Sophomore year is a year that’s often talked about negatively. With terms like “sophomore slump” and “sophomore jitters” going around, it honestly had me nervous for what sophomore year was going to bring. 

During freshman year, my friends and I would always joke that sophomore year was the most awkward out of the four. Freshmen are new, so they get attention, juniors are about to graduate, and seniors are graduating, while sophomores are just kind of there, like the awkward middle child.

And being a sophomore felt just that. You weren’t quite young and new like a freshman, but you weren’t as experienced as upperclassmen. 

Actually, being a sophomore, however, did not feel this way at all. The pressure and realization of college and an impending future were hard.  The workload got heavier, the days got longer, and it wasn’t just fun and games anymore. It made you realize that adulthood was right around the corner. 

On the bright side, though, the new classes and the new faces made everything easier. 

Meeting new people and making new friends was a big part of my sophomore year. It got me out of my comfort zone and gave me new experiences and memories that I’m going to cherish for a long time.

While I did make new friends, I also lost a lot of old friends. With the transition from freshman to sophomore, I knew I was bound to lose as many friends as I gain. It honestly just happens, and it’s something I was prepared for.

I feel like socially, I have more friends than ever. I was making new friends, going out more than I had been before, trying new things, and much more. Though all these new things weren’t positive, they were new experiences regardless. 

However, I feel I could have done better academically. Not saying I had straight-up Cs and D’s, but I feel like I wasn’t applying myself all the way like I should’ve been.

I found myself distracted by my social media presence, my clothes, my hair, all these little things that didn’t really matter. It prevented me from focusing on things that actually did.

If I could go back to the beginning of the school year and give myself advice, I’d tell myself who I should stay away from, what I should’ve done instead, and what I shouldn’t have done. It’d make things much easier. Sadly, though, the clock can’t turn back, and we can only move forward. 

Overall, I’m extremely grateful for this school year. It gave me so many new experiences, and taught me so many new things, and I’m overall so happy for everything: the good and the bad.