By sophomore year of college, we feel maybe we are starting to get the hang of this whole college thing. We have our friends, we no longer get lost on campus and we have now caught on that attending class is a nice suggestion but not a mandatory duty. Along with this newfound sense of comfort, we tend to find ourselves getting caught in a sort of rut. It seems harder to wake up for class on time, harder to find motivation to do that extra credit and harder to actually see ourselves growing into the professional adults we are prepping to be. Sophomore year seems to be a year full of mental breakdowns, total life reevaluations and a lot less pokey sticks (#tbt to freshman year). But there are ways to bump the sophomore slump.
Start waking up early
Even if you don’t have anything in particular to do, waking up early tends to make people feel more productive. You can actually have time to make yourself breakfast, maybe work on some homework and trick yourself into feeling like you have your life together. Make some oatmeal, put on your sneakers and go run some errands. Replace your roll of paper towels and get your life back on track.
Make time to go to meals with friends
Often, the only time you may see your friends is when going out or going to class amidst your busy schedule. It is super important to set aside time to grab some good food with good company because you may find that the answer to all of your life’s problems are at the bottom of that southwestern omelet and black coffee.
Stop being stressed with your future
Be excited. You only get your undergrad degree once, and your sole purpose of being here is to grow into the beautiful and prospering success you are bound to become. Stop thinking your entire life is in shambles, and realize that everything will work out the way it is meant to, as long as you work hard and keep your happiness as your main priority.
Remember there’s a light at the end of the tunnel
Even though the only tunnel we are really familiar with is the one by Norman Hall, it is important to realize that we’re only in school for a finite amount of time, and that one day soon our lives will take off. Our friends, routines and classes we have grown so accustom to, even our favorite Publix to shop at where all the stock boys know us, will soon be gone, and we will start new lives elsewhere. Get out of bed, go to class and make the most out of your college experience.
We are only sophomores once, and although we may feel old and irrelevant, we really are just 20-year-olds over thinking our appearance. Yes, now we can read all of those Buzzfeed articles pertaining to “20-something year olds” and we can wallow in self pity when all our friends are out with their boyfriends and we’re home with our textbooks, but we must not succumb to the sophomore slump. We may only be underclassmen, but we should always strive to be overconfident, overachieving and overjoyed.
Photo credit: theodysseyonline.com