Oh man, sophomore year, what a delightful blur it was. Because of COVID, my freshman year was entirely online, and so sophomore year was actually my first year on campus! So in a lot of ways, my sophomore year sorta felt like freshman year since it was my first time really being At College. And so now, at the end of my junior year, I can tell you what it truly means to be a sophomore. A few tips and tricks, things to keep track of, and joys to look forward to:
Topic #1: Declaring a Major
The time has come. The time to figure out your answer to the question people have probably been asking you since freshman year of high school when it was way too soon to be asking. The thing about freshman year is that you learn so much about yourself and what the world is like outside of high school, in such a short period of time, that whatever plans you may have had for your major might have totally gone out the window. And that鈥檚 okay! Completely regular. I arrived at 61传媒totally certain I would major in Anthropology, then realized halfway through my spring semester Anthropology class that I absolutely did not want to do that. You have until mid-way through spring semester sophomore year to declare, so I suggest thinking back through the classes you took freshman year to figure out which ones you really loved. What did you love about them? Take more classes like those sophomore fall. Chances are, you鈥檒l figure it out pretty quickly that way. Email professors in departments you鈥檙e interested in and ask to meet with them! They鈥檒l definitely say yes. If something is drawing you towards a certain major, even if you can鈥檛 really explain why, listen to that instinct. Chances are, the answer will present itself, just keep actively thinking about it (not in a stressful way though 馃檪 )
Topic #2: Study Abroad
Wow! The other thing you have been hearing about for so long! If you are planning on studying abroad, be sure to jump on it pretty soon in your sophomore year鈥搃f you want to go abroad junior fall, the deadline to submit your application is November! But if you want to go in the spring, the deadline isn鈥檛 until May, so you have quite a bit more time for that one. So just be thinking about what you want to do! No pressure really, just a thing to keep around in the old noggin. The SAGE Office could not be kinder or more helpful, so whatever you decide to do, they will help you all along the way.聽
Topic #3: Friends (you have them now!)
There are a lot of great things about sophomore year, but far and away the best one for me was the fact that now I have friends! College is a ton of fun freshman year: so many new people to meet, new places to see, new things to do. It鈥檚 nonstop insanity which is a blast鈥揵ut can also get pretty exhausting as you鈥檝e surely figured out by now. But by sophomore year things have stabilized so much! You know where the buildings are, how fast you can get a 20 page reading done, and most importantly who you love hanging out with. College is full of so many exciting and joyful things, and it becomes exponentially greater when you get to share it all with the people you love. So that鈥檚 something to look forward to, too 馃檪聽
Get ready baby, sophomore year is gonna be a good one.