Preparing for Sophomore Year
What? Preparing for sophomore year? Most freshman families are likely still in the adjustment period. But college life moves fast, and touching base with your student about plans for the next year is best done early. If you are keeping a list of things to discuss with your student, consider adding a few of the topics below to that list.
Housing and Roommates: This is a big one. Review our post on housing if you need a refresh on the topic. Identifying roommates goes hand in hand with housing. If your student is thinking of applying for on-campus housing or finding off-campus housing with others, it is important that they nail that down and confirm that they are applying or looking together. The number of roommates will dictate what kind of housing arrangements they are seeking.
Pre-Registration Chat: Some schools start the next semester registration point before mid-terms even hit! Your student and their advisor can figure out course selection, but this is a good opportunity to discuss the bigger picture with your student - how things are going, are they still happy with their major (or, if undecided on a major, do they have any new thoughts about it), etc.
Sophomore Year Activities: Now that they are settled in, students might have a better idea of things that they would like to be more involved in the next year, whether that is joining a club or taking a leadership position in a club. They might also have identified places they would like to work, skills they would like to develop or hobbies they would like to pursue. College campuses offer so many opportunities for growth, and talking about what they are interested in and the timeline for doing those things is a good way to get things going.
Budgets and Costs: As the year winds down, it is a good time to review budgets. Our post on controlling costs includes some suggested action areas.
Summer: Whether your student is coming home from the summer or staying put, a springtime chat about what the summer will look like can help keep everyone more at ease. Things to talk about include employment, summer school, and family time.
Our final tip is not a particular topic, but rather a suggestion to try scheduling this as a Facetime or Zoom meeting (or a few if you would like to break it up) rather than a series of one-off texts and voicemails. It is a good opportunity for your student to envision what they want the next year to look like and what they need to do to make that happen.