College Sophomores: How to Avoid the Academic “Sophomore Slump”

Many returning college sophomores find that the novelty and excitement of college has been replaced by massive amounts of stress. Many college sophomores find themselves disenchanted with their majors, college friends, or even their choice of university. If you are a college sophomore, you aren’t the only one feeling down in the dumps. Welcome to the sophomore slump.

You made it through your freshman year without dropping out or going crazy. You arrived at college as nervous as can be but managed quite nicely during that difficult first year. After making it through spring semester finals, you even survived that first summer at home with the parents-not easy for a college student who has had a taste of independence. So, given all the challenges you’ve made it through up until sophomore year, you’d think being a college sophomore would be a breeze. So why the sophomore slump?

Turns out, sophomore year is harder than you’ve been lead to believe. As college sophomores return to campus after the first summer away, they find themselves barraged with stress from every angle. The main stressors for college sophomores either deal with academics, personal life or relationships. While personal life and relationships can make sophomore year tough, academics tends to be the main roadblock for college sophomores.

Academically, many a college sophomore feels the pressure to declare a major. After following the advisor’s advice and sampling a variety of generals, the college sophomore may still not have found the right major and begins to despair of ever shaking the label of “undeclared student.”

Even if you are declared in a major and minor by sophomore year, you may share another common college sophomore problem: wondering if you chose the right major. Sophomore year is the time when many students switch majors, sometimes several times. These college sophomores are also feeling the pressure to declare and actually stick with a major, especially now that they have accumulated a ton of credits that they might not necessarily need. For example, I began my sophomore year of college as a music major and found that it was not the appropriate course of study for me. Faced with this academic sophomore slump, I took the typical path of college sophomores-I switched majors, eventually settling on Elementary Education. While relieved to be a college sophomore with a major that felt “right” I was newly stressed by my lack of Education credits, and by the growing certainty that I would be a five year student-a “super senior.

The only solution I have found from this college sophomore problem is to continue to follow that dreaded advice from the freshman advisor: keep taking generals and trust that the right major will come along. If sophomore year is drawing to a close, meet with your advisor, who will help you make a last minute decision you won’t regret. Many college sophomores end up choosing the subject that they’ve accumulated the most credits in. My best friend, for example, had no idea which major to choose, even as she was preparing for her spring semester finals during sophomore year. She went over her transcript and discovered that she had taken more credits in psychology, as well as several courses (such as statistics) that fulfilled psychology requirements, so she decided to declare a major in psychology.

In the end, your choice of major doesn’t always matter that much, especially if you are a college sophomore who has enjoyed taking a variety of majors. Look at what you’ve been taking and what classes you enjoyed the most and what subject they fit into-that is your best choice of a major. If you’re afraid it won’t get you a good job, remember that many professions only require a bachelor’s degree, and that you’ll have a better chance of getting into grad school if you enjoy your major enough to study hard and do well in school.

The other academic concern of college sophomores is worry over taking upper level courses. These can be more interesting and applicable to your major than freshman classes, but they will certainly add stress to your sophomore year. The amount of study time increases substantially, as does the necessity to earn a decent grade in your classes; college sophomores are no longer able to make excuses about how their classes “don’t matter,” especially if those classes are prerequisites for other upper level courses or even internships.

The first thing to do before taking harder classes during sophomore year is to renew your commitment to excelling. As a college sophomore, just getting by in generals will no longer cut it. Figure out the areas in which you struggled as a freshman and resolve to make the necessary changes as a college sophomore so you escape the academic sophomore slump. If this means taking a class in study skills in order to improve your study habits, do it. Many college sophomores find that simply shifting their time from partying to studying is enough to ensure a higher grade point average. Others may need to study less and schedule a little relaxation time.

Many college sophomores find that some level of an academic “sophomore slump” is unavoidable, but with the proper preparation, they can make the impact of the sophomore slump less devastating by planning and getting help from advisors. If you are serious about turning things around, there is no reason why you shouldn’t have a successful sophomore year.