Secret to Survival

My previous blogs have primarily targeted incoming and first year college students in an effort to shine light on the devastating effects attrition has on newly proclaimed pre-med majors. But now, I am shifting my focus to all of you college sophomores out there. First I'll start by saying CONGRATULATIONS! You have officially survived your first year of college as a science/pre-med major, and that in itself is something to be proud of. 

Although you may have questioned whether or not this day would ever come, you have in fact started to establish yourself as a young adult. You are acclimated to your new town and have established your new friend group. Without even realizing it, you have successfully arrived at a comforting place of familiarity within the college scene. Unfortunately, this “comfort” often translates to complacency, which is a common pitfall for sophomores. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I cannot just sit back and allow you to repeat my mistake of casually strolling through my second year, being blindsided by struggles that were not only expected, but also avoidable. Science proves that a considerably large amount of students who experience high attrition rates are actually college sophomores.¹ So, what does that mean?

“The sophomore slump is a phenomenon defined as sophomore students’ dissatisfaction with their personal college experience, resulting from students’ struggling with achieving competence, desiring autonomy, establishing identity, and developing purpose.”¹

Research accredits the infamous sophomore slump to factors involving adjustments to stress, grade satisfaction (or dissatisfaction), time management, financial management, and the stabilization of a career choice.² I am providing you with facts about why your sophomore year is not going to be any easier than your first, but why is this so important? You may be thinking, if I survived the struggles and difficulties that came during the first year, why should I doubt my ability to do so this year? Findings actually show that self-efficacy beliefs affect GPA and persistence rates of sophomore students.³ Meaning, this is the time that the accumulating effect of attrition is likely to start causing irreparable damage. At this point, I have probably completely killed your mood and optimism, but hang with me because I finally have some good news! Although many of the stresses and the struggles you will face throughout your second year are inevitable, or unavoidable, you don’t have to sit idly by and allow your dreams to gradually be ripped away; you CAN overcome the sophomore slump!

First things first, if you are going to survive the sophomore slump, you are going to have to maintain awareness of the situation; resembling the “keep your eye on the ball” concept. Go with me for a second. Imagine a basketball player who is in tip-top shape, well prepared, well rested, and giving maximal effort on defense. What happens when the athlete takes their eyes off of the ball to look up into the crowd? Two things can happen depending on the brevity of the athlete’s distraction; the athlete can either regain focus quickly enough to adapt and recover without their opponent scoring, or the athlete becomes out of position, allowing their opponent to drive past them and score. When the latter occurs, in basketball and in your pursuit to achieve your goals, the energy and effort that was exerted is essentially wasted. You could be an extremely intelligent, prepared, and driven student who is giving maximal effort in your classes, but if you take your eye off of the ball, you risk throwing away all of the hard work and dedication you have put into achieving you goals.

Okay, you get it – you are going to have to stay focused and motivated, but how? The answer is simple: by changing your outlook and attitude on the journey that is required for you to successfully achieve your goals. Whether your goal is to become a doctor, physician assistant, physical therapist, or whatever it may be, we all have a desire to do something, to be something. Unfortunately, we all are not successful in completing the process, because we simply fail to dedicate ourselves and lack the discipline that is required to do so. The difference between the people who can successfully turn their dreams into a reality lies within the difference between being interested verses being committed.

When you’re simply interested in achieving your goals, you will do what is convenient; but when you become committed, you will do whatever it takes.

DISCLAIMER: You can have all the motivation and commitment in the world, but that does not mean you are always going to feel like doing the things you need to do in order to get to where you want to be; but, do them anyway. Our minds are wired to feel intimidated when we are faced with a daunting challenge (like achieving an advanced allied health degree). But, when you change your outlook and start doing those things you don’t feel like doing even when you’re tired, or stressed, or overwhelmed, or defeated, your desires and dreams will fuel your actions, rather than allowing fear to prevent them.

In order to overcome the sophomore slump and the attrition that is dangerous to your success, you have to stand up for your dreams. The experiences we faced during our childhood and adolescence might have been beyond our control; similarly, the struggles that have, or will come at you during your second year might also be unavoidable. Life comes at us fast, and it is not always fair. There are going to be times when you are faced with challenges that seem insurmountable, but luckily, you do not have to allow any of this to control you, or define your success. Instead, accept the hand you’ve been dealt and the responsibility that you are the only one that is going to be able to take yourself where you want to go.

¹ Vuong, M., Brown-Welty, S., Tracz, S., (2010). The Effects of Self-Efficacy on Academic Success of First-Generation College Sophomore Students. Journal of College of Student Development; 51(1): 50-64. [Project Muse]

² Gohn, L., Swartz, J., Donnelly, S., A Case Study of Second Year Student Persistence. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice; 2(4): 271-294.

³ Silver, W., Mitchell, T., Gist, M. (June 1995). Responses to Successful and Unsuccessful Performance: The Moderating Effect of Self Efficacy on the Relationship between Performance and Attributions. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Mobile; 62(3): 286-299. [ScienceDirect]