The first things I think of when I look back at my Sophomore year at college are late night chick-fil-a runs, mud masks, the smell of Capri blue candles, and cozy cafes on Magnolia street. Compared to my freshmen year, which was filled with long nights chatting with friends, goofing around, sleeping outside, and impromptu photoshoots, Sophomore year was filled with the same but it was all better. After accomplishing my first year away from home I felt like I was starting to obtain a stronger sense of individualism, more so than what I had in high school. Sophomore year continued this progression of me getting to find out who I was as a person and what I wanted to be in the future. I think everyone can attest to that.

However, the adjustment from Freshmen to Sophomore year was a difficult one for me. My classes this year were drastically harder than the year before. I felt an intense and persistent pressure being piled upon me to start making my mark in this world. Because of this need to start making a difference, I decided to get more involved this year and joined a few clubs and started to write for the Odyssey! I felt more accomplished in what I was doing, but consequently became a lot busier. Though I discovered I rather enjoy being busy. I realized that if I didn’t have anything to study for, or papers to write, or articles/photos that needed to be taken, I would be quite bored. That’s why the “To-Do list” became a big asset of mine this year.

If I could sum up my Sophomore year in one word, or I guess technically three it would be "to-do lists." Every morning I had a routine, something that I didn’t really have Freshmen year. I would wake up wash my face, put a moisturizer on, make hot chocolate, and sip on it while sitting at my desk writing my to-do list for the day. Of course, this morning routine didn’t last throughout the year. By the end of the semesters, I was waking up 10 minutes before class, running to my morning class of English in nothing but my pajamas. But the point is I felt busier this year, carrying a big bag of responsibility with me everywhere. Yet at the end of the day I always felt accomplished and satisfied, more so than Freshmen year.

You can say I was more focused this year. Grades were my priority, but I also equally loved to socialize. I discovered a way to do both. My friends and I would disappear to cafes and obscure coffee shops for the weekends and study there. I socialized and took photos of not only my friends but of the savory chocolate croissants, the avocado egg toast, and the enticing hot chocolates. Since every weekend we sought out to find new places to study that led many of my friends and I to traveling to faraway places from the TCU campus in Fort Worth and embarking on more spontaneous trips to Dallas. During your Freshmen year, you are trying to settle down, find your group, and explore the new city or town that you are in. Sophomore year is where you get to do even more of that but its extra fun because you know your way around better!

Yes, I can verify that you will be spending later nights at the lib, and getting less hours of sleep, but hey its the college experience. I can honestly say Sophomore year was a great and memorable one. Sophomore year is the year to try new things and to become even more independent. Being 20, in my opinion, is the most fun age, because you are on the brink of growing up but it is fair to say you’re still a kid at heart. This means making mistakes now won’t be as bad as when your 21. You can learn from them now and try not to make them in the future. Sophomore year taught me to love life even more and to enjoy every second of it, making it as memorable as possible. But it also taught me, most importantly, that you can’t do fun things every second of every day. You have to study A LOT. But I learned that hard works always pays off and every second you spend studying is better than if you didn’t.