By the time new freshmen set foot on campus, they have already been warned of the challenges of moving away from home, meeting new people and starting life in a different environment. But seldom do students hear about the challenges of the transition from freshman to sophomore. The push to declare a major, find an internship and decide whether or not to apply to study abroad can lead second year students to fall into “the sophomore slump.”
“Sometimes, sophomores can feel a bit ignored compared to the freshmen,” said Karin Levin-Coburn, vice chancellor for students and the author of “Letting Go: A Parents’ Guide to Understanding the College Years.” Levin-Coburn continued, “There is an expectation that sophomores should know how things work.”
In her book, Levin-Coburn addresses this secondary transition and the confusion that can sometimes ensue. One of the staff counselors in Counseling and Health Services, Sarah Shia, said such confusion can arise when sophomores start thinking about the many choices that lie ahead.
“Sophomore year is a time when people make changes in ideas of what they would like to major in,” said Shia. “This time can interfere with a person’s identity. Prior to this time, things have been laid out. This is the first time that [he/she] has had to make a major decision.”
Sophomore Ashley Smith attested that the “sophomore slump” does exist, due in part to the increasing importance of the choices students make.
“The initial excitement [of college] is gone, and you are trying to find your way through coursework and majors.”
The “sophomore slump” does not necessarily have to be bad, according to Levin-Coburn. She said it can serve as a learning experience and has many hidden positives.
“The ‘sophomore slump’ is a period of certainty and uncertainty, and it is a time of growth,” said Levin-Coburn. “The slump can be compared to a shellfish that has lost its shell in order to grow, but it is vulnerable in between.”
Smith said she had been dreading her sophomore year because she heard other people badmouthing it. But according to her, “sophomore year has been a learning experience. [You] are not quite an upperclassman, but you have a level of responsibility. Freshmen look up to you.”
For students nervous about becoming sophomores, Levin-Coburn said there are ways to survive. She recommends that students make use of the resources that are available.
“Actively choose to talk to professors, engage with advisors and use the counseling services. Use the advantage of being a sophomore. You know what is around,” she said.
Shia, in her meetings with students, also recommends that people take advantage of what Counseling and Health Services has to offer. She says that experiencing the “sophomore slump” is “normal.”
“People should definitely use the resources at hand. You need to deal with the problem and know if you are overextending yourself,” she said.
The problem may not be an inevitability, as some sophomores do not experience the slump at all. Sophomore Joe Thomas said he never felt lost during his second year.
“I do not feel neglected,” Thomas said. “There is not as much hand-holding, but the school still bends over backwards for all of its undergraduates.”
“Sophomore slump” survivor Smith concurred, and said that overcoming the transition is not a difficult thing to do. She told new sophomores to “be encouraged. Sophomore year is not as bad as people make it out to be. You can make it through.”