The wise sage Jason Mraz once said, “The sophomore slump is an uphill battle.” Sure, it may seem that way, but we’re here to make that hill a little less daunting. Introducing The Anti-Slump, a new series that gives you the motivation to win that uphill battle. So flock to us whenever you feel the slump creeping up on you — we’ll be here every other week with another helpful piece of guidance or generally inspirational tid-bits to help you shake up your sophomore year.

The myth of the sophomore slump is real. But it doesn’t have to be. Sophomore year is a time when academics get more serious, things get familiar enough for you to breathe, and a lowly second-year realizes how much of Brown there is left to discover. But sophomore year is all about motivating yourself — and that’s where we come in — because there’s no one else that’s going to force you to. At this stage in the game there are no Meikeljohns, First-Year Seminars or unit meetings, but there are still so many questions left unanswered.

To start you off, here is a lil bucket list that we have compiled, which will help us motivate ourselves, too. We’re setting the bar high and so should you! It’s all about keeping up the ambition. Check it out after the jump.

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Hey there, sophomores. Think back to when you first got accepted Brown. All your friends (and their obnoxiously competitive parents) would ask you why you chose Brown over, say, that other school. You’d nonchalantly speak of the open curriculum — ah, such a wondrous concept! — in which you have the flexibility to take classes in any department you choose, mix and match lectures and seminars to your liking, and not have to deal with pesky distribution requirements. You get the bragging rights of the Ivy League with the flexibility of a liberal arts program. #winning.

Then second semester of sophomore year hits. You automatically delete skim over all the ASK and Curricular Advising e-mails — you don’t possibly have to think about this now, it’s only January, right? But before you know it, March rolls around. You’re sunbathing on the Main Green and casually checking your Facebook when you see that your acquaintance from orientation has posted a status update: “Officially declared in _______!” Crap.

Better move those emails from trash to your inbox, friends. It’s almost April 1, which means it’s time to declare your concentration (haha, very funny, Advising Central. April Fools?) and actually decide which department you can stand like the most. You’re either dead set on one, or have absolutely no idea where to go from your ENGL/AMCV/ECON/GEOL schedule. If you fall in the latter category, you’re in luck: BlogDH has put together a little personality test that will help you determine which concentration is most compatible with your interests. Yuuup, we just went all Seventeen magazine on y’all. Check it out after the jump.

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