As I’m sitting down to write an article for the first time this semester, I feel it’s only right to start off with a reflection about my experience returning to school as a sophomore. If you are a sophomore reading this, like me, let’s see if you can relate!
I guess I’ll go all the way back to the summer. My summer was very relaxed. I spent my time babysitting and hanging out with my family. The more I enjoyed my break, the less I wanted it to end. Warm weather, beach days, bonfires (one of mine is pictured below!), cooking nights, and walks with my dog…obviously, this was paradise!
I can get pretty homesick when I’m at school, but the worst is when I am returning to school from vacation time at home. My family is everything to me, so that is what really makes it hard leaving, but I can imagine it could be hard for others to leave their friends, their summer drives with music blasting, their pets, or their schoolwork-less summer routines. I definitely loath leaving those things behind, too. Whatever it is, it isn’t always easy returning to school.
I was pretty emotional as September 1st grew near. Everytime I’d think about leaving, it made me feel anxious and sad. It was hard at first, no doubt! I really didn’t want to be back, and I was really missing my family. School can be really isolating at times, and it just didn’t feel right not to be with my favorite people from home!
Returning to school as a sophomore was a more sensitive experience than coming to college for the first time because I know my time at home always has a limit now (visual representation of how this makes me feel, below).
In another sense, coming back as a sophomore gave me major whiplash! I was in a state of shock for the first week. How was I already back here? Why did it feel like I never left? How was it summer yesterday, and fall today? Here’s another lovely visual representation of me at this time:
Once the homesickness dwindled and the shock wore off, I could look at my sophomore year for the good thing it was. I got to return to a place that was now familiar to me. Rather than the overwhelming sensation of orientation, I felt only calm as I reconnected with the campus. Coming back as a sophomore made school feel like it was my territory, like I belonged there. Joining classes within my two majors helped ground me even more, as I continued to explore my passions in familiar content and with familiar faces.
Sophomore year really is exciting. The edge that comes with being a first year, new to everything, has worn off. I have only exciting things ahead of me. This year I’ll declare my majors, I’ll prepare to study abroad, I’ll try new things, and I’ll make more friends. Being a sophomore can be a bit challenging in some ways, but it’s also great in many others. I’m realizing more and more how quickly college goes by, so I’m trying to make the most of it!
Here I go, writing another introspective article. She’s done it again, folks. I hope y’all can relate in some way, or if not, that this opens your eyes to how your friends might be feeling this year.
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