Sophomoric Behavior

College administrators often refer to sophomores as "the forgotten class." Freshmen get lots of attention because they're new; seniors get lots of attention because they're about to graduate. Sophomores, though, are the forgotten middle children, frequently called the Jan Bradys of the college family.

HEAD Lines

So what really defines sophomores? And how can you get excited about becoming one? For better or for worse, the English language has saddled sophomores with a reputation for immaturity and mayhem. The term "sophomoric" has several unflattering definitions; it can mean lacking judgment, overconfident, conceited, and last but not least, intellectually pretentious.

But it's not all bad. "Sophomore" can also be used as an adjective to describe a second try, and if you take five minutes, you can probably think of plenty of musicians with great sophomore albums and filmmakers with outstanding sophomore movies.

In college, sophomores can take pride in being more independent than freshmen. You have some friends, you know one or two professors, and you hardly ever get lost trying to find your recitation room. Although you may still feel a million miles away from choosing a major, picking a career path, and figuring out your place in the universe, you are actually making progress day by day.

From Other HEADS

I LIVED IN A MAMMOTH DUPLEX with seven of my close friends, and the afternoon we all finished our tests, we congregated on the roof with two coolers of beer and a stereo blaring "We Are the Champions." After a while, we collected a large mass of beer cans and decided that the best way to get rid of the beer cans was to hit them off the roof with an old golf club that someone had found lying around. Then a cop rolled by and demanded that we stop hitting golf balls off our roof. We politely informed him that we were hitting beer cans and not golf balls, and he responded, "Oh, well, okay, just don't break anything." Finals can be really stressful, and the only way to alleviate that stress is to do the stupidest thing you can think of, once they are finished.

-- ZACHARY URNESS

UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS

I SWITCHED FROM ASTROPHYSICS to anthropology after my freshman year. In high school I did well in physics, so I figured I would do astrophysics. But when I was in class in college, I didn't care about what the professor was saying. Don't be afraid to change everything and search for what you like the most. I have more homework now, but I do better grade-wise because I care about it.

-- JON WALDO

BOSTON UNIVERSITY

IF YOU GET DRUNK, don't throw chairs at your dorm neighbor. My neighbor had the same major as mine and I saw her for the next four years. She remembered that.

-- CASEY

GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY

Web Resources

Learn the defintion: http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sophomore

Sophomore tips from Yale University www.yale.edu/yalecollege/sophomore/index.html

HoH Tips

• Whatever you do, spell "sophomore" correctly - there are three O's in there. Don't be one of those sophomoric sophomores who spell it "sophmore."

 • Before you go back for sophomore year, find out whether your college offers specialized sophomore programming. Whether it's a sophomore retreat or a session on choosing a major, sign up! You'll meet new friends with similar interests while building on the foundation you set as a freshman.