Sophomore year: you’re not new, you’re not graduating, you’re probably to studying abroad, and you’re not writing a thesis. So, what are you doing for a full year? Homework? Riveting. Welcome to the sophomore slump.
The sophomore slump mentality is definitely real, but if there is one piece of advice I would give first years, it’s to take advantage of this weird limbo year. If fact, the sophomore slump is more of a blessing than a curse. This is the year we declare our major, and in doing so start to consider the paths we could take as emerging professionals. However, the jobs or internships you apply to for the summer do not make or break your future career. Part of figuring out what we want to do entails figuring out what we do not want to do, so get a little crazy with your internship search.
Here I was, obsessing over finding different political campaigns or legal firms to apply to. As a politics major, I was stuck on the idea of ensuring whatever internship I have this summer would directly pave the path to becoming President of the United States. In the mean time, one of my best friends, also a politics major, had just applied to intern at Cosmopolitan. I asked her how her job search was going, and she said that a lot of her stress was relieved when a junior told her that sophomore year was about “figuring out what you don’t like.”
After my friend gave me this advice that she herself received from an older friend, I expanded my search. For my Core 3 course last semester, Capitalism and Critique, I made a 35 minute movie with my three friends as our final project. Digital editing, film making, and screenwriting are three things that have very little to do with my major, yet I thoroughly enjoyed each one, so why not try out a career in the media production industry? I applied to a marketing internship, a digital media internship, internships in New York, in D.C., a CNN broadcasting internship, and considered anything that sparked my interest. As a sophomore, the world is my oyster. Even though I do not meet every single desired skill or experience of each internship, I can amp up the experience I do have and use past experiences to tailor both my resume and cover letter, depending on where I am applying.
Don’t be afraid to send an application. Whatever looks interesting, whether or not it directly relates to your exact field of study, is fair game during your summer intern search. In other words, we know what we want to study, but do not know exactly what we want to do with it, and that is perfectly ok.
The Slump hit me pretty hard, especially at the beginning of second semester. However, turning a negative into a positive was easy with the network of friendly peers and helpful faculty we have here at Scripps College. Even alumnae want to help; Search the Scripps Community Network to see where different alumnae work in order to gain some inspiration and potential connections for my internship search. Embrace sophomore year with excitement, know that having multiple career directions you want to explore is an awesome thing, and it is ok to feel the Slump.