Arriving at Bowdoin for your freshmen year is an exciting —and somewhat overwhelming—experience. Everything is new, and in every stranger lies a potential friend or crush. All the excitement of the unknown propels you through a year marked with unparalleled enthusiasm…So what happens when you’re no longer a freshman?
The newness is gone, and you’re left to your own devices. However, while some may talk about the sophomore slump, sophomore year is more than just the worst housing on campus— it’s a time to really find your niche at Bowdoin.
Having a year’s worth of experience at Bowdoin is both a pro and a con. You’ve finally gotten the hang of the campus—when to do laundry, the best study spot, your favorite pub food—but you no longer have an excuse when you make those oh-so-embarrassing rookie mistakes.
Gone are the days when being late for class was acceptable because you didn’t know what building it was in; as a sophomore, you are expected to hold your own without anyone to coddle you. While there are places to go with resources to help you out of sticky situations, you don’t have a proctor to hold your hand. YOU are responsible for your decisions whether they are good or bad.
You also have numerous opportunities to offer advice to freshmen from your reservoir of experience. Not only does this let you relive some awesome (and not so awesome) freshmen year experiences, it allows you to use those experiences for the benefit of others. Giving out advice can make you feel sagely and older, and definitely adds to the surreal vibe of not being a freshman anymore (and will help you make some new freshmen friends).
Sophomore year is a great opportunity to expand your circle of acquaintances in general. With many “friend groups” split up and living in different places around campus, you are put in a whole new social situation. No longer are all your best friends just a short walk down the hallway—now they’re anywhere from a quick jaunt next door to an agonizing cross-campus trek. This gives you the opportunity to not only meet new people where you’re living, but also to meet your friends’ neighbors— thereby expanding your sphere of influence and gaining new acquaintances.
Deciding what you want to major in by the latter half of your second year at Bowdoin is a huge decision that determines a lot about how you spend your time here. School work has to be taken more seriously, which can often mean logging in more hours in the library and less time aimlessly Facebook stalking or Stumbling.
Perhaps the greatest aspect of another year at Bowdoin is that you don’t have to be who you were as a freshman, and with autumn comes the opportunity to turn over a new leaf. Sophomore year is all about the familiar and the unfamiliar: while you may feel that you’re already totally comfortable with Bowdoin, sophomore year gives students the opportunity to experience it in a whole new light (and with a clean slate).