Transitioning from freshman to sophomore year is such a weird experience. I swear, just yesterday we were the ones getting lost on campus, nervously walking into our first sorority chapter meeting, and looking up to the older students who seemed to have everything figured out. Now, suddenly, we are the “older students.”
It feels strange, honestly. Being a sophomore means we’re no longer new faces, but we’re also not the seasoned upperclassmen who are nearing graduation. It’s this in-between stage where campus feels familiar, and I have my routines established, yet I still slip up and say I’m a freshman when people ask me, “What year are you?”
The shift is especially clear in my sorority. Last year, I looked up to my big and older members for guidance on pretty much everything. Now, the new members are turning to us with those same questions. It’s such a full-circle moment that’s made me realize just how much I’ve grown in only one year.
But that growth is not as glamorous as it sounds. It’s not like we have suddenly transformed into some wise mentors who have life all figured out. No, it shows up in smaller, very sophomore ways, like finally realizing that wearing sweats to class is socially acceptable (a freedom I should’ve embraced way earlier).
However, stepping into that role comes with its own pressures. Freshman year was riddled with trial and error; it’s okay if you mess up because “you’re a freshman” or “you don’t know how it all works yet,” but now we are expected to have it all figured out. We’ve become the girls that others look to for guidance, even though we are still learning ourselves.
Like I said, being a sophomore is weird; it’s the “middle ground” of college. We are more confident than we were as freshmen, but every day we are still figuring out what we want to get out of college and who our real friends are. And maybe that’s the beauty of it; sophomore year is a reminder that growth doesn’t stop when we end freshman year.
So yes, it is strange suddenly feeling “older.” It’s like we blinked and went from being lost to being leaders (somewhat). Do we actually have everything figured out? Absolutely not. But if the freshmen think we do, we’ll let them keep believing it. Fake it till you make it, right?