Becoming a sophomore does not just mean moving up a grade; it means finding your core group of friends, gaining new knowledge, and discovering your passions. For me, some of the lessons I learned in freshman year made a lasting impact on me and really changed the way I thought about school.
Something I had to learn the hard way, and what I found to be the most important lesson, were the benefits of keeping your circle small. In years prior, especially freshman year, I realized that although I had quite a few friends in each class period, I was never very close with any of them. There were some people here and there that I considered very close friends who are still some of my favorite people to this day; that being said, I am not close to anyone that I knew from middle school. This made me feel like I was missing out on something by not having a large group of friends, when in reality, I was so much happier with only a few close friends rather than a large amount of people that I barely know. Going into sophomore year with a smaller circle gave me the opportunity to feel less pressured into fitting in with larger crowds. I find it incredibly unrealistic to expect yourself to grow up with the same group of people your whole life. Growing up means you and your friends can either grow together or grow apart; either way, it’s inevitable to find people willing to know you.
Throughout sophomore year, you will be expected to take your classes more seriously. Your teachers are not going to be cutting you as much slack as they did in freshman year; they are not teaching newly graduated middle school students, they are teaching high schoolers. It is important to know that their strictness comes from a place in their heart that wants each and every one of their students to succeed, not only in their classes but in their lives. We have all had our fair share of teachers that make us question why they have not been fired yet, but behind all the yelling and many, many assignments that feel completely useless, there is a teacher that wants the best for their students. You might be lucky enough to get the teachers that are so laid back you question how they even got hired, and to that I wish you the best because in my opinion, the strict teachers are so much more impactful than any teacher that has tried way too hard to be well-liked by their students.
Some of your classes could possibly ignite a passion for something you would have never considered in previous years. For example, I decided to take Principles of AV Technology. I did not know much about the class until my teacher started giving the run-down of the kind of projects we would be doing. In the class, we learned how to write scripts, edit videos, and all the steps of producing a short film. What started out as a class I was on the fence about quickly became my favorite class and made me realize the passion I had for filmmaking. If you are considering joining a principles class, I highly advise you to go for it.
All in all, my advice to any incoming sophomores is to just simply try your best in all aspects of your year without putting so much pressure on yourself that you forget to enjoy it while it lasts.
