As the semester comes to a close, so does another year that is full of trials, tribulations, blood, sweat and tears commonly known as sophomore year. However, I would also argue this is the year that changed nothing. But for being the year that changed nothing, there are, surprisingly, a few ways to learn something.

1. A lot more is to be expected of you.

This is probably the most obvious, given that you're a year older, and for some reason that makes you wiser. While yes, here you are being set as an example, no that doesn't mean you suddenly have all of the answers. It takes time, which unfortunately is a luxury.

2. You can be surprised by the way people change...

Coming into the year, there were definitely people that I could not stand to be near for the fact that we started off on the wrong foot. However, that is exactly what makes these sort of relationships worth reconsidering; if you started on the wrong foot, how will you know what it's like to start on the right foot?

3. ... But also un-surprised by how many people don't change.

However, there will still be the people that you find that for some reason will never give you that chance, no matter what it was that happened (it could have been nothing to you but something to them for all you know). However if that's the case then it's unfortunate for them; when you give someone a second chance, you never know if the relationship improves, or if it just proves that perhaps nothing will change. Know this: the opportunity to say that they at least tried is utterly wasted by not doing so.

4. When you set goals for yourself, achieving them can actually be realistic.

Setting goals your freshmen year came with a sense of idealism and perhaps not a lot of focus on putting them into practice. However, after a year of figuring out what works and what doesn't work as a goal, suddenly things seem more attainable. The magic of goal making is suddenly (and dare I say it magically) realized as goals are made.

5. There's no time like the present to see these things realized.

If you never thought these goals could be achieved, low and behold, something new happened. Not quite certain what it is specifically, but if it's a vision or a theory you long thought about then suddenly there is a world of difference out there. Putting things into practice suddenly becomes more manageable if not more exciting to accomplish.

6. You remember saying thanks is actually a thing.

Thanks sophomore year... I did learn something from this year after all, huh?