If you’ve been in high school for a decent amount of time, you’ve probably heard of that unfortunate phenomenon, senioritis. You know, when seniors lose all their passion and motivation for school, especially when they’ve already been accepted into colleges. It makes sense for them of course. Nothing about high school matters at that point because you’ve already reached your goal—college. But have you ever heard of sophomore slump? Well if you’re a current or rising sophomore, you might want to listen up, because sophomore slump is real, and I’m gonna tell you how to identify it and get over it.
What is Sophomore Slump?
Let’s start with the first thing we all need to know. What is sophomore slump? It is very similar to the senioritis mentioned just above, just with sophomores. Essentially, it’s when you lose your passion for working hard in school, and start slacking off for no apparent reason. Typically, it happens near the end of the year, because that’s when things are all coming to a final end. It’s a pretty big contrast to the beginning of the year, or the beginning of high school in general. You always feel so motivated to be the best in the beginning, panicking over minor mistakes. But suddenly, when that sophomore slump starts to kick in, even the most horrendous grades can’t seem to rattle you out of your indifference.
Just a small disclaimer, sophomore slump isn’t a medical term or condition, and neither is it largely recognized as a genuine issue in the medical field. It’s more of a cultural term among students to describe the feeling of apathy and indifference you get towards the end of sophomore year. It just puts a name to a common phenomenon among sophomore students in both high school and university. However, its lack of medical formality doesn’t make sophomore slump any less real, and any less deserving of your attention. But how do you know it’s real? Keep reading!
Why is Sophomore Slump Real?
Sophomore slump seems to be something that really shouldn’t exist. It doesn’t have a reason to, right? You’re in the middle of highschooler, and everything you do right now can possibly make or break your future. Colleges are not too far, so you have put your best foot forward to get the higher education you want. Why on Earth would you start slacking off as a sophomore? Well, here’s why.
At the end of sophomore year, you’ve reached the halfway mark of high school. You’re far from a freshman, anxious about every little mistake, putting in all the extra effort to keep up with the suddenly hard classes. Still, you are eons away from being a senior who can finally stop caring. It’s just draining to think about. You feel like you’ve been in a high school too long now, and your energy and motivation is draining, and you can’t even be motivated by an outcome because that feels far away as well. Besides, sophomore year has been considered one of the easiest, if not the easiest year by general consensus, so how much do you really need to try?
It’s all of these sentiments that lead up to the phenomenon of sophomore slump. The lack of goal or ambition is really prevalent in this part of your high school journey, so it takes a lot more effort to care.
What about junior year?
This might be your next line of thinking, and it does make sense. In junior year, you’re still not close to finishing high school in the beginning of it, and are probably burnt out from all that school work. Shouldn’t this also garner a similar sentiment? However, there are some differences in junior year that make students a lot more motivated. Junior year is considered the hardest year in American high school, because of the amount of standardized testing, high-level classes, and college application preparation involved in it. Not only is it hard, but also extremely important. The SAT and ACT are extremely important tests, especially for students trying to reach for top schools, making it hard to slack off in junior year.
It is also the teachers that are more important this year. Your best recommendation letters come from junior year teachers, because they are most up-to-date with your abilities as a student. You have to work hard to get on their good side, making it all the more harder to slack off. The point is, academics holds another level of meaning in junior year, which allows for the sophomore slump of sophomore year.
How to Overcome Sophomore Slump
Okay, now for the most important part. How to get over sophomore slump. This loss of ambition for academics might seem to be just the natural process, something you can’t stop, but you can. It’s more than curable. You just need to regain that passion. And, most probably, you’re not going to have to go on with it for long, since it’s the end of the year, making it all the more easier. Just that last push is all you need to get over the devastating infection of sophomore slump.
#1 – Find the meaning in your grades again
Remember back in the year, or the beginning of high school itself? Remember when you were all anxious for your classes, with sheer determination to really do well? All these dreams and ideas you accumulated over the summer, about all the things you achieve in high school. Do you remember them? Well, while they might’ve been a bit unrealistic, they aren’t entirely dead. And there’s nothing wrong with big hopes and dreams, because they only push you to work up to your best potential.
Try reviving that same feeling. It’s going to be subdued, obviously. You have just experienced practically the entirety of sophomore year. There’s nothing left to anticipate. But your grades are still important, regardless of how close the end is. Try to bring back that same feeling of importance that you gave your grades in the beginning of the year, now just in the end. You never wanted that Chemistry grade to be a B, right? Well, you have just enough time to bring it to at least a B+, so work for it! There is no need to stop studying and flunk your History final, so start studying for it. It all matters, you just need to put yourself in that mindset again.
#2 – Reduce your screen time
One main thing about sophomore slump is not just moving away from academics, but moving into bed-rotting activities, the most prevalent being scrolling. You know it’s true for you, and we all do it every now and then. TikTok is great entertainment, and it keeps us scrolling into oblivion instead of actually doing what we need to do. Even Instagram Reels are starting to reach that level of captivation, even if it’s just out of pure absurdity.
The problem is, these screens and the entertainment on them keep us from doing everything else. When you have already lost most of your passion for school, it just gives you an excuse to slack off. Obviously, if you want to get over your sophomore slump, this is not what you want to continue doing. My article on how to be a productive student goes into great detail on keeping distractions away, outlining all the steps you need to keep them out of your productive space for good. If you struggle with screens and electronic distractions, make sure to check that out!
#3- Start prioritizing productivity
With what you’re struggling with right now, productivity has been something you’re almost trying to avoid. Obviously this is hurting your academic success, and your overall success and mental health in general. That’s why, instead of allowing your mind to completely lose focus and fall prey to your phone, start actively prioritizing your productivity, and your mental health.
Well, how do you start? Well, my article on how to organize your life is a great place to begin. It gives you an overview on productivity in your life, past just your academics, and helps you get on road to success, even if it’s just within yourself. You can also use a time blocking planner to help you better with scheduling your day. All of these resources are definitely ones you should use to promote your own productivity. They guide you step by step on how to improve your time management and scheduling skill, to improve your life overall.
Maybe a little contrary to the previous point, you can use your devices to help your productivity. There are numerous time management apps, many of which are very helpful to managing your time and increasing productivity. My article on time management apps goes through the top five best time management apps I tested, what they do, and why or why not you should have them.
Another thing you should definitely have in your productivity journey is proper studying. You need to study properly for the final few tests you have, and much of your productivity is for success on those tests. Use proper study tips to start studying properly, and also make sure to check out homework tips to efficiently finish any homework, leaving more time for you to actually understand the material. You can also learn how to properly use music for studying. And no, not just any music will do. It’s classical music. You can learn all about using classical music for studying with my article on it.
#4 – Find hobbies you’re passionate about
The boredom and lack of passion that comes with sophomore slump is because you have nothing left to care about. While you might be reviving that same feeling of importance for grades, you’re still not passionate for them in a positive way. That’s when hobbies come into play.
You see, when you have a hobby, it’s typically something you really enjoy doing. You can sit for hours doing it and not get bored. It’s something you genuinely like, and without the stresses of life, would be happy doing for as long as you can. It’s what you are passionate about.
What hobbies are there? Well, there are sports. Often, it takes a larger role in your life than just a hobby, but there’s nothing wrong with some beach volleyball or backyard badminton. Most hobbies come in an arts and crafts way. One a lot of people are exploring—and liking—is crochet. It’s a lot faster than knitting, and allows you to make all kinds of things, from hats to stuffed animals. Once you get the hang of it, it’s also really relaxing.
Any hobby you choose can be easily practiced, just in the comfort of your own home. Just log onto YouTube and find a nice tutorial on it. Trust me, whatever it is you want to do, there is going to be something on it. Just make sure it’s something that you genuinely enjoy doing, and regain your passion just by practicing that hobby every once in a while.
#5 – Set goals for the future
Finally, set goals for the future. Again, you probably did something like this in the beginning of the year, or high school career. We all had big dreams of what we were going to do. What to do to get into an amazing college, get an amazing job, and live an amazing life. It’s a bit far reaching at times, but it gives you something to work for, so you’re always putting your best foot forward.
When you set these goals, you’ll automatically be pushed to reach them. This can only help you, because you will be working harder and not be slacking off as you have been. But you can’t just set goals willy-nilly. There are methods to setting good and effective goals that you can actually reach. Do you want to know how to set the ultimate best goals? Well, in my article on setting successful goals, you can find all the tips and tricks to setting the best goals.
Conclusion
Well, what do you know now? You know all about sophomore slump, which you previously might not have known. You know what it is, as well as why it is a legitimate issue amongst sophomores. But more importantly, you have a complete guideline on how to overcome it. And if you are not yet a sophomore, this article is all the more helpful, to help you prevent the terrible sophomore slump entirely.
So, you know what to do. Get up and start your productive day and don’t let the sophomore slump to get to you anymore!
