With your first year at Ohio University in the bag, you’re all geared up for the fall semester, tentatively planned to start Aug. 24 (because of the COVID-19 pandemic, everything has been more or less tentative). You’re excited about returning, but take note: if you’ve heard about the dreaded sophomore slump, it is real.
Here are some reasons your sophomore year may turn out to be challenging:
- You were kind of a big deal when you were a freshman, and everyone bent over backwards to make you feel welcome and help you settle in. Now, you know the ropes, and there’s a new batch of freshmen whom everyone is concentrating on.
- You made some good friends in the dorm and were situated fairly closely to each other. Now you may be more spread out from your friends, and it’s a bit harder to hang out with them. Maybe you have to travel across campus, and that’s not always convenient.
- Things are beginning to seem serious. You and your friends may have felt the pressure to declare majors and commit to something that will likely be your life’s path. That’s scary!
- You have to take all your required classes and are not quite ready for the challenging, more exciting ones.
- The newness of the first year is in the past, and you’re getting more into the routine. It just won’t be as heady as your first year.
Be assured, the slump will not last. You’ll get used to being a sophomore. And remember at the end of the year, you’ll be halfway to your goal. Plus at that point, you gain the freedom of being able to live off-campus, choosing among the vast range of rentals close to OU or farther away.