While it is true that college classes increase in difficulty as the curriculum progresses, the year that is actually the most difficult for college students is freshman year. For most, it is their first year away from home. It is their first year living on their own, making their own decisions, and taking on the full responsibility that comes with being a college student. They are responsible for taking care of themselves physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. This burden can be overwhelming for a young freshman college student to take in all at once, so it might be comforting to know that college is a process that eases over time. Here are some reasons why if you are a sophomore or upperclassman in college, your most difficult year is behind you.

Depending on where you are from and how far you have gone, you may or may not know or be familiar with anybody at your new school. Even if you do have people you know already, you will certainly encounter a situation in which you are surrounded by people you do not know. This is why it is important to start building friendships now. Four years is a long time, so meeting new people and making new friends now will establish a foundation of people that you can depend on at any time during your college career should you need it. Freshman year is the year where this takes place the most: becoming familiar with your surroundings, the environment, and the people with whom you attend school. Making friends during this year is extremely crucial to contributing to your social self-confidence, especially if you are not familiar with anybody.

As mentioned earlier, your freshman year in college is the first time where you are fully responsible for taking care of yourself. In addition, you are the only one who knows what you have to do for each of your classes, whether that is problem sets, an essay, a project, or studying for an upcoming midterm. The first time being exposed to this type of responsibility firsthand is daunting, and it admittedly does take a while to master, but this is all learnt during your freshman year. By the time you are a sophomore or even by the spring of your freshman year you will have learned how to properly manage your time as well as take care of yourself physically by eating nutritious meals, exercising, and sleeping well. This is what makes freshman year so difficult: it is a learning experience beyond the classroom, and it is a difficult adjustment to make.

The completion of your freshman year is almost as rewarding as completion as college itself. Once you have a year of college under your belt, you realize that the next three will not be that bad, because during this year you have learned how to manage your time, take care of your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being, and be responsible. After completing my first week of my second year in college, I look back to see how far I have come, and I look forward to completing the journey in front of me.