For Sophomores

What do you need to know going into your sophomore year? In your sophomore year, you will concentrate on academic areas and extracurricular activities more closely related to your individual talents. Where your freshman year was about exploring and trying new things, as a sophomore you need to start specializing in what you do best.

Checklist

  • Visit the Center for Global Education and start thinking about if you'd like to study abroad and for how long. That will affect your class schedule and you'll need to plan ahead to make sure you can graduate on time and with an unforgettable study abroad experience!
  • Evaluate your major and make sure you're happy. It's a lot harder to change it after your sophomore year and could require a fifth senior year.
  • Map out your course schedule for all four years. Some classes are only offered certain semesters and you'll need to plan for those. And make sure your classes fit your plan to graduate. Adding a minor might push your graduation past the usual four-year timeline.
  • Decide what activities you really want to commit to and think about future leadership roles you could take in those organizations.
  • Visit Career Services - start planning your resume and how to fill it out.
  • Living options: As you go into your sophomore year, your housing options are numerous. Do you want to live on campus or off campus? Is an apartment your style or do you prefer the community of residence hall life?
  • Think about research opportunities. TU is well known for its support of undergraduate research. Programs like TURC set you up with mentors and provide funding for your research. Doing undergrad research leads to post-grad scholarships and getting into top grad programs.
  • Look at scholarships that are major-specific. Check with your department on which ones might apply to you.