This phrase seems to be constantly on the tongues of the class of 2011 these days. What does it mean? Well, I cannot speak for you but I can definitely speak for myself--"sophomore grind" encompasses a LOT of things. If you are like me, you had QUITE a freshman year. This could mean partying every day of any given weekend or sleeping through classes or even procrastinating heavily and fooling around at the expense of our academics. One on their "sophomore grind" is done with such nonsense. This means that on a Thursday night, the night we all went out to play last year, your best bet to find us is in our room cooking (sorry to my classmates residing in Potomac) or making it do what it do in Club G or Eckles. It is time to get that ever elusive 4.0 or at least above a 3.0 to begin building that transcript for our futures.
Sophomore year is a chance to learn from all the lapses in judgment we ALL had as freshmen and start anew. Another characteristic of being on that "sophomore grind" is growing up. Contrary to what we thought last year, NONE of us were completely on our grown woman/grown man ish so we should all really stop trying to front as if we were. That means that this summer should have served as a means to grow up and become adults. I repeat--SHOULD HAVE. It is our duty as mature individuals to carry ourselves in such a manner that we can be living and breathing examples of what one on their "sophomore grind" must be. One of my close friends' mothers is constantly reminding her of a phrase that is pertinent to this topic—“tu valgo” or you are valuable. Never forget that. Know your self-worth and act likewise. The crazed phenomenon of reckless behavior and constant hooking up with no greater purpose is over. Done. Finito. This is the beginning of the rest of our lives. This does not mean that we should not let loose occasionally to let off the proverbial steam that taking full and demanding course loads generates; it means that we should do so--responsibly. I.e. No more should we say "the alcohol and/or blunt made me do it.” It should be "Yes, I did it. It may have not been the smartest and most intelligent thing to do, but I did it and take full responsibility for my actions."
Being on that "sophomore grind" should mean that we stop with all of the shameless rumors. It is time to acknowledge the fact that the genesis and sharing of all of the rumors out there is absolutely nothing but childish. Yes, childish. It has the "Ooooh did you hear what he/she did?” mentality that just needs to end. It is the crutch of our generation to speak ill of those around us, and as much as we try to resist it, it continues to occur. Moreover, unfortunately, it will not cease to occur unless we all make a concerted effort to stop it where it starts--with you, with me, with all of us.
Check back next week for more characteristics of that “sophomore grind”
Angeliqué Israel is a sophomore majoring in psychology.
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