The Sophomore-Superiority Complex
“Aw, the Freshmen are so cute!” I've heard myself say this, and I've heard other people say it. Freshmen are always easily recognizable on campus – wearing their pre-orientation t-shirts, official Tufts lanyards, asking for directions... and we sophomores think we're so much better. It's a pretentious thought that doesn't make a lot of sense, really. We were freshmen only a couple months prior, but we allow ourselves to look down on the freshmen as if we were so much better.
But here's the reality. During your freshman year at Tufts, you will grow. You will grow exponentially as a person, and when you return home for your first summer, people will comment on how you've changed. Tufts brings people out of their shells, allows them to explore interests they didn't know they had and form connections with extraordinary peers and professors. So really, the new freshman has nothing to do with the freshman you see leaving his or her last final of the year. So enjoy your first year – it will be unlike any other year of your life. And when you're a new sophomore, enjoy feeling superior. You earned it.