Ah, the “sophomore slump.” For several years I have been convinced this was no more than a myth or a justification for the laziness of second years. As a sophomore in high school, I was finally well adjusted.
I had a stable group of friends, and I had my schedule and time running like a well-oiled machine. It was during sophomore year that I truly began to enjoy high school.
As I begin the second semester of my second year of college, however, I have found the sophomore slump to be a very real predicament for me and several of my second year friends.
I often find myself failing to live up to the standards I set for myself during my first go-around my first year.
As explained by the Robert H. Miller in an article for education.com “…by the time you reach sophomore year, the thrill of being “away” at college and the newness of the experience have faded, leaving in their place a sense of growing urgency about deciding on a major, choosing a career path, and finding a group of friends or a romantic interest. Sophomore year is often characterized by confusion, soul-searching, motivational problems, and, occasionally, flat-out rebellion against parents, professors, or friends.”
By this point, we are well adjusted to being on our own and the excitement and anticipation of being away from your parents and meeting new people has worn off.
We begin to realize that the seemingly boundless freedom that we once thought accompanied college may not actually be so freeing.
As first years, our only responsibilities seemed to be, at the very least, to earn passing grades in our general education classes, make friends and try not to get into too much trouble.
Once we knew how to manage our classes and find our way around, there wasn’t much else to think about or worry about.
As a sophomore, I find myself having a completely different college experience. Samantha Stainburn for the New York Times writes, “Quirky first-year seminars have been replaced by large foundation classes, making you doubt that major in econ or bio. You’re not high enough up the totem pole to do fun stuff like join a research team or lead student organizations. With the newness of college gone, malaise sets in.”
I would have to strongly agree with Stainburn. I have found it to be a couple of realizations that leave me stuck in a slump this year. It’s not all fun and games anymore, it’s time to make decisions, decisions that will seriously impact your life from here on out. First, as I find myself enrolled in the first classes that are actual requirements for my major, things get much more difficult…fast.
The material being taught is no longer things that the university hopes you learn, it is things you need to learn to succeed in your career field.
You begin to realize that failing to understand what you are being taught now may come back to haunt you in more serious ways than getting a C in the class.
And then, the second guessing starts. Do I really want to be a journalist? Do I have time to change my major? Am I meeting all of the requirements? Will I graduate in four years? Do I even want to go to college anymore?
The second realization is that sophomores seem to get lost in the shuffle, we are no longer excited and optimistic first years, yet we are nowhere near the end of our college journey.
Graduation is far in the distance. The classes and responsibilities seem difficult now, but it is sure to get worse before it gets better. We find ourselves stuck somewhere in the middle.
What’s a sophomore to do? I think there is only one thing you can do: try to relax and remember to keep having fun (you only get to do college once), you’re not supposed to have everything figured out.
We can only carry on and have faith that soon everything will become more clear. Building your life and future can be quite overwhelming, but it is also a worthwhile process.
So here’s to hoping all of my fellow sophomores and I are able to lift ourselves out of this slump.
During this semester, as I find myself questioning, lacking motivation, and sitting in my classes overwhelmed and confused, wondering what I have gotten myself into to, I try to always remember “The expert at anything was once a beginner” – Helen Hayes.
Bridget Goedke
Viewpoints Editor