Here we are, once again staring down the end of a semester. As final papers and projects pile up and the summer days we’ve dreamt of are almost in reach, it’s time to reflect on the past year of college. As a sophomore, you’ve learned a lot. Hopefully, you were able to find a bit more balance. We all reach the point at some time, many of us at the end of sophomore year, in which we realize we’re actually halfway done with our college career. How crazy is that?! So to honor the first half of my life in college, here are some of the lessons I learned in my sophomore year.
Keep your friends close, but not all of them.
In your freshman year, you probably met a lot of people. In sophomore year, you find out that not all those people you met a year ago aren’t going to stay in your life. Some will remain close to you, some will occasionally keep in touch, and some will disappear entirely. Sophomore year is the year of figuring out which people are the most important to keep in your life. I’m not advocating that you shut people out of your life, but it is important that you don’t spread yourself too thin trying to maintain connections. The friends you keep your sophomore are a lot more likely to be the friends you have for life.
Don’t put off finding off-campus housing.
There’s nothing wrong with living on campus. But if you plan on moving off-campus for the next year, DON’T PUT IT OFF. The scramble for off-campus housing in the fall can be likened to chaos and competition of The Hunger Games. So don’t wait. Make sure you have a solid idea of who you want to live with, how much you’re willing to pay, and where you want to be in relation to campus. It’s a long process, and as I learned in my sophomore year, it takes a lot of communication and organization.
Explore more of La Crosse.
La Crosse has so much to offer, and chances are, you didn’t get to see half as much of it as you wanted in your freshman year. By the time you’re a sophomore, you have a better idea of all there is to see and do, so take advantage of that. Try out as many coffee shops as you can, walk somewhere you haven’t been yet, and try a new trail in the bluffs. You won’t be disappointed.
Get involved in the right things.
Maybe you were involved in too much freshman year, or maybe you didn’t get involved at all. With a year under your belt, it’s a lot easier to figure out what you really love by your sophomore year. You shouldn’t be afraid to bow out of a few clubs or activities if you’re not genuinely interested in them. A lot of people find that they figure out what they really enjoy and what they can manage alongside their schedules during their sophomore year. Like writing for Her Campus for instance.
Keep working to find your balance.
There’s no rule book that says you can’t have fun in college while also being a good student. In my own experience, it’s best to have time to let loose and time to focus on schoolwork. In your sophomore year, you’re probably still figuring things out, but it should become easier to find your balance. Hopefully, sophomore year is when tackling work, class, involvement, and social life isn’t all that intimidating. It’s a great year to keep working toward finding your balance.
In the end, the most important thing I’ve learned is how time flies by. It feels like I just moved into my freshman dorm at UWL, and all of a sudden, I’m less than two weeks away from finishing my sophomore year. So cherish the time you have here. Don’t take things too seriously, and make memories. These are the ones that will last a lifetime.