I absolutely adored my freshman year of college. The feeling of gaining the independence I had long hoped for was electric. Everything felt so new, so fresh. I met amazing new friends and grew closer to the ones I already had. Even the challenges I faced were still unexpectedly thrilling to overcome simply because they were new. By the end of the school year, I felt like I was on top of the world.
Now, one month into my sophomore year, all that adrenaline has faded. And what have I been left with? The sophomore slump.
The sophomore slump is essentially the younger sibling of senioritis. Oxford Languages defines this phenomenon as the “decline in academic performance during a student’s second year of college.” This decline often comes as a result of high social and academic expectations set during a student’s freshmen year. On top of academic decline, the slump can also affect a student’s motivation and mood.
While being very relevant to the academic world, the sophomore slump can also be seen in other spaces, particularly in the music industry where we see it happen pretty often. A cool new artist breaks into the industry, releases a highly successful debut project and whatever they do next is criticized for “not living up to the hype”.
Freshman me was that cool new artist and sophomore me is just trying to keep it together.Â
Around Kent State’s campus, I see wide-eyed freshmen, excited for whatever is coming next. I listen in on conversations between internship-focused juniors in business casual attire and seniors counting down the days until they graduate.
And the sophomores? We all look completely over it.
I think what makes being a sophomore so uniquely difficult is the feeling of being stuck in limbo. What exactly I’m supposed to be doing right now feels so unclear.
It feels too early to start making plans for after graduation, but it also feels like everyone expects me to have my every move for the next 10 years planned out. I could start applying for internships, but I need more experience to stand out in a pool of decorated upperclassmen. Without the excitement of freshmen year and the distinct goals of junior and senior year, being a sophomore can kind of feel purposeless.
For a while, all I wanted to do was remedy this feeling. Now, although the aimlessness of sophomore year has been uncomfortable, I have come to realize that this uncertainty is actually a privilege.
Since school started in August, I have said “I don’t know” several times to several different questions about my future. And the best thing is, I don’t feel guilty about it. While being a sophomore may feel like you’re doing a whole lot of nothing, I think that feeling is one worth basking in.
While I’m still in the early days of adulthood, I can already see that life doesn’t stop coming at you. Since turning 18, I have constantly felt like there is some milestone I’m not reaching quickly enough or something I should be doing better. This year, however, I’m beginning to realize that I have plenty of time to figure things out. I’m sure it will feel good to know what I’m going to do with my degree and exactly what my life will look like post-graduation, but it also feels good to not have to make such big decisions right now.
With this new perspective, I’ve come to appreciate the sophomore slump.
It feels nice to not be living up to a high expectation of what this year “should” be like since there really isn’t one. Instead, I’m using the undirected vibe to my advantage. I want to try any and everything, in hopes that I will eventually find the answers that will help to inform my future. For now, though, I want to celebrate not knowing.
Even though the sophomore slump is infamously something to be dreaded, I think it teaches anyone who experiences it invaluable lessons.
So, if you or anyone you know is nervous about becoming a sophomore, I say embrace the slump.