The first year of higher education is a buzz of anticipation, nerves, and excitement. New students spend this first year learning about their field of study, meeting people, and trying new things. In their second year, students are more familiar with campus life and start considering a major. It’s an exciting time, but some students may experience a less enjoyable reality — the sophomore slump.
The sophomore slump negatively impacts the student experience and can cause students to perform poorly or drop out. Thankfully, your institution can reduce the chance of students going through the sophomore slump through student advising.
Read on to learn more about the sophomore slump and how it affects students and institutions. You’ll also discover five effective student advising strategies to overcome sophomore-year challenges and empower students to succeed.
The sophomore slump describes a phenomenon many students go through in their second year. Students in a slump feel tired, stressed, overwhelmed, and demotivated, and they start doubting their choices. It’s a time of uncertainty and exhaustion, and some students may struggle to cope with it.
Several factors contribute to the sophomore slump:
Students who experience the sophomore slump need extra support and guidance to succeed. It’s even more beneficial to offer proactive support to all students as they transition to their second year in an effort to prevent the sophomore slump. Leaving students to work through challenges like the sophomore slump on their own can negatively impact:
A strategic support approach your institution can use to keep the sophomore slump at bay is sophomore year student advising. Student advisors should meet with students to:
Goal setting is a powerful motivation strategy that can bring students out of a slump. Student advisors can meet with students to discuss their values and aspirations and then outline clear, relevant goals related to them. Once a student has goals in place, advisors can help them develop a realistic plan to achieve them.
A student’s goals can focus on academic achievement or their personal lives. For example, a student may have a goal to raise their grade point average (GPA) or join an extracurricular program.
Sometimes, students in a slump may feel directionless and unsure of what major to choose. Advisors can help students make those hard decisions by encouraging them to explore their interests and strengths. Then, they can assess relevant career options and select courses, mentors, and internships that align with their choice.
Community and a sense of belonging are critical for students who feel alone and are struggling with their studies. Students who have friends and communities they can lean on in tough times are often more resilient, confident, and happy. They also have a lower risk of burnout, helping to prevent the sophomore slump.
An advisor can encourage students to foster their support network by joining peer groups and campus organizations and establishing relationships with faculty members.
Students can also improve their well-being by attending co-curricular and extracurricular activities. These activities happen on and off campus and give students a chance to make new friends and relieve stress. They may also develop beneficial soft skills — like time management, critical thinking, adaptability, and problem-solving — that help them overcome a slump and any future challenges they may face.
Advisors can stress the importance of these activities to students and assist them in finding ones that align with their academic goals and personal interests.
The sophomore slump can creep up slowly and last for a long time, which is why advising students should be an ongoing strategy. Students can meet with an advisor consistently to discuss their progress and discuss what’s bothering them. Their advisor can be a listening ear and offer advice when they need it. Advisors can also help students adapt their goals and plans if something isn’t working.
Watermark believes that data has the power to drive success. That’s why we created Watermark Student Success & Engagement, an innovative software designed to support students from prospect to graduation. Student Success & Engagement collects meaningful student data and makes it easily accessible to faculty and advisors.
Advisors can use our solution to create guided pathways for students, ensuring their choices align with set goals. When a student veers off course, advisors will receive early alerts so they can step in and offer support. Students can also connect with their support team through the app from anywhere, making help more accessible. The results speak for themselves — Student Success & Engagement helps higher education institutions increase retention rates by 6 percent in one year.
See how Watermark can benefit your institution by requesting a demo today!
