As I dreamed about going back to San Diego State this summer for my sophomore year, all I could think about was how much freedom I would have compared to freshman year. Sophomores are no longer looked at as the babies on campus and finally begin to blend in with all the other students. SDSU becomes a whole new world packed with new experiences and a lot more responsibility.
Being a sophomore comes with a great deal of advantages, but some disadvantages as well. Registration is definitely one of them. Sophomores have the latest registration period, which gives all other students earlier priority. A lot of my sophomore friends have said having late registration has impacted their schedule negatively by giving them either really early, or really late, classes with multiple gaps in between. Many sophomores also have to crash a ton of classes due to their late registration, which makes the first week of school super hectic. Personally, having one of the latest registration dates, Aug. 14, has been incredibly difficult because last year I never had to crash a single class and had a great schedule mainly because of my assigned registration period.
Another really different thing is no longer living in the dorms, which means no more meal plan and free Aztec Recreation Center pass. Living in the dorms meant a safe environment, a lot of rules, the spread of germs and residential advisers who are out to write you up for alcohol and anything else they can accuse you of doing wrong. The meal plan meant no cooking, unlimited Starbucks and snacks for days. A free ARC pass meant each freshman being $19 richer and a couple pounds leaner each month.
Sophomores definitely gain a great deal of new responsibilities and experience by actually living on their own. In the dorms, freshmen are watched over by residential and academic advisers. They are constantly told what to do and how to act in their living space. All of these reasons are why leaving the dorms is so awesome. Sophomores not only get to choose their own living situations and who they live with, but are also responsible for how they carry themselves and the consequences that come from either the police or their landlord if something goes wrong, not residential hall advisors. In addition, sophomores are responsible for buying and cooking their own meals, which for most students means they have to create a meal budget, find transportation to a grocery store and learn how to cook.
“College feels more real now,” microbiology sophomore Kimberly Pelletier said. “I feel like I’m actually living on my own. For the first time, I feel like a real adult, paying bills, buying groceries and living with my friends.”
Sophomore year is the next step in a college student’s career for more independence, more life experience and a great time in college. It is also the time for students to learn a great deal of responsibility and see what it’s like to finally live freely.
