Yesterday at dinner, my friends and I were discussing sophomore slump. According to Wikipedia, it “refers to an instance in which a second, or sophomore, effort fails to live up to the standards of the first effort. It is commonly used to refer to the apathy of students (second year of high school, college or university).”
It’s true–this year doesn’t have all the exciting, whirlwind-y newness of my freshman year. Classes are harder, I have to make more of an effort to see friends, and I don’t feel the need to go to every social event. As sophomores, we have to actually think about and eventually declare our majors, taking classes that put us on a course to some end goal instead of taking a full course load of purely classes that excite us. College is no longer a novelty, instead it has become a standard, somewhat routine lifestyle. While freshman year was a year of getting used to college, this year is a year of finding a place and purpose at college.
Certainly, it’s tough, but there are also things about sophomore year that make it great. While my classes are more challenging, I’m also doing some my own real research–on topics that I’m excited about! For one of my term papers, I’m looking at reforming the school history curriculum in post-genocide Rwanda and whether it has helped the nation’s reconstruction process. It integrates my interests in international affairs and education and has me excited about future directions I could take with these interests.
There are also tons of opportunities that I didn’t know existed my freshman year–jobs, clubs, funding, lectures and presentations, off-campus activities, internships, volunteer opportunities, and so on. For example, this fall, I applied to the Pomona College Internship Program (PCIP) and I’ll be participating in a paid, off-campus internship in the spring. It’s such a great opportunity, but I didn’t even consider it as a freshman. Now that I know the school better, I can take advantage of all it has to offer.
As a sophomore, I’ve cultivated stronger relationships with my professors, as well. I feel comfortable going to talk to my present and past professors about academics, but also about life. I’ve been to lunch with professors, to their houses for tea, and next week I’ll be babysitting for my ID1 professor.
Finally, there are still so many new things to try! This semester, I started taking Swahili, swimming laps, mentoring for a writing workshop, cooking meals with friends, and so on. I’ve attended more lectures and panels and I’ve been trying to get off campus more, too.
Instead of feeling like I’m at summer camp (which was great, don’t get me wrong!), I’m starting to feel like I belong here, integrated into the community. It’s not the easiest transition, but it’s definitely one worth making.
