As we return to campus and syllabus week finally ends, we start reflecting on the previous semester and all of the events that occurred.

Before I went back to school at the beginning of the year, my older friends, family and colleagues all told me one thing. They said, “Your sophomore year will be completely different from freshman year. Your friends will change, your morals will be challenge and it will be a very difficult year.” My mom especially told me that I would find out who my true friends are.

I thought they were wrong. I thought that the magic of my first year of college would carry on through the rest. I thought wrong.

At the beginning of my first semester sophomore year, I had a major wake-up call. For the first time, I was taking heavily concentrated classes that required much more attention than I previously spent. The clubs I held leadership positions in took up most of my time. The library became my best friend, and my social life was basically nonexistent. At the time, I thought that I was some loser who couldn’t manage her time properly. I watched all my friends go out more than two nights a week and I was jealous of their social life.

I loved my dorm life freshman year. I lived in a private-housing dorm, so the atmosphere was smaller and more personal. I fostered relationships and genuinely thought those relationships would stay the same, despite everyone moving into their respective sorority houses, fraternity houses or apartments. That was not the case. It was fun living with everyone, but at some point, everyone must go his or her own way.

Relationships are a lot of work. I didn’t realize how much easier they were to maintain when you lived down the hall. It takes work to see people now. You cannot just say “Let’s meet downstairs” or sporadically knock on your friend's door to just hang out when you are bored. You have to plan to meet up now.

I know I could have done better in the relationship department. I could’ve reached out to more of my friends instead of thinking “they should text me." I could’ve planned my life out better so I would have time to see my friends instead of spending time in the library. I could’ve tried harder. I truly regret not reaching out to more people. Even though I struggled, I found my true friends throughout the process and I’d like to thank them. We all like to think we know better than our parents, but my mom was 100 percent right, I did find my true friends.

By the time finals came, I was burned out. I couldn’t wait to go home. Winter break allowed me to re-evaluate my college experience and the relationships that come from it.

I wasn’t a loser who didn’t go out. I just was overwhelmed with school, clubs and a social life. I could have easily managed my life better, but I can’t change the past. All I have to do now is use my first semester to transform my second semester into a great success. Even though you might think that no one feels the same, I can guarantee that they do. You might feel that everything has changed. Maybe it has, but usually change is good, as cheesy as it sounds.

It doesn’t matter if you aren’t a sophomore, this can happen at any time or not at all. Take this semester as an opportunity to challenge yourself. Just know the sophomore slump is real. Don’t let it take advantage of you.