1. Going out While not everyone goes out and parties, it’s amazing how much you can learn about the social scene of your school within a year. Maybe you learned which parties to go to and which to avoid. Maybe it’s discovering that just hanging out in different dorms isn’t really fun anymore. But you are finding more and more ways to go out that isn’t just heading to the frat party.
2. Homework Even if you were a great student in high school, adjusting to college academics can still knock you off your feet. By your sophomore year, you’ve grasped it a little bit more. You know when you are most productive, where to work, and how to manage time just a little bit better than in years past. It’s a process, but you are getting the hang of it.
3. Friends There are so many people you meet your first year, and you were probably desperate to make friends. Maybe you met some really awesome folks, but there were probably a couple of first-week friends that you realized you did not actually click with. The second time around, you have your core group of buddies along with knowing how to spend time with people who you love to be around, not just grabbing on to the person sitting closest to you.
4. Self-Awareness Every year, growing up makes us a little bit wiser, so obviously you will grow significantly from your first semester to your third semester. It’s less of scrambling to match others around you, but more about doing your own thing and knowing your strengths as a student and human. It’s about knowing yourself and finding grove as you grow. With the remaining time in college, there is still a lot of learning to come, but reflecting on the changes within ourselves is pretty neat.