With our final week of classes underway, I have found myself reflecting on my sophomore year more than I expected. I don’t want to say goodbye to this year quite yet, as I believe it has been one of the most meaningful years that I have experienced. Sophomore year doesn’t always get the same level of attention and appreciation as freshman or senior year, but for me, sophomore year was when everything started to click.Â
Leaving freshman year, I still felt as though I was living in between two worlds. While I loved school and the friendships I had made, campus didn’t feel like “home” and my daily routines didn’t feel like my “normal.” By the time May rolled around, I was eager to be back home with my family and get back into the routines I remembered from high school. Sophomore year, though, that feeling changed completely.Â
Over the past year, I have grown in my independence. I now feel far more comfortable making decisions for myself, settling into my college routine, and advocating for what I want. What once felt unfamiliar and unsettling now feels right, and that sense of comfort is making it so much harder to leave.Â
In terms of friendships, freshman year felt like constant labor to “figure it out.” Freshman year I was so focused on ensuring I had a friend group I could rely on, that I didn’t branch out much outside of that. Sophomore year that feeling entirely changed, as the pressure was lifted and I was able to branch out and form far more genuine connections. Leaving sophomore year, I have countless more people I can rely on, making my days so much more fun.Â
While sophomore year may not be the most talked-about year of college, I think it may be one of the most transformative. This year was when everything started to click, as my friendships deepened, my independence grew, and my campus finally felt like home. If freshman year is about adjusting, then sophomore year is about belonging, and that’s what makes it so hard for me to say goodbye.