Sophomore year is an exciting year. No longer being called “Freshmeat” or being strongly disliked by the upperclassmen is a great feeling, but it can also be rough at times. It’s another year to improve your GPA and rank and continue to make the best grades for college. It’s a new year to get involved in clubs, have the opportunity to take different classes, and make new friends.

I learned many tips and new strategies to surviving my sophomore year that I think every new sophomore (or anyone of any grade) should be advised about. Here are just a few of the big ones:

1. Do Not Procrastinate!: This is a big one. Whether or not it seems like a due date is far away, it is not. It is not fun staying up all night to finish a project (or start one) and then falling asleep in class the next day. Problems could also occur that no one would ever expect like a broken printer or the Internet stops working.
2. Prioritize Your Time: This runs along the same lines as not procrastinating. I have learned that I feel I get more done when I plan out my day with what time and where I am going. I also have noticed I get sleep and I feel better everyday.
3. Start Planning For The Future: Once sophomore year comes, that only makes three years until the big day. It is a good idea to start planning what classes to take for junior and senior year and to start thinking about your plans for college. It can help to know what to focus on during the school year.
4. Make Good Friends: I am not friends with many of the same people I was during freshmen year. It may not seem like it will happen, but your circles of friends can change quite quickly. Make good friends that will be there for the next three years and help encourage success. Don’t get involved with people who will encourage bad choices and could cause trouble in the future.
5. Have Fun!: Just have fun with sophomore year. Like I said earlier, it’s an experience for new opportunities, people, and friends. Enjoy it while it’s there because high school will be over in the blink of an eye.

I know that learning these tips and skills over the past year have really helped me and I wish that someone would have told me them before my freshman year so I could have done better. These tips will help you whether you’re a freshman, sophomore, junior or senior. But, they are what helped me make my sophomore year memorable. Good Luck!