to Waco was not an easy one at first, I love Waco now. The more time you spend in Waco, the more hidden gems you find. Going out into Waco and experiencing everything it has to offer -- which may not seem like much at first -- will  enrich your time here as you get to know Waco in a deeper and more meaningful way. 

Sophomore year proved to me just how fast time flies. Yes, it sounds totally cliché, but “time flies when you’re having fun” is so true. When you step out of your last final in May and pack up your car to return to your hometown, you realize that you are halfway done with college. Already?! How did that even happen?! Where did the past two years go?!  College is, unfortunately, only four short years that fly by and before we know it, our time at Baylor will be over.

Take advantage of your time here and make the most of everything that Baylor, Waco, and our sororities or fraternities have to offer, before it comes to a close. Because, as sophomore year proves, that time is way too short.