At first glance, the sophomore year is a coast year. Sophomores have are typically pretty familiar with the campus and college resources, they have gotten involved in a leadership opportunity or two and they have also started working towards completing their major requirements. They don’t yet have the responsibility of internships, job searches and other responsibilities students often take on during their junior and senior years.
So it surprises many to learn that the sophomore year is a huge planning year that has a significant impact on the ability to achieve goals students have for junior year and beyond. This is the time to review your major requirements, plan out future semesters, set goals, decide whether to study abroad and start working on a resume–really! The following is a checklist to help carry students through their sophomore year.
1. Set goals. What skills and experiences do you want to have to get you to where you want to go in the future? Do you want to be the news editor for the Signal? Then start attending meetings and writing articles. Do you want to study abroad next year? Then you need to start researching study abroad programs, meet with your advisor to discuss how you will continue towards fulfilling your course requirements and start budgeting for the big trip!
2. Look into study abroad programs. Each year, more than a quarter of a million students study abroad to gain travel experience, cross-cultural communication skills and new perspectives. To learn more about options available to TCNJ students, go to the International & Off-Campus Programs office in Green Hall, room 111.
3. Find a mentor. A mentor can be a great resource and advocate who can assist you as your career plans evolve and as you prepare for life after college. He or she can be a professor, a staff member or someone in the field you want to enter. Mentors can serve as references, help you network with professionals in your chosen field and assist you in making decisions about your future.
4. Visit the Career Center. They can assist with resume and cover letter writing, grad school applications and career exploration. Additionally, they have job and internship listings and a database of employers. This is the opportunity to start researching companies you’d like to work for and jobs you’d like to have to see what skills and experiences you’ll need to get that dream job and to determine if your planned career path is really a good match. (You can also look up job listings for that perfect summer job!)
5. Write a resume. Writing a resume now may seem premature, but it’s good practice and could be used for on-campus jobs or outside employment. Also, getting a good look at this now will allow you to see how to fill in the blanks in terms of experience and skills in order to be a good fit for future opportunities.
6. Explore leadership opportunities. Taking on responsibilities for an extra-curricular activity does more than just provide you with something to do on a Wednesday afternoon, it shows initiative and engagement, it allows you to network and also often provides you with experiences and skills you can use in a job search. There are dozens and dozens of opportunities to get involved at TCNJ!
7. Clean up your Facebook profile and profiles on other social networking sites. More and more employers are using social networking sites to research applicants before inviting them for interviews. Would you really want an embarrassing picture from freshman year preventing you from an awesome opportunity?
As the semester progresses, we will post weekly articles with more information on the topics listed in the checklist above. Check back here weekly on Wednesdays! Also, if you are interested in writing for this blog, please e-mail Gwen Rajski, Residence Director at rajskig@tcnj.edu.
The Sophomore Year Experience at TCNJ 