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When I was a college student back in the late 1970s and early 80s, we often joked about the “sophomore slump,” the phenomenon where students who did academically well their first year of college took a bit of a nose dive during their second year. Students talked and joked about this drop in grades as if it were a real, verifiable event that befell many students. Various theories were offered for the slump: over confidence, boredom, lack of motivation, wrong choice of major (too easy, too hard), and so on. I never saw any real data indicating that the sophomore slump actually existed, but it certainly had the influence of a campus myth.
Now, as a faculty member, however, I can attest to seeing slump-like behavior in students, but it’s not limited to the sophomore year—it can happen anytime, whether it’s a student’s first semester or her last. Sometimes students become overwhelmed by their work, sometimes they become distracted by activities (rushing a fraternity or sorority, being on a team); other times, they just lose steam or they have a particularly hard semester.
If there is a silver lining in higher education, it’s that each semester or quarter will be over and done at some point. If things don’t go as planned—a slump occurs—the student gets to reinvent himself the next semester. Such “reinvention” does require effort and organization and, naturally, some discipline.
So, students should remember that just because things went swimmingly the previous term, history might not repeat itself without appropriate effort. Fortunately, the same thing goes for an off semester that went south—it doesn’t mean the next one will.
So, many students across the country went back to class this week and others will follow next week. Here’s basic advice for staying the course in your courses:
-- Keep pace with reading and assignments for all courses (i.e., be prepared for each and every class); work ahead when you can.
-- Begin to review for exams a week or more before the exam, not a night or two before.
-- Sit near the front of the class and try to answer at least one question per class meeting.
-- Begin working on assignments, such as papers or group projects, as soon as they are announced or assigned. Doing a little bit each day will allow you to complete the work in advance of the due date. Last minute or rushed work is rarely recognized as any good by anyone.
-- Try not to do “all nighters”—a good night’s sleep is always much more effective.
Study in multiple places, not always the same place. Doing so allows you to associate course material with all kinds of external cues, not just those available in a single study space.
-- If you found some study techniques that worked well from your last successful semester, then by all means keep doing them. If you think a technique is counter productive, then drop it and try something else.
-- Don’t just relax on the weekends. Build in study time between rest and other pleasure activities.
Avoid a semester slump! And remember, summer will be here before you know it. Work hard, so that you end this spring term—as one of my colleagues always says—“with a bang, not a whimper.” Good luck.
