By now, we’ve all sunk into our routines for the semester
(at least as much as we can in between blizzards), but it’s a particularly
vulnerable time for sophomores to sink even further—into malaise or
disillusionment. Being a sophomore is like being the forgotten middle child of
a college family. No longer coddled by the administration, and entrenched in the
fast-paced freshman year “college experience” lifestyle, but not old enough to
live in an off-campus apartment or enjoy other seniority privileges, it can be
hard for second-year students to maintain their enthusiasm. At Tufts, sophomore
year is an especially stressful time – faced with declaring a major, attempting
to delineate a career path, applying to study abroad programs, and trying to
figure out living arrangements for the next year, it’s easy to get bogged down
in the decisions and lose sight of the end goal. I’ve definitely felt the
pressure, and I’m willing to bet that I’m not alone on this.
Similar to my reflection on the quarter-life crisis a few
weeks ago, here are some of my own thoughts on the sophomore slump, some ways to fight the slump, and the
Career Center resources at your disposal.
What is the sophomore slump, exactly? It’s a common phrase
that most of us have heard before, and it can be applied to everything from
college sophomores to the music and entertainment industries (usually in
reference to an unpopular second album or TV season). For our purposes, the
sophomore slump refers to the dissatisfaction one
feels in their second year with the direction that their college career is heading. Sophomores become less academically engaged, and begin to revert to more passive study habits such as memorization rather than analytical reasoning (these patterns have been studied, and many other patterns have been noted as well -- from increases in time spent socializing to changes in conversation subjects with friends from academic work to personal matters). It’s an
unfortunate but pervasive phenomenon; people generally crave stability, but
there’s a point where stability feels like drifting in stagnant water.
Clearly, we would all love to avoid the sophomore slump –
but how? A plethora of advice can be found from creditable and questionable sources, but the common theme in all of these nuggets of wisdom is to avoid feelings of boredom or disengagement. Whether it’s joining a new club, strengthening relationships with professors, or making new friends, all
suggestions point to proactive change as the cure to the sophomore slump.
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| Me waking up for my 8:30 classes. |
A dangerous side effect of the sophomore slump is the
development of uncertainty or apathy about your future or career path. When sophomores begin to lose focus on academic activities, a loss in commitment to career development is likely to follow. In fact, one of the most common times for students to drop out of college, a decision that will certainly have repercussions on career planning, is shortly after sophomore year. Luckily, research points to many possible solutions to losing interest in career development, all of which connect with the aforementioned theme of proactive engagement. Sophomores are always encouraged to partake in internships. In addition to gaining valuable skills for a career that you're interested in, an internship is a very reflective experience through which you can learn about yourself, your skills and talents, and the traits in a job or work environment that you find desirable. From personal experience, I can attest to this advice; my internship with the Career Center has made me realize how much I truly enjoy writing, and perhaps I can find a way to work writing into my future career. Another common suggestion is to crystallize relationships with faculty members in your major's department. These relationships will not only come in handy if you ever need a letter of reference, but can potentially be another source of advice for course selection and their field of expertise. Whatever you choose to do with your free time, whether it's seeking an internship, engaging with professors, joining a new on-campus activity, or volunteering somewhere, there are always opportunities to explore, reflect, and avoid going adrift.
If you’re looking for another way to avoid the
slump, there’s always (you know I’m going to say it) the Career Center! Their
website updates constantly with events both on and off campus that you can take advantage of to get a jumpstart on your
career planning. There are always
events that explore specific career fields, like the recent panels on careers
in media and careers that apply French language skills. Specifically for
sophomores, the Sophomore Career Seminar is a really informative event that
gets you in the right mindset to begin thinking long-term. It happens in the
fall, you so may have missed it this year, but if you’re a freshman, keep this
in mind for next year (or register here for the upcoming First Year Career Seminar!).
Additionally, the Career Center’s class checklists can help you to assess what
you’ve done and what you should do by the end of your sophomore year and
beyond. It’s not an exact science, but these checklists will certainly put you
on the right track. Don’t miss out on these resources available to you in your
college years (and beyond).
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| A big part of these ideas to avoid the sophomore slump involve a skill everyone needs: networking. |
Like the quarter-life crisis, there’s no surefire way to
avoid the sophomore slump. Life has highs and lows, and about 600,000 of them happen
when you’re young. As students, we need to not only roll with the punches but
take advantage of the opportunity we have to look around at what our options
in life are. This is a great privilege afforded to us, and it would be wasteful
to squander it. So pull yourself out of that slump, and leap into the big and
beautiful rise.
Until next time,
Sean Boyden
Class of 2017
