Ah, the joys of coming back to college as a sophomore- studying, lack of sleep, stress eating, no binge eating at Chick-fil-A, and more studying. Despite the few setbacks I’ve already had (aka running into a pole outside of Pius) this year is already looking better than my last.
Reason Number One: I have FLEX- the unlimited meal swipe plan was not the move, as all the freshmen will soon learn. There’s only so many times I could eat a chicken patty at Grand before I would become a literal chicken patty. The $995 flex plan allows me to eat as I please at the fine establishments surrounding campus (aka Garbanzo)! Also, please, try to ration flex as much as you can or honestly add more. Whatever you do, don’t finish off all your flex drinking frappes at Starbucks in a month.
Reason Number Two: I actually have friends! Well, let me clarify, I had friends last year, but I kind of floated around. I also went into college thinking I would be a loner. One of the best pieces of advice I can give is that you don’t need to be friends with everyone or tolerate someone being rude because there are 7000+ people on campus. Towards the end of the year, I solidified my true group of people, and it’s been great living on the same floor as them. Be open to meeting new people! Specifically, this year I have been able to befriend some of the kindest and most selfless people I know, despite initially being wary of their excessive joy at all times.
Reason Number Three: I like my suite-mates. Let me tell you living with people you like changes lives. CHANGES LIVES. I don’t have to worry about getting attacked for my personality, the clothing I decide to wear to Chem Lab, or shoveling food into my mouth. At least now, my suite-mates don’t watch my roommate cry and then leave the room or set fire alarms off due to excessive dust the night before an exam. My suite-mates now get me- the biggest problem we have is agreeing over the temperature we set our room to.
Reason Number Four: I enjoy the activities I’m doing and the clubs I am part of. Last year, I signed up to be part of anything and everything I found interesting. However, I quickly realized that it is okay to say no. Balance is imperative, and frankly academics take precedence over all of the different organizations I could be part of. I finally found my balance with being part of clubs that I truly enjoy and give those clubs my best effort.
Reason Number Five: I have figured out my studying habits, well to some degree. I tried studying with friends last year, attempted listening to Kanye West while studying for gen chem exams, and even tried procrastinating more. You will soon realize that when it comes to studying, don’t feel bad for not wanting to study with your friends. For example, I figured out quickly after some of my exam grades last year that I need to study my own way, which for me is being in a quiet environment and not studying with a group. Do whatever works best for you.
Reason Number Six: I have learned to go with the flow (kind of). Change is not my friend. I like having my schedule and enjoy having everything go my way. Much to my dismay that doesn’t really happen in college. Whether it’s scheduling classes, eating food, or sleeping, life in college is based on others. Honestly, it’s fun to let others plan out life for you sometimes, it’s actually how I’ve had some of my fondest memories from last year. I let myself take the back seat and let others stress about schedules. However, don’t be too laid back (please do stuff on time) otherwise you’ll end up relearning all 100 topics of Aleks the same night as your flight back home after finals.
With all the knowledge that I gained from my freshman year at SLU, I have learned to be semi-successful. There definitely is room for improvement (aka learning how to walk without running into poles). However, I hope through this article you all got a glimpse into sophomore year and how it hopefully just gets better. If any of you ever need help, stop by and say hi! I’ll be one of the many brown girls at Pius-stress eating, studying, sleeping and trying to find a way to score some Chik-fil-A.