By Sylvia Eastman
SYLVIA EASTMAN / UP Blog Writer
There’s a bittersweet yet exciting feeling every sophomore experiences when returning to school for their second year of college. The thrill of being back in Oxford after a long summer, knowing that you’ll soon be beating the clock, cheering on the RedHawks in hopes they achieve another Mid-American Conference title, and walking through campus on the way to class, watching the seasons change right in front of your eyes.
Until suddenly, there’s the lingering taste of nostalgia still left in your mouth from freshman year—nine months filled with a unique sense of freedom and newness everyone yearns to go back to as they realize they’re growing up.
You’ve come to terms with the fact that this year won’t be the same as the last. You try to do everything you did the previous year, yet it doesn’t feel as thrilling as it once did. Friends have come and gone, and while you still see familiar faces, you are forced into reacclimating to this place that once felt like a fever dream you never thought you’d have to return to.
People start saying that maybe it’s the “sophomore slump,” a term that only makes sense to you now that you are facing it head-on. The feeling that you are supposed to be settled into this part of your life but still question whether you’re ready or not. Knowing that you’re going to have to start looking for résumé builders, LinkedIn connections and ultimately internships when all you want is to go back to the safety of what you had built last year.
Your parents tell you not to get ahead of yourself and that you still have time, so you become grateful for the memories and realize it’s time to make some new ones. You still go out and have fun with your friends, yet this time with a sliver of wisdom more than you did the previous year.
The “sophomore slump” is inevitable. There’s no playbook on how to navigate it. That being said, be thankful for the memories but don’t wallow in the nostalgia for too long. Realize that as old friends fade out, new ones will filter in. The right ones will stay to help make this not-so-foreign place a second home for the next few years. It goes by fast, so keep your eyes open to the world around you and don’t allow yourself to stay stuck in the slump forever.
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