You got through freshman year without gaining the dreaded 15, you managed to pass all your classes, to find a favorite study spot, to make some new friends, and call Carolina your home. You did everything right – and freshman year was great!
Sophomore year may have started out with a bang as you caught up with all your friends from last year and swapped summer stories, but all of a sudden you might feel like you’re stuck in a rut. Classes are getting harder, commitments are piling up, and getting everything done seems more and more impossible. If you’re beginning to feel that burnout you last called senioritis creeping up on you, you’re not alone. Getting over the “sophomore slump” can be difficult, but will make your year way more productive and enjoyable. Luckily, recognizing it is the first step!
1) Problem: Your friend group is getting sick of each other.
Solution: You love them, but it’s that time of the semester when everyone goes a little crazy. Now that you’re in your second year, everyone is more comfortable with one another and might be picking fights and taking the stress out on each other. Try taking a step back and getting some perspective by hanging out with some other friends for a weekend, or having a night in by yourself. Calmly talk to each other to get things out in the open instead of letting little offenses and gossip fester until someone gets hurt. You all might just need a little break from each other, but that doesn’t mean you’re a bad friend.
2) Problem: Homework and tests are piling up and you have zero motivation.
Solution: While this will probably be a recurring issue all four years of your college experience, it can seem especially stressful in your sophomore year when you have to plan for the future and are pressured to decide on a major, internships, and a career path on top of it all. So why is it so tempting to lay in bed and keep pressing ‘next episode’? Instead of letting things pile up, get organized and decide what you need to do for the next few days. Even if you have to barricade yourself in the library and turn off your phone, checking a few big-ticket items off your to-do list will clear your head and give you some leeway so you don’t have to stress about assignments at the last minute. When you feel prepared and in control, you’re much less likely to burn out and just stop caring altogether. Designate one day each week for getting ahead.
3) Problem: It suddenly seems like you’re sick of everything- the food, the parties, your room, your routine, your clothes, etc.
Solution: Freshman year, everything seemed exciting because it was new. Now, you may find yourself a little bit jaded and just wanting a change. You’ve been doing the same comfortable things for so long that they are probably contributing to your overall feeling of dissatisfaction and exhaustion. So try something new! Here are some great suggestions for fun autumn activities. You may not think you have the energy or time to do something out of your comfort zone, but it’ll be worth it in the end. Eat somewhere you’ve always wanted to try. Ask someone out. Buy a new jacket or pair of boots to get you excited for fall. Just do anything new and you’ll be out of that rut in no time. And of course, don’t forget to appreciate the little things you might be taking for granted – like how pretty campus is in the fall!
4) Problem: You’re tired literally ALL the time.
Solution: When everyone is always complaining about his or her sleep deprivation, being fatigued and exhausted for most of the week can seem normal. It isn’t! If you find that your exhaustion is interfering with your motivation or ability to do regular schoolwork, you should probably change some things. Look at an adequate amount of sleep as a commitment (almost) as important as tests and homework. If you really push yourself to prioritize, focus, and get organized, you might find that you have more time for sleep than you thought.
5) Problem: You just feel generally blah.
Solution: While this problem is related to and involves problem #4, it encompasses a greater lifestyle change that will help you feel back on track and ready to rock the rest of the semester. Sure, eating at Wendy’s during a late night study session and grabbing Chick Fil A every day for lunch tastes great, but you might not feel so great later. Making conscious changes to your diet and exercise regime can not only give you a greater sense of structure and control, but will make a real difference in the way you feel all day. Try eating right 80% of the time and exercising moderately for just a few days. You will definitely see a difference in your mood and energy level.
6) Problem: You have no idea what you want to do with your life.
Solution: Yes, it seems like all your peers are busy doing word-class research and snagging impossibly competitive internships nine months before summer even starts. But that’s almost never the case – and they’re probably thinking the same thing about you. Sophomore year is that time when you really are forced to grow up and start defining about who you are and who you want to be. Don’t think of that as a burden, think of it as an opportunity to grow and change. You’re still young enough to decide what path you want your life to take and you probably haven’t made any irreversible commitments if you feel a nagging dread that your major or pursuing your childhood dream of being a doctor just isn’t for you. Evaluate what you really want, and then make a rough outline of how you’re going to get there. Writing goals down goes a long way in helping achieve them. Apply for every internship or opportunity you think you might be remotely interested in, even if you think you won’t get it. At this stage in your life, you have nothing to lose and it’s never too late to change your mind.
See? It’s a real thing!
Collegiettes, have you experienced the “sophomore slump”? Got any tips for us? Share them below!