As defined by Wikipedia, a sophomore slump is “an instance in which a second, or sophomore, the effort fails to live up to the standards of the first effort.”
Before coming back to campus for my second year at “The University of Duke”, I had no idea what the heck a sophomore slump was. I honestly expected my second year to be a breeze, as I had already faced the challenges of making friends, finals week, “the freshman 15” and the horrible experience of an all-nighter. This new year would be my opportunity to effortlessly get all A’s while also going out every weekend.
But, as the weeks have passed and classes have gone on I have quickly come to realize, this year won’t be as easy as I thought it was going to be. As Midterms creep up on me and my anxiety levels increase, I have come to know the sophomore slump oh too well.
This time last year I was stressed, yes, but not like this. I now know how hard midterms are and what happens when you aren’t prepared. But midterms aren’t the only things on my mind now, being that I have to declare my major next semester, the second biggest decision of my life after deciding to come to Duke.
I write all of this to say when I first realized this year may be the hardest of my undergraduate experience, I thought I was alone, but now I know I’m not. From conversations with my friends and just the simple fact there is a name for this phenomenon, I know that several people are going through or have gone through the same thing I am now. Granted they may not be addicted to Salmon Poke Bowls from Ginger and Soy or watching make-up tutorials but they know how it feels.
And I am here to say that if you are in your sophomore slump or having a freshman year from Hell, you are not alone. College is hard but you are stronger and in the end, you will see that this experience only helped to make you a better person. So keep studying, keep smiling and keep pushing on, we will get through this together!
From,
A girl who is currently pulling an all-nighter with three midterms next week