In high school, time seemed to drag. I felt like graduation couldn’t come any sooner and I was essentially wasting my high school years trying to look at the future instead of the present. Fast forward, here I am as a sophomore in college and I’ve run into the same issue. I’m calling it the “mid-college slump.” At this point, I’m just under halfway through college and I’ve hit a plateau.
On one hand, I stress myself out about my college years going by too fast and the fact that I’m not taking advantage of every opportunity out there for me. On the other hand, I’m burnt out and just want some time to breathe. Now, I know what you’re thinking — I’m in for a rude awakening if I’m already burnt out in my second year of college. But, I know plenty of other students feel the same way. It begins to feel like a never-ending cycle of the same routine.
In my situation, the changing routine of college has helped me get out of that rut at least a little bit. In high school, I had the same schedule throughout the entire academic year, so classes never changed. This was a big difference between coming into college and having an entirely new set of classes every semester. It can be easy to sink back and become less involved in activities that you were once extremely passionate about. I’ve joined a couple of new organizations this semester and it’s refreshed my routine.
Another struggle that I know many students deal with — not just in their second year —is the fear of the unknown. I’ve changed majors three times, not knowing what you want to do is totally normal. You’re not falling behind just because you don’t have your entire life planned out yet. Take the freedom in college to explore classes that could potentially complement your interests and lead you to new paths.
Although it took me a while to figure out where I fit in and what I enjoyed doing, I’ve wound up in a major that I love and find myself looking forward to classes and learning more. The slump that I faced, and that you could be facing, will not last forever. College is a huge period of growth and self-discovery so, use it to your advantage.