When you first get to college, everything is new and exciting. Freshmen are ready to engage, get involved and devote all their spare time to activities.
Subsequent college years are a little trickier. As college goes on, people have their core friend groups. They are less likely to reach outside their comfort zone, as the “newness” of college has faded off and classes start getting harder.
This combination usually leads to a debilitating condition known by some as “senioritis,” but don’t be fooled by the name. Seniors are not the only people susceptible; juniors and sophomores are too. This creates what is known as the “sophomore slump” or the “junior drag” (a term I have heard but is less well known.), and good news: These conditions are not uncommon. I, for one, had a major issue with the sophomore slump, as did many of my friends.
Based on my experiences getting through these difficult times and watching other students do it too, here are some tips to help you get through a similar slump, or even avoid one altogether.
1. Get Active
Ever since I was a little girl, my mom has told me that running fixes things, but I was stubborn. Running, or any type of cardio exercise, is hard, so I ignored her. Big mistake!
As usual, moms are always right, and now I, too, believe that running (or really any movement) fixes things. Exercise is a great way to clear your head and be productive and also avoid work. It is good for your physical health, mental health and emotional health (especially during the colder months), so getting active is the perfect first step to breaking your slump.
2. Keep Yourself Busy
One great way to break the slump is to avoid it all together. Get busy. Join student groups, run for positions on the club board, sign up to do community service, take on an extra project or get an internship or job (hint: WayUp has thousands of listings for you!).
Keeping yourself busy (like exercising) encourages you to be productive in ways aside from school work, allows you to use different parts of your brain and increases your overall motivation.
When you are busy and have commitments, it ensures that you can’t spend the whole day sleeping or avoiding your work. Everyone needs a break day every now and then, but when a break day turns into a daily excuse, things get dicey. I challenge you to step outside your comfort zone: Plan an event no one has attempted before, apply for a job or try something totally different. When people are depending on you, it makes accomplishing tasks and taking on responsibilities much easier and much more rewarding.
3. Set Goals for Yourself
You’ve got to take everything step by step. Whenever I get behind on work, I know that I easily become overwhelmed. If this has happened to you, the best way to avoid massive amounts of panic is to step back, take a breath and do each assignment one by one.
“Divide and conquer” is the name of the game. I am not sure who said it first, but dividing up your work and setting smaller, more tangible goals for yourself will help you avoid becoming stressed or overwhelmed, no matter how far behind you are.
4. Get in a Routine
It is scientifically proven (at least my friend who is a biology major says so) that people with a routine are happier and more productive than people without one. Additionally, science has proven that getting on a routine sleep schedule with a set bedtime and set wake up time, is one of the healthiest things a person can do for their body.
Set times for yourself, and even schedule in your breaks. Routines will help you avoid stress while also allocating time for each assignment or activity so that you never get “too caught up” at work, on a paper or on a project and ignore your other work. This will also help you study or do work ahead of time!
These methods really helped my friends and I break our slumps, and I hope they can help you too! Just remember, there is always a way if you are committed, and no matter how far behind you are, how out of shape or how disorganized, it is never too late to fix it.
