Sophomore year is the time to finetune everything. You’re no longer a freshman. You have experienced life as a college student. No, it wasn’t what it was expected to be. If you’re in Florida, your fall semester was cut short due to the hurricane. Globally, the virus cut the spring semester short, but there are ways to feel like you have better control over your aspirations.

I imagined this feeling to be twice as exciting than being a sophomore in high school because, in this way, you’re closer to your career goal.

Major

In my opinion, this is your last decision-making time concerning your chosen major. If you entered college undeclared, declare. If you entered with one but your freshman classes grew your passion for another, change! You need to be sure. While it is easier to switch within a department, it requires extra semester(s) if switching to a new major later on.

I was able to be in major classes since my first semester at my university. While I was already glued to studying English since high school, this reaffirmed my passion.

Certifications and Minors

Start looking at minors, if you’re interested. In many ways, the minors should fit with your career goal. If you’re unsure, business, marketing, communications, and psychology are great minors that tie with every career!

I want to be an English/language arts teacher. With this in mind, I am certified in deaf studies and pursuing minors in psychology, religion, and creative writing.

Clubs and Organizations

Your freshman year was the time to try extracurriculars and meet new people. By the second tie around, you already have a good idea of which ones you’re interested in. Narrow these down and try to be more involved whether as a member or leadership position.

I was involved in over five clubs and organizations because in high school, I was involved in every club my school offered. I always loved being in organizations that I enjoyed. Being able to ‘test run’ these clubs allowed me to choose which ones I could see myself grow not only as a leader and individual but also impact my college community. Going into my final semesters, I was inducted into Sigma Tau Delta, our English honors society as a member and now president.

Jobs

There’s going to be an entire post about job options on-campus, but first, decide if you want/need one. If you don’t see a job fitting into your already busy schedule, then don’t try to make it work. Be aware of spreading yourself too thin.

Continue searching for Scholarships

Every semester, I searched for scholarships to lessen my tuition. Check out some resources I use here.