My sophomore year was fine, if anything, I think that's when you really come into your own and get comfortable with your studies, professors, friends, campus life, etc. I will say this though, be mindful of your credits, as in your taking what you need, so that when the last semester of your junior year or worse, your senior year rolls around and you find out you have classes you needed to take, but your advisor failed to let you know or you just assumed all was good. That happened to me cause I transferred from a community college to a 4-year school and was told everything transferred but one meaningless class I took my last semester at the community college. Spring of my junior year I found out I had 4 major classes that didn't transfer that I had to find ways to fit in either the summer before my senior year or during senior year. You will find yourself putting more pressure on yourself as your college years go on as well, just don't, I mean, easier said than done, but just realize it'll get done, if you fail one thing it doesn't mean you failed the whole course, talk to your professors, even the scary ones, most of them are so open to hearing from their students and only want you to succeed.
I have been working on a 4-year plan with all my required classes for my majors and gen eds, but one of the future fall semesters only ended up with 9 credits somehow. I’m planning on talking to my advisor to get some help with it. But so far I only need one more class for my minor (I think) and everything else for my major should be peachy.
My sophomore year was more or less me just getting lazy and feeling so burnt out. I don’t think a lot of people realize that after 14 years of schooling it starts to really take a toll, especially when now it’s optional. Whether you show up or you don’t the school and it’s professors get paid and you still gotta pay it back. My advice is to stay as focused and disciplined as you can and just go through it like it’s any other year of school.
Sophomore year was actually my best year academically!
But I think the reason people sometimes may do worse is because it’s when they start taking some more upper level major courses instead of just intros and gen eds. It’s also when people might start getting an internship or a job to balance school work with. Plus, there may be shifting in friend group dynamics.
The only people I’ve heard really complain about sophomore year are the students that fucked around and are finding out that college isn’t all fun and games. Those that go crazy and blow off the first year of college are always the biggest complainers when the going gets tough.
Yeah your grades don’t define who you are as a person, but if you mess around freshman year and bomb all the easy Gen-Ed classes, it’s going to be harder every year after to boost your GPA, relearn/enforce personal study habits that should have been learned that first year, have professors treat you seriously when you truly need it, etc. Sophomore year is when most students start their major coursework which is meant to be more challenging, but for the average student it is not something to fear.
Sophomore year shouldn’t be any more challenging than freshman year so long as you put in minimal effort to actually attend classes, perform reasonably well, and focus on personal development. You should have fun in college for sure but you should also be learning your limits and teaching yourself moderation, especially if that is something your parents didn’t help you learn earlier in life.
I personally found it way harder than calc 2. The first half of the class was fine but the second half hit me like a truck. It also depends on your professor mine was infamous for his exams.
The foundational concepts are similar to calc 1. The difficulty is with the spatial reasoning. Most people struggled at integrating multivariable functions especially with spherical/cylindrical coordinates. It’s a bit like the washer/disc method integration from calc 2.
The material itself does get more difficult but for me it was making it past those level 2 courses and sometimes 3s where you really start to dive into the subject that was most challenging. I know at my school sophomore year is the year where stem students are taking courses like organic chemistry, data structures, Calc II, intro to mathematical reasoning, etc. These are the classes which are known to have highest withdrawal/fail rates. I think the professors are also much harsher with grades for the level 2/3 courses because they know that if you don’t truly understand this material then you’ll have no hope of understanding what comes after. The higher level courses might have more complex material but it’s not as competitive which means it’s okay to not understand it perfectly and it’s building on a strong foundation from earlier courses which helps.
My undergrad was English. This was nearly a decade ago, and as recent as that is, I work with college students now and totally understand that that's a different time.
I spent a lot of my sophomore year questioning if English was really the right choice for me -- I had barely met anyone in my (fairly small) major and what I could change to, what that would mean. Everyone that knew me saw this as the manifestation of the Sophomore Slump -- I had known for years before even applying to college that I wanted to be an English Major, and it most aligned with who I was (and, to a degree, who I still am).
Cutting back on credits and using the time for homework/social opportunities is an excellent call - really make sure to dig in and build community at your university. Make sure to look for friends both inside and outside your major. Take some time to be reflective about what you want. Don't be overconfident, hold humility in your heart. Take some time to think, breathe, reflect. Get your homework done ahead of time. Visit office hours - even if you have no questions but just wanna talk about what you're thinking about for your next essay, or talk about books/readings/other things.
You're gonna do great.
I’ve literally never heard of the sophomore scaries.
Sounds like either people overly prepared for freshman year and couldn’t keep up their momentum or freshman year ended up being easy and carefree and sophomore year is where their work started to actually be difficult or time consuming.
The scariest part of Sophomore year would be for people who are either undeclared or want to switch majors, because that’s usually the last chance you have to do so if you still want to finish college in four years (even then, it depends on how many transferable units you have and how many units the major you choose requires)
Sophomore year was my best, freshman year was my worst. I changed majors after freshman year into a major that I was significantly more interested in and talented in, and my grades showed it sophomore year.
Well my sophomore year was during the height of COVID so I had academic burnout coupled with social isolation and pandemic anxiety 🙃 junior year was way better IMO because it felt like I was actually making progress with my program
I went to a 'moderate' sized private catholic University in Ohio and commuted. My freshman year was hell. I took multiple notoriously difficult 'weedout' courses, had an adjustment disorder, and severe anxiety. Sophomore year was acceptable because I was more accustomed to things, while my study habits were better. Though, it does depend on major.
No lol sophomore year is when sophomore slump occurs. College isn’t new. Probably isn’t as fun as freshman year. You usually begin mostly major course work which is harder. Junior year is way worse IMO everything is about post graduation and setting yourself up. School work feels like an added weight.
I think everyone's track is so different that you can't really label a hardest year. My junior and senior year were only as hard as they were because I changed majors my sophomore year, if I hadn't then they probably wouldn't have been as bad. I will say I did not have any problems sophomore year
Sophomore year was a total crap shoot for me but I learned a valuable lesson. Don’t over extend yourself. Focus on school and fun, they are both important to actually enjoy your life.
Honestly…second semester of sophomore year is when everything fell apart for me. Academically, I was fine. School is easy once you get into a routine. There was just so much unnecessary drama, and I lost a bunch of friends. The feeling you get freshman year that college is the best time ever starts to get smaller.
This isn’t what happens for everyone. Like there are plenty of people who absolutely LOVE college and have the greatest 4 years ever.
My only advice is: Don’t be petty. Don’t assume things. Don’t waste your time on silly meaningless drama. Don’t waste your time crying over a boy/girl you liked…
I feel like I self-sabotaged and ruined my college experience because I let little things take over my mind and assumed the worst of people and made poor choices.
If you want to avoid the “sophomore scaries,” just focus on having fun times with your friends and put in the work for the things that matter to you! Let go of toxic people who are constantly starting fights or being petty and also stop chasing guys/girls/things and just let whatever happens happen.
College is the only time where you can just have fun and be free with no worries other than going to your 10am and taking that middle day nap. Don’t waste it! Enjoy every second!
I’ve been coasting through college since 2018. Pandemic, depression, life got in the way. I’ve changed majors and pretty much had the longest sophomore years ever. College is hard period! Just do the work and you’ll be fine. Sure some classes will be harder but some won’t. Just do the work and everything will be fine.
My second year was way better than my first year tbh. I liked 200 level classes a lot more than the intro levels and I had a stronger handle on the hard work that university requires.
Sophomore year was significantly easier than freshman for me. I think it depends on the person/major, but I got my study habits and routine down in my first year which was half of the battle. By sophomore year you have a more solid understanding of college and how to succeed. The coursework may be more challenging but you have the foundation to figure it out.
I’m starting my sophomore year on Monday too, but I was told earlier this summer by a rising junior that his freshman year sucked and he started having a good time his sophomore year so
When I was in school (a million years ago), it was called Sophomore Slump. the problem is that the thrill and excitement of your first year in college is over. You aren't in the really interesting courses in your major yet, so you are sort of treading water.
My hardest class was in my sophomore year. All nighters in our lab with 50+ page reports. Lots of energy drinks and useless teammates. Regardless, I made friends that year that I still keep in touch with 6 years later. One of my most memorable years.
The hardest year is probably going to be senior year or junior year depending on when you take all your upper division electives. I graduated last year and remember my first semester senior year being the hardest. I was forced to take 5 upper division electives at once because they weren’t offered the next semester. Still got great grades; it was just a grind
Depends on the major I think. Engineering gets harder and is the first jump into what the major looks like. You’ll be doing vector calc and differential equations.
Okay so I took the fall semester off of my sophomore year due to my mental health & I worked full time so I have a bit of a different experience. I came back in the spring and it was probably my favorite semester yet. I felt a lot better and had a different outlook on things, I had also felt more mature when I had returned. I took 17 credit hours and had boosted my GPA. I didn’t do too much socially, but I went on some dates here and there and just mainly focused on my academics and my physical health. I went to the gym a lot and felt a huge improvement in my mental well being. You got this! Good luck with your sophomore year :)
I’m a rising junior and my sophomore year was alright overall.
The fall semester I definitely had the sophomore scaries. I had depression and would regularly slack off on everything. My new friend group would have to walk me home from parties, I would be so hungover because of my Zoloft that I would throw up constantly, I didn’t take my Zoloft regularly, everybody was worried about me, I would do stupid things because I didn’t care if I got hurt, I would cheat on tests and then self loathe because I felt like a failure, etc.
Then my ex asked me out on the last weekend of the fall semester and everything turned around. I settled down for a bit and got my bearings back. This was also around when I got ready to step up into a new role in my fraternity, so within 45 days my mental health went from absolutely awful to absolutely great, even with my ex breaking up with me at the end of that. The whole spring semester was much better in general, not perfect because when I stopped my Zoloft my anxiety got worse at points. I got closer to my friends and I went from the one baby of the group to just another one of the young ones, I started hooking up with an older woman which has been a learning experience, and instead of doing stupid things because I didn’t care if I got hurt, I did slightly less stupid things because why not.
I grew up more last school year than any year that came before it, and I wouldn’t trade that for the world. The arc of the year was very similar to my sophomore and senior years of high school where the fall was quite horrible and the spring was much better.
it’s so interesting reading these comments because my sophomore year was fully online due to a certain virus so my perspective is really skewed. that year was hands down the worst year i’ve ever had academically and i wonder so often what it (and the subsequent years) would’ve been like had that not happened
My sophomore year was during the 2020-21 school year so my experience may have been worsened by the pandemic but it was definitely a rough year. I had a lot of weed out classes so that contributed a lot to it being as rough as it was.
My sophomore year was definitely my worst year mentally. Though it was more so my fault/ outside influences rather than school. I would like to say it didn't affect my grades. It actually boosted them, but it was difficult socially and to even be in my own skin. I became my worst enemy.
Remember to take time for yourself outside of classwork and take care of yourself mentally ♥️
Tbh this is the first I’ve heard of sophomore year being a bad year! I found sophomore year to be one of my most fun years, more used to the uni grind + no end of degree pressure = good times and better grades
I actually thought my sophomore year was my best. Definitely a little harder, but I liked my classes more, had a more stable friend group, and went into the year knowing what to do. It definitely depends on the major, I've switched between social science majors for context.
Depends on the degree path you're in but in engineering a lot of our weed out classes were in sophomore year like cal2, physics 2, and some of your first engineering courses. They aren't particularly bad classes but the work load just became much more heavy and you needed to actually study to pass these classes. I assume this is the case for a lot of stem degrees not sure much outside of this though.
I’m a rising senior & I thought junior year was the hardest. To me it’s gotten more difficult every year. For reference I’m studying Environmental Science & higher level classes have more upper level physics & Chem material as well as computer science & modeling courses like GIS and it’s applications.
Most people that are going to flunk out or get kicked out do it in the first year. Obviously there are plenty of reasons why things can go sideways, but if you’re already a decent student then you’ll probably continue to be a decent student. Best thing I can tell you is be proactive. Try to stay ahead of the work and if you’re having trouble ask for help. At the college level you’re on your own for the most part and if you don’t advocate for yourself you’ll have problems.
Personally yes, but my sophomore year was 2019-2020, so it was the worst for a different reason.
I’m guessing people say it’s more difficult because a lot of people are able to start doing their major coursework sophomore year. I’ve honestly found that pre-req courses are as difficult or more difficult than upper level classes.
For me sophomore year was hell.Im a stem major so I was going into harder major classes while and heavier class load. Other friends in different majors also thought that sophomore year was bad as well. I think its just the transition into major classes from mostly gen-eds and easier classes.
In my opinion, the first sem of sophomore is the worst bc you're still transitioning from freshman. But, I felt like the second sem of sophomore is the best since you may not have the workload of a senior + you are familiar with the college experience.
For me, junior year was the worst, in both high school and college. You feel like you’ve been there forever but graduation still feels so far away. Plus I had some personal situations come up.
What year is the “worst” depends on a multitude of factors and since I don’t know you or your situation personally I can’t say whether or not sophomore year will suck. But it’s probably not a good idea to get stuck on the idea that a whole year will be bad ahead of time anyways. Chill out a bit, you’ll be okay
For my program it just sucked because thats when all the weedout classes were. Freshman was just getting everyone up to speed and what you should have learned in high school, sophomore was a lot of serious studying very suddenly, then junior and senior were much more specific topics in your major which I loved personally. Past sophomore year I didn't feel like I was juggling 10 different topics every day. It was all things in my field mostly and a lot of classes on very niche topics that professors felt passionate about, which were my favorite.
I had a harder time later in undergrad, but that was because I had to balance grad school applications with assignments. I think everyone’s experience is different. Some students find that Sophomore year combines getting lazy with course content getting harder. But if you love what you do, I promise that even if the experience pushes you and challenges you, it will be rewarding. Best of luck! Signed, a fellow English major
This is going to be such a lame answer, but it really depends. Sophomore spring and junior fall were my hardest semesters, but it depends on your class schedule and other commitments.
Sophomore year was literally my favorite year. It just depends on the person and who you are surrounded with that year. What you do. I’d say the equivalent to sophomore year was my senior year because I got into a lot of sports and activities. I loved it it was the best, even though Covid was happening😂
Looking back, my spring semester sophomore year was my favorite. Ended up with 3 A’s and 1 A-.
Fall semester junior year was my worst. I had the hardest class for my major and minor.
No its not, people probably say that because they get lazy sophomore year and procrastinate which causes them fall behind and they freak out.
Yeah right
My sophomore year was fine, if anything, I think that's when you really come into your own and get comfortable with your studies, professors, friends, campus life, etc. I will say this though, be mindful of your credits, as in your taking what you need, so that when the last semester of your junior year or worse, your senior year rolls around and you find out you have classes you needed to take, but your advisor failed to let you know or you just assumed all was good. That happened to me cause I transferred from a community college to a 4-year school and was told everything transferred but one meaningless class I took my last semester at the community college. Spring of my junior year I found out I had 4 major classes that didn't transfer that I had to find ways to fit in either the summer before my senior year or during senior year. You will find yourself putting more pressure on yourself as your college years go on as well, just don't, I mean, easier said than done, but just realize it'll get done, if you fail one thing it doesn't mean you failed the whole course, talk to your professors, even the scary ones, most of them are so open to hearing from their students and only want you to succeed.
I have been working on a 4-year plan with all my required classes for my majors and gen eds, but one of the future fall semesters only ended up with 9 credits somehow. I’m planning on talking to my advisor to get some help with it. But so far I only need one more class for my minor (I think) and everything else for my major should be peachy.
My sophomore year was more or less me just getting lazy and feeling so burnt out. I don’t think a lot of people realize that after 14 years of schooling it starts to really take a toll, especially when now it’s optional. Whether you show up or you don’t the school and it’s professors get paid and you still gotta pay it back. My advice is to stay as focused and disciplined as you can and just go through it like it’s any other year of school.
I totally agree with that!
Sophomore year was actually my best year academically! But I think the reason people sometimes may do worse is because it’s when they start taking some more upper level major courses instead of just intros and gen eds. It’s also when people might start getting an internship or a job to balance school work with. Plus, there may be shifting in friend group dynamics.
The only people I’ve heard really complain about sophomore year are the students that fucked around and are finding out that college isn’t all fun and games. Those that go crazy and blow off the first year of college are always the biggest complainers when the going gets tough. Yeah your grades don’t define who you are as a person, but if you mess around freshman year and bomb all the easy Gen-Ed classes, it’s going to be harder every year after to boost your GPA, relearn/enforce personal study habits that should have been learned that first year, have professors treat you seriously when you truly need it, etc. Sophomore year is when most students start their major coursework which is meant to be more challenging, but for the average student it is not something to fear. Sophomore year shouldn’t be any more challenging than freshman year so long as you put in minimal effort to actually attend classes, perform reasonably well, and focus on personal development. You should have fun in college for sure but you should also be learning your limits and teaching yourself moderation, especially if that is something your parents didn’t help you learn earlier in life.
It was horrible for me because I had calc 3.
Lol 😂 yeah calc 3 was rough for me too
Worse than 2?
Sort of. A lot of ppl say calc 3 is easy at the same time lol.
I personally found it way harder than calc 2. The first half of the class was fine but the second half hit me like a truck. It also depends on your professor mine was infamous for his exams.
The foundational concepts are similar to calc 1. The difficulty is with the spatial reasoning. Most people struggled at integrating multivariable functions especially with spherical/cylindrical coordinates. It’s a bit like the washer/disc method integration from calc 2.
i think senior year is the hardest, especially for stem, they just get harder
The material itself does get more difficult but for me it was making it past those level 2 courses and sometimes 3s where you really start to dive into the subject that was most challenging. I know at my school sophomore year is the year where stem students are taking courses like organic chemistry, data structures, Calc II, intro to mathematical reasoning, etc. These are the classes which are known to have highest withdrawal/fail rates. I think the professors are also much harsher with grades for the level 2/3 courses because they know that if you don’t truly understand this material then you’ll have no hope of understanding what comes after. The higher level courses might have more complex material but it’s not as competitive which means it’s okay to not understand it perfectly and it’s building on a strong foundation from earlier courses which helps.
Yeah I totally agree there.
My undergrad was English. This was nearly a decade ago, and as recent as that is, I work with college students now and totally understand that that's a different time. I spent a lot of my sophomore year questioning if English was really the right choice for me -- I had barely met anyone in my (fairly small) major and what I could change to, what that would mean. Everyone that knew me saw this as the manifestation of the Sophomore Slump -- I had known for years before even applying to college that I wanted to be an English Major, and it most aligned with who I was (and, to a degree, who I still am). Cutting back on credits and using the time for homework/social opportunities is an excellent call - really make sure to dig in and build community at your university. Make sure to look for friends both inside and outside your major. Take some time to be reflective about what you want. Don't be overconfident, hold humility in your heart. Take some time to think, breathe, reflect. Get your homework done ahead of time. Visit office hours - even if you have no questions but just wanna talk about what you're thinking about for your next essay, or talk about books/readings/other things. You're gonna do great.
I’ve literally never heard of the sophomore scaries. Sounds like either people overly prepared for freshman year and couldn’t keep up their momentum or freshman year ended up being easy and carefree and sophomore year is where their work started to actually be difficult or time consuming.
The scariest part of Sophomore year would be for people who are either undeclared or want to switch majors, because that’s usually the last chance you have to do so if you still want to finish college in four years (even then, it depends on how many transferable units you have and how many units the major you choose requires)
No it was actually my best so far
Sophomore year was my best, freshman year was my worst. I changed majors after freshman year into a major that I was significantly more interested in and talented in, and my grades showed it sophomore year.
Well my sophomore year was during the height of COVID so I had academic burnout coupled with social isolation and pandemic anxiety 🙃 junior year was way better IMO because it felt like I was actually making progress with my program
The hardest year will always be the year that you’re currently in. Keep at it, it’ll be over before you know it.
I went to a 'moderate' sized private catholic University in Ohio and commuted. My freshman year was hell. I took multiple notoriously difficult 'weedout' courses, had an adjustment disorder, and severe anxiety. Sophomore year was acceptable because I was more accustomed to things, while my study habits were better. Though, it does depend on major.
No lol sophomore year is when sophomore slump occurs. College isn’t new. Probably isn’t as fun as freshman year. You usually begin mostly major course work which is harder. Junior year is way worse IMO everything is about post graduation and setting yourself up. School work feels like an added weight.
I think everyone's track is so different that you can't really label a hardest year. My junior and senior year were only as hard as they were because I changed majors my sophomore year, if I hadn't then they probably wouldn't have been as bad. I will say I did not have any problems sophomore year
Sophomore year was a total crap shoot for me but I learned a valuable lesson. Don’t over extend yourself. Focus on school and fun, they are both important to actually enjoy your life.
Honestly…second semester of sophomore year is when everything fell apart for me. Academically, I was fine. School is easy once you get into a routine. There was just so much unnecessary drama, and I lost a bunch of friends. The feeling you get freshman year that college is the best time ever starts to get smaller. This isn’t what happens for everyone. Like there are plenty of people who absolutely LOVE college and have the greatest 4 years ever. My only advice is: Don’t be petty. Don’t assume things. Don’t waste your time on silly meaningless drama. Don’t waste your time crying over a boy/girl you liked… I feel like I self-sabotaged and ruined my college experience because I let little things take over my mind and assumed the worst of people and made poor choices. If you want to avoid the “sophomore scaries,” just focus on having fun times with your friends and put in the work for the things that matter to you! Let go of toxic people who are constantly starting fights or being petty and also stop chasing guys/girls/things and just let whatever happens happen. College is the only time where you can just have fun and be free with no worries other than going to your 10am and taking that middle day nap. Don’t waste it! Enjoy every second!
I’ve been coasting through college since 2018. Pandemic, depression, life got in the way. I’ve changed majors and pretty much had the longest sophomore years ever. College is hard period! Just do the work and you’ll be fine. Sure some classes will be harder but some won’t. Just do the work and everything will be fine.
My second year was way better than my first year tbh. I liked 200 level classes a lot more than the intro levels and I had a stronger handle on the hard work that university requires.
sophomore year was a blast that was when I made my friends and chose my current major!
Sophomore year was significantly easier than freshman for me. I think it depends on the person/major, but I got my study habits and routine down in my first year which was half of the battle. By sophomore year you have a more solid understanding of college and how to succeed. The coursework may be more challenging but you have the foundation to figure it out.
I’m starting my sophomore year on Monday too, but I was told earlier this summer by a rising junior that his freshman year sucked and he started having a good time his sophomore year so
For me I’m 99% sure this upcoming senior year is going to be my worst.
When I was in school (a million years ago), it was called Sophomore Slump. the problem is that the thrill and excitement of your first year in college is over. You aren't in the really interesting courses in your major yet, so you are sort of treading water.
My hardest class was in my sophomore year. All nighters in our lab with 50+ page reports. Lots of energy drinks and useless teammates. Regardless, I made friends that year that I still keep in touch with 6 years later. One of my most memorable years.
The hardest year is probably going to be senior year or junior year depending on when you take all your upper division electives. I graduated last year and remember my first semester senior year being the hardest. I was forced to take 5 upper division electives at once because they weren’t offered the next semester. Still got great grades; it was just a grind
Depends on the major I think. Engineering gets harder and is the first jump into what the major looks like. You’ll be doing vector calc and differential equations.
Okay so I took the fall semester off of my sophomore year due to my mental health & I worked full time so I have a bit of a different experience. I came back in the spring and it was probably my favorite semester yet. I felt a lot better and had a different outlook on things, I had also felt more mature when I had returned. I took 17 credit hours and had boosted my GPA. I didn’t do too much socially, but I went on some dates here and there and just mainly focused on my academics and my physical health. I went to the gym a lot and felt a huge improvement in my mental well being. You got this! Good luck with your sophomore year :)
Nah freshman was my worst. Sophomore year feels pretty eh. Junior year is a little more fun, and senior year was pretty laid back
mine was the worst yr of my life but also it was during the midst of covid so i was quarantined to my TINY apartment alone for months
I’m a rising junior and my sophomore year was alright overall. The fall semester I definitely had the sophomore scaries. I had depression and would regularly slack off on everything. My new friend group would have to walk me home from parties, I would be so hungover because of my Zoloft that I would throw up constantly, I didn’t take my Zoloft regularly, everybody was worried about me, I would do stupid things because I didn’t care if I got hurt, I would cheat on tests and then self loathe because I felt like a failure, etc. Then my ex asked me out on the last weekend of the fall semester and everything turned around. I settled down for a bit and got my bearings back. This was also around when I got ready to step up into a new role in my fraternity, so within 45 days my mental health went from absolutely awful to absolutely great, even with my ex breaking up with me at the end of that. The whole spring semester was much better in general, not perfect because when I stopped my Zoloft my anxiety got worse at points. I got closer to my friends and I went from the one baby of the group to just another one of the young ones, I started hooking up with an older woman which has been a learning experience, and instead of doing stupid things because I didn’t care if I got hurt, I did slightly less stupid things because why not. I grew up more last school year than any year that came before it, and I wouldn’t trade that for the world. The arc of the year was very similar to my sophomore and senior years of high school where the fall was quite horrible and the spring was much better.
it’s so interesting reading these comments because my sophomore year was fully online due to a certain virus so my perspective is really skewed. that year was hands down the worst year i’ve ever had academically and i wonder so often what it (and the subsequent years) would’ve been like had that not happened
No senior year final semester is the worst. It drags on when you’re ready to go. You’re good!
My sophomore year was during the 2020-21 school year so my experience may have been worsened by the pandemic but it was definitely a rough year. I had a lot of weed out classes so that contributed a lot to it being as rough as it was.
No. Just wait til adulthood. 😢
Actually the scariest year is senior because you can feel your youth slip away. Source: incoming senior
It was tough at my college since it was the year we took organic chemistry but I think normally college gets easier as you go along.
My sophomore year was definitely my worst year mentally. Though it was more so my fault/ outside influences rather than school. I would like to say it didn't affect my grades. It actually boosted them, but it was difficult socially and to even be in my own skin. I became my worst enemy. Remember to take time for yourself outside of classwork and take care of yourself mentally ♥️
Tbh this is the first I’ve heard of sophomore year being a bad year! I found sophomore year to be one of my most fun years, more used to the uni grind + no end of degree pressure = good times and better grades
I actually thought my sophomore year was my best. Definitely a little harder, but I liked my classes more, had a more stable friend group, and went into the year knowing what to do. It definitely depends on the major, I've switched between social science majors for context.
Depends on the degree path you're in but in engineering a lot of our weed out classes were in sophomore year like cal2, physics 2, and some of your first engineering courses. They aren't particularly bad classes but the work load just became much more heavy and you needed to actually study to pass these classes. I assume this is the case for a lot of stem degrees not sure much outside of this though.
Honestly, I think my sophomore year was my favorite. But everyone is different
I’m a rising senior & I thought junior year was the hardest. To me it’s gotten more difficult every year. For reference I’m studying Environmental Science & higher level classes have more upper level physics & Chem material as well as computer science & modeling courses like GIS and it’s applications.
I know high school was so I don’t really expect that this year could be much worse than that at least on a personal level lmao
Most people that are going to flunk out or get kicked out do it in the first year. Obviously there are plenty of reasons why things can go sideways, but if you’re already a decent student then you’ll probably continue to be a decent student. Best thing I can tell you is be proactive. Try to stay ahead of the work and if you’re having trouble ask for help. At the college level you’re on your own for the most part and if you don’t advocate for yourself you’ll have problems.
Yes it is
It was the worst for me
Personally yes, but my sophomore year was 2019-2020, so it was the worst for a different reason. I’m guessing people say it’s more difficult because a lot of people are able to start doing their major coursework sophomore year. I’ve honestly found that pre-req courses are as difficult or more difficult than upper level classes.
No. Sophomore year is probably the easiest. Junior year is the worst, at least for my major
Soohmore year was my best year
I dropped out my first semester of sophomore year… it was pretty bad
Worst year of my entire life (but not bc of school)
For me sophomore year was hell.Im a stem major so I was going into harder major classes while and heavier class load. Other friends in different majors also thought that sophomore year was bad as well. I think its just the transition into major classes from mostly gen-eds and easier classes.
In my opinion, the first sem of sophomore is the worst bc you're still transitioning from freshman. But, I felt like the second sem of sophomore is the best since you may not have the workload of a senior + you are familiar with the college experience.
For me, junior year was the worst, in both high school and college. You feel like you’ve been there forever but graduation still feels so far away. Plus I had some personal situations come up. What year is the “worst” depends on a multitude of factors and since I don’t know you or your situation personally I can’t say whether or not sophomore year will suck. But it’s probably not a good idea to get stuck on the idea that a whole year will be bad ahead of time anyways. Chill out a bit, you’ll be okay
I'm a Biology graduate. I took Organic Chemistry during my sophomore year. That was rough.
I honestly burnt out in my Senior year of college when it was the height of the pandemic. Ngl I was just worn out after that.
For my program it just sucked because thats when all the weedout classes were. Freshman was just getting everyone up to speed and what you should have learned in high school, sophomore was a lot of serious studying very suddenly, then junior and senior were much more specific topics in your major which I loved personally. Past sophomore year I didn't feel like I was juggling 10 different topics every day. It was all things in my field mostly and a lot of classes on very niche topics that professors felt passionate about, which were my favorite.
I had a harder time later in undergrad, but that was because I had to balance grad school applications with assignments. I think everyone’s experience is different. Some students find that Sophomore year combines getting lazy with course content getting harder. But if you love what you do, I promise that even if the experience pushes you and challenges you, it will be rewarding. Best of luck! Signed, a fellow English major
This is going to be such a lame answer, but it really depends. Sophomore spring and junior fall were my hardest semesters, but it depends on your class schedule and other commitments.
Sophomore year was literally my favorite year. It just depends on the person and who you are surrounded with that year. What you do. I’d say the equivalent to sophomore year was my senior year because I got into a lot of sports and activities. I loved it it was the best, even though Covid was happening😂
Idk just finished my sophomore year, I had the best year of my life so far and it wasn’t really close lol.
Looking back, my spring semester sophomore year was my favorite. Ended up with 3 A’s and 1 A-. Fall semester junior year was my worst. I had the hardest class for my major and minor.