Soundoff: sophomore slump

Three weeks ago, the Class of 2014 gathered in the Chapel for the first-ever Sophomore Convocation. The ceremony addressed the 'sophomore slump,' or the notion that a student's second year in college will not be as good as his first. Now deep into the semester, The Chronicle's Marianna Jordan checked in with sophomores to find out if they do feel this slump.

“I am not feeling a sophomore slump at all—if anything this is the best semester I’ve had so far. I’m way busier than I’ve ever been in terms of classwork. But since I know what I want to study, its more the type of work I want to do so I don’t mind as much. I know how Duke works so its easier to just have a good time. I’ve noticed that some of my friends who aren’t in a set social group are looking for things to do, but other than that, everyone seems to be pretty happy.”

—Daniel Strunk, sophomore

“I’ve definitely felt the sophomore slump with work. There’s so much to do, and I’m just not motivated to do it. Especially Fall semester freshman year, I was more motivated to stay on top of everything because I didn’t know what to expect in my classes. I basically thought I was going to fail everything freshmen year, which made me more on top of things. Now, I’m more confident that I’m not going to fail so I feel lazier.”

—Melissa Miller, sophomore

“Sophomore actually means ‘wise fool,’ and I think that’s especially true this year. I’ve entered this year thinking that, ‘I know it all after freshmen year,’ but I’m still learning more each day. That being said, I’ve really been enjoying this semester. I’m involved in a lot of things that I know that I’m passionate about, and I’m taking classes that are expanding upon the academic curiosity I had freshmen year. Having an experience over the summer working in Washington, D.C. really helped me approach all my classes and extracurriculars with a different insight because I have been in the professional world.”

-Patrick Oathout, sophomore

“I really like sophomore year and I don’t think of it as being a ‘slump.’ This might be a virtue of my classes and my increased involvement on campus, but I feel like because I constantly have a lot to do that is not necessarily academic, when I do have to do my schoolwork I have more motivation to do it. As a sophomore, I think you have more confidence because you’ve been through everything before. You know who your friends are and there are familiar faces wherever you walk. Thus, there’s no overall sense of fear or nervousness that freshmen have. If socially you’re more comfortable, then you have less to worry about and academics aren’t as hard (depending on the class). Maybe the whole sophomore slump thing comes into play a little further down the road.”

—Lauren Gonzalez, sophomore

“Because there are so many sophomores on West Campus, I feel like another form of community has actually been created; I don’t feel forgotten at all. I think that we use the term 'sophomore slump' to encompass this feeling of needing to be a part of something meaningful that will carry us through the rest of our experience at Duke. We become extremely future-orientated. Otherwise, people are getting excited about what they’re doing because their classes are more aligned with their potential majors. So there’s a sense of excitement and a sense of fear that we sometimes term the 'sophomore slump,' but I don’t think it’s actually reflective of the sentiment. I love my classes and am very excited to continue delving into what I’m really interested in. I’ve made it a point not to feel dragged down by other people freaking out. I hate that we call it a slump! I feel like everyone is actually just hyper energized."

—Lexy Lattimore, sophomore

“I feel like sophomore year is the opposite of freshman year. I got off to a rocky start at the beginning of last year because I wasn’t ready for the academics. This year I feel more goal-oriented. I think the sophomore slump is legitimate, because I’ve seen other people in our class experiencing it, although I’m not necessarily experiencing it. I’m actually feeling more motivated because I’m getting into my major courses and I realized how much I screwed up freshmen year. Last year was like a reality check, and now I’m more on track.”

-Keoni Kailimai, sophomore

“I don’t think there’s a sophomore slump. I know people, myself included, who are working much harder than they did freshmen year because we now have this idea of working toward doing well in our major. There’s a group going into sophomore year who know what they want to major in, and then there’s a group who go into this year not knowing what they want to do. It can be a lot of pressure being around the kids who know exactly what they’re doing. ‘Undecided’ is a dirty word sophomore year when it wasn’t freshmen year.”

-Daisygreen Stenhouse, sophomore

“I feel like my motivational level is kind of the same as freshman year; there’s not really a difference. It’s a little more daunting then freshmen year because you actually have to start getting serious about your major and your future. Academically though, my experience hasn’t really been different.”

—Andrew Klingner, sophomore

“It’s nice to have your choices now in terms of dorm life. Blocking has been fun. It’s sort of stressing me out that I haven’t declared a major yet, but it’s fine. The Sophomore Year Experience is there if you want it, although I haven’t taken advantage of it. There’s enough other stuff to do. Sophomore year is definitely a different experience than freshmen year, but neither is better. Freshmen year had a lot of excitement because everything was totally new.”

—Matthew Thiery, sophomore

“Sophomore year is better! I feel more a part of the school than I did freshmen year. Also, rather than just getting stuff handed to me, I have to make choices instead. I feel less stressed this year than I did last year because I’m more used to college life.”

—Sam Jolly, sophomore