As my Sophomore year of college is coming to a close within the next few weeks, I wanted to highlight some of the many important lessons I’ve learned throughout the year. Our college years introduce so many new friendships, relationships, situations, and environments. Therefore, there are a lot of moments we can learn from throughout these four years. Here are a few lessons I have learned during my Sophomore year.
- Get Involved!
As a college Sophomore, you already have one year under your belt. Hopefully, you are feeling more settled in with your group of friends, classes, and being on campus. Now that you’ve become more comfortable with the college environment, it’s a great idea to put yourself out there and get involved in clubs or groups that might be focused on your major or interests. Clubs are a great way to make friends and participate in what your campus has to offer. Personally, as a communications major, I have joined two communications clubs this year and it has really helped me to understand what I want to do with my major, post-college. I have also met so many awesome people who share the same major and interests as me which has been so fun and helpful as we also have similar classes. Even if a club is not tailored specifically to your major, that’s ok! There are so many organizations on campus that offer fun activities if you’re simply looking to make friends or participate in fun activities.
- Communication is Key
This is a smart piece of advice to carry with you throughout all your years of college, however, it is a major lesson I have learned within my Sophomore year. Living with roommates is not always going to be the easiest thing for anyone. You are required to share a space with others and many people do not have similar lifestyles sometimes. This is why it is so important to communicate your needs and expectations with your roommate(s). Some topics may include what time you go to bed or how often you will have a boyfriend or girlfriend in the room. The better you understand each other’s lifestyles, the easier roommate living will be. I stress this because Sophomore year is typically the first year that students are given the opportunity to live with more than one roommate. This year, I chose to live with six of my best friends and although we love each other, some days and conversations can be difficult. I definitely learned that not everyone lives the same way and that is totally okay. Some conversations and situations will be hard and that is where open and honest communication with your roommates is so important.
- Stay Organized
As a Sophomore student, I have been pretty booked and busy this school year. Between classes, homework, practice, and my social life, I have really had to learn how to manage my time. I did this by keeping a planner on my iPad of all the homework that needed to be done and what I had on the agenda for each day. I found this really helpful in staying organized and on top of things. Even making sure that my room and space stayed organized was a big part of my motivation. If my room is a mess I feel stressed and it often leads me to be unproductive and lazy. Therefore, I highly recommend doing yourself a favor and keeping your space clean because it will make you feel more put together and motivated.
- Avoid the Gossip
As girls, we all love a good gossip session with our friends. Gossip and rumors can be so entertaining and fun but they can also get you in trouble. Sometimes these secrets are better to keep to yourself because gossip can really impact your friendships and overall trust. There have totally been times this year when I thought I could trust a friend with something, and the message ended up in the hands of other people. This is why it is valuable to think before you speak and only reveal important information to those that you know you can truly trust. Gossip is not always worth losing someone’s trust or ruining a relationship. Sometimes the mature thing to do is to keep to yourself and stay out of some situations altogether.