When I was a freshman, sophomores felt older than me. Talking to a sophomore almost felt like talking to an adult, or a senior, or someone that knew what they were doing. As a freshman, I didn’t necessarily know what I was doing. I went to class, joined a few clubs, met new people, and had some fun. I’m following the same path now, except as a sophomore. I’m not entirely sure how I feel. Moving into an apartment made me feel old. Or at least older. Sharing classes with freshmen and talking to freshmen reminds me that I’m not much older than they are, and yet I feel more experienced.
As a sophomore I feel slightly more obligated to get a job, or an internship, or a something because these four years are going faster than I’ll realize and the future seems to become more and more imminent. Then again, why worry? Everything will work itself out, right?
While it’s okay to stress over the future, it is not okay to obsess over it. Don’t forget to live in the moment. There is a time and place for worrisome thoughts, just as there is a time and place for fun and recklessness. Sophomores may feel in the middle of this spectrum. Do I worry about declaring my major and crafting career ideas? Or do I live in the moment, forget the future, and let whatever happens happen? All of this will depend on the type of person you are, but keeping a balance will be the key to a good year.
Either way, life is life, and we deal with it the best way we can. Whether you’re a freshman, sophomore, junior, senior, or post-grad adult, you are experiencing something and you are coping.
This is what life does, doesn’t it? Life throws you into different situations –sometimes without any prior knowledge – and expects you to get through it, move on, and live again. While being a sophomore is not drastically different from being a freshman or a college student in general, it is another moment that you have to navigate and another level of your life in which you may find a different part of yourself.
I want to let people know that no matter where they are in life, it’s okay to stress and it’s okay to have fun at the same time. Finding that balance is the most important thing. While this article started off as my journey from freshman to sophomore, it has now ended as a short message to everyone, wherever you are in life.
After all, “Life doesn’t happen to you, it happens for you.”-Jim Carrey