I used to be under the impression that the “sophomore slump” only applied to that dreadful second year of high school, but, as a current second year in college, it still hits just as hard. Classes feel tougher, graduation feels closer, and the looming question of “what am I doing?” feels louder than ever.
It’s almost as if one day you wake up and everyone has an internship lined up, a five-year plan mapped out, and a LinkedIn announcement ready to go. And, if you don’t, it can make you feel miles behind for no real reason.
Although this season of change is undeniably overwhelming (for everyone, not just sophomores), it doesn’t have to consume you. There are ways to navigate the uncertainty without spiraling. Here are some practical steps and pieces of advice you can take today to ease the pressure and remind yourself that you’re not supposed to have it all figured out yet.
Your Career, And Life, Shouldn’t Be Linear
At UCSB, it’s safe to assume most of us are extremely driven. We work hard, we care about doing well, and we feel pressure to succeed—not just academically, but in every aspect of our lives. It can start to feel like there’s only one “correct” path: get this grade to get into this grad school to land this job to earn this salary. It’s an endless, exhausting checklist. Society loves to push the idea that you should always be moving at full speed, constantly leveling up. Yet, realistically, life is unpredictable and you have to learn to move with its ebb and flow. Growth isn’t linear, success isn’t linear, and your career definitely doesn’t need to follow some rigid blueprint.
A little structure is helpful, sure, but you don’t have to have your entire future mapped out by your second year of college. It’s okay to explore, change your mind, slow down, pivot, and figure out what actually feels right for you.
To give a real-life example, my sister spent her first three years of college fully committed to accounting. She interned with a Big 4 firm twice, earned a full-time offer, and was on track to follow the exact plan she’d mapped out since freshman year. On paper, everything was lining up perfectly.
Sophomore year she abruptly tore her ACL and ended up spending months in physical therapy. PT had never crossed her mind as a career, but she found herself loving the environment: the hands-on work, the personal connections with clients, the feeling of helping people improve.
That unexpected experience shifted everything she thought she knew. Realizing her “perfect plan” didn’t match what actually energized her, she turned down the offer, walked away from the path she’d spent years building, and transitioned toward something she discovered completely by accident.
Although this won’t be everyone’s experience, it highlights how even the most carefully crafted plans can change. It is a quintessential part of the human experience to face setbacks and struggle; that is how we learn and grow. Opportunities appear when you least expect them, and, especially in college, it’s never too late to discover a new passion or direction that genuinely excites you.
Stress Is Never Ending (But Doesn’t Have To Be All-Consuming)
My whole primary education, I was under the impression that the end goal was getting into a solid, “prestigious” college. Honestly, after submitting my college applications senior year, I checked out from anything even remotely academic. Unfortunately, no one told me that stress would seep into college and the rest of life (probably should’ve been obvious, but whatever).
The truth is, there are always going to be moments of tension, anxiety-ridden situations, and life-altering decisions that bring on a suffocating sense of stress. But the way you react to those circumstances can completely change the trajectory of the result. Looking at difficult situations in a more positive, solution-oriented light can actually strengthen problem solving, improve mental health, and increase resilience.
As we all know, it is almost too easy to feel overwhelmed. Between academics, professional goals, social life, and everything in between, there is constantly something creating stress or, in some cases, a full-blown existential crisis. No matter how organized you are or how good your time management might be, oftentimes there simply are not enough hours in the day to complete a seemingly endless list of tasks. As obvious as it sounds, the most effective way to manage those daunting to-do lists is to take them one step at a time. Focus on a task, check a box, and move down the list. Create a clear sense of progress, and stress will begin to lift naturally.
“Figure It Out”
Life is about learning from experiences, growing from failure, and navigating how to simply make ends meet. There is no “right way” to do it, no instruction manual. I recently went to a career panel with both new and distinguished professionals, all from different backgrounds, who shared their personal stories of how they ended up in the positions they’re in today. Despite the fact that they all work in different occupations, there was one common theme: throughout their early adulthood and career, they all had to “figure it out.”
As much as school can try to prepare you, there are aspects of life you can only learn by actually living it. No class can fully teach you how to move to a new city, negotiate a salary, switch industries, or realize that your “dream job” actually isn’t your dream. Majority of the people on the panel didn’t land in their current roles on the first go. Some took jobs they weren’t obsessed with just to scrape by and pay rent. Others completely pivoted, going from accounting to education, or from finance to nonprofit work, because they realized their original path didn’t fit anymore.
Hearing these professionals talk about their twenties made it clear that feeling lost, uncertain, or “behind” is actually part of the process, not a sign you’re failing. They didn’t wake up one day with everything magically put together. Instead, they made the best decisions they could with the information they had, learned from what didn’t work, and adjusted. That’s what “figuring it out” really looks like: not knowing all the answers, but trusting that you’re capable of handling whatever comes next, one step at a time.
Professional Rebrand
Going into the professional world as an undergrad can feel extremely intimidating. The business professional attire, endless handshakes, and pressure to network can feel like a whole new beast to conquer, and it can be challenging to find your voice.
However, what really sets apart just meeting people from actually landing opportunities is how you network. Think about the people in your life who are the biggest characters—the ones everyone seems to talk about, who make a memorable first impression, who command every room they walk into. That might be you, or you might be the complete opposite, but when you’re talking to people who could potentially help your future, it is imperative that you tap into that kind of energy.
The great thing about confidence is that no one ever really knows if it’s real or not. “Fake it till you make it” might sound cliché, but there’s truth in it: practice makes permanent. Even if you’re feeling lost and don’t necessarily have everything figured out, present yourself like you know exactly who you are and what you’re working toward. Over time, that version of you starts to feel less like an act and more like reality.
At the end of the day, you don’t need a long-term plan, a polished LinkedIn, or a dream job lined up to be on the “right track.” You just need to keep showing up, stay open to change, and trust that it’s okay to figure things out as you go.