You always hear people talk about the sophomore slump. Some think it’s myth, but I can definitely assure you that the sophomore slump is REAL. It’ll inevitably find you as it has me and my friends, but luckily you can always find a way to make yours, well, a little less slumpy.
1. You’re not at the bottom of the food chain.
I don’t think I’ve ever anticipated anything more than Move-In Day this year. In my group message with my friends all we talked about all summer was how excited we were to ~finally~ be heading back to Mount Saint James. The biggest mistake we made coming into it was thinking that because we were no longer freshmen, we knew everything and everyone. Right off the bat we all came in way too excited with expectations that would be way too hard to meet.
Solution: Coming back to school for a new year is going to be exciting every time, but don’t build up too much because you might be let down. Every year brings new people and experiences and you don’t know everything, so keep that in mind and just roll with the punches.
2. It’s Time to Get Serious.
There’s so much to do sophomore year that usually goes overlooked. There’s applying to study abroad, starting to look into summer internships, figuring out where you want to live your senior year, the list goes on and on. Basically, there’s a lot of planning going into your future while you’re also trying to focus on all of your schoolwork and enjoying this year. Freshman year, all I really had to focus on was having fun and adjusting to college life. Sophomore year presents new challenges that you aren’t really used to while also trying to balance the things you learned during freshman year.
Solution: Plan your time wisely. There are so many services that are here on campus to help you. You’ll probably have less free time than you’re used to, but if you sit down and organize yourself you’ll still find sometime to have fun with your friends.
3. You’re physically and emotionally drained.
With the piles and piles of work you keep finding you have, it’s hard not to just want to curl up in your bed and never leave it ever again. Soon, every time you call your mom you’re afraid you might cry, and you are constantly getting those “you look tired” remarks from everyone you see.
The thing is, it’s not just you. Everyone around you is stressed out about something. It could be work, applications, social life, whatever, but there is always something going on with someone.
Solution: Call your mom, sometimes you need a good cry and she’s the only one who can listen to you without also breaking down into tears. Take some time to ~treat yo self~. Go see a movie with your friends, go get your nails done, go out on a Friday night. Step back and give yourself a breather, sometimes that’s all you really need.
4. Don’t take anything for granted.
Yes, the sophomore slump is absolutely a thing. It could be with schoolwork, with your social life, with boys, basically, you can be slumping in just about anything. Even though sophomore year is without a doubt getting to you in some way, don’t let it get to you too much. You only have four years in college and sophomore year is one of the best! All of your friends are here, you’re all living together and going through a lot of the same things. Yes, Clark might be a tougher walk to the library than Wheeler once was, but sophomore year is a tougher walk than freshman year was and I wouldn’t trade it in for the world. Don’t dwell on things that might be going wrong in your life right now, enjoy what you have and who you get to share it with, and overcome that sophomore slump together!!!!