Sophomore Year Experience

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The Sophomore Year Experience Program is an intra-department initiative that provides various programs and activities designed especially to help you have a smooth transition throughout your second year at UT Dallas!

The sophomore year is a unique one in terms of the challenges and opportunities you will face. We want to offer some assistance as you make those important personal and academic decisions regarding the direction you will go in your final two years at UTD and beyond.

The programs, activities and information will help you navigate through your sophomore year at UT Dallas with ease.

What is the Sophomore Slump?

Research suggests that during the sophomore year, you may experience a period of confusion and uncertainty. There is a whole new set of stressors sophomores experience when they return to college.

Unlike freshmen, sophomores receive less attention about college life and expectations about how things work. Combined with the push to declare a major, find an internship, and decide whether or not to study abroad leads sophomores to fall into the sophomore slump.

 

Do you find yourself wondering any of the following?

  1. What am I doing here at UT Dallas?
  2. Why do I have more questions now than when I first got here?
  3. Who are these people I hang around with that I thought were my friends?
  4. Why am I majoring in this, even if I don't like it?
  5. Why am I constantly overwhelmed?
  6. Why can't I find time to relax?
  7. Why am I not having as much fun as last year?
  8. Why do I feel like my parents are constantly pressuring me to know what I want to do with my life?
  9. Does everyone have this all figured out but me?

Turn the Sophomore Slump into the Sophomore JUMP!

UT Dallas has many resources available to help you deal with stress, select your major and get involved.

 

Sophomore Series of Events


The Sophomore Year: A World of Possibilities
This program offers four interconnected opportunities to learn more about types of majors, becoming a leader, career options, and study abroad options.

Alternative Spring Break
The Office of Student Volunteerism hosts UTD’s annual Alternative Spring Break (ASB) initiative, a nationwide program in which college students from around the country travel to various service sites during the week of Spring Break to volunteer with non-profit organizations.  Previous trips have included service projects benefiting the elderly, at-risk youth, homeless population and special needs children, as well as assisting with hurricane relief, parks restoration, and environmental cleanup.  March 12th - 16th

Explore the WOW! Externship/Job Shadowing Program
Explore the World of Work through an externship/job shadowing experience during Spring Break week. Receive a firsthand look at the workplace in a career of your choice, make valuable networking contacts and have the opportunity to see how classroom learning can be applied to real world situations. March 12th - 16th

First-Year Leader Program
First-Year Leaders have the opportunity to team up with a UNIV 1010 instructor to teach the course. They are students who have been trained to offer educational outreach to freshmen. Their mentoring helps new UT Dallas students succeed in the classroom and elsewhere on campus.

  

International Education Week
Every fall, the Office of International Education and International Student Services Office sponsor International Education Week, a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Department of Education to celebrate the benefits of international exchange and education around the world.  IEW offers diverse programs and lectures to promote and prepare Americans for a global environment and attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn, and exchange experiences in the United States.

International Week
International Week celebrates rich diversity of culture by providing an array of international events, from Diversity Dinner Dialogues to dance parties. Passport to the World showcases a wide array of culture through food, music, and much more. At the International Talent Show, you can watch classical dances, musical performances, and other quality student performances from around the globe. For a complete list of events offered during the week, please visit our official website.

Major Investigation
A program for second semester freshmen that addresses issues related to choice of major and career path. Topics to be addressed:

  • Choosing Your Major
  • Discovering Your True Fit
  • Exploring What’s Important to You
  • Tapping into Resources

March 28th, 5:00pm - 6:00pm, Residence Hall North

 

 

  

Rising Sophomores: Ignite Your Future
Celebrate your first-year success with your fellow freshmen at the “Ignite Your Future” event. This event includes an evening of fun marking the end of your first year at UT Dallas. Celebrate individual success, your class as a whole, achievements, new friends and moving on to your sophomore year! April 11th, 8:00pm - 10:00pm, Courtyard

Halfway to Someday Celebration: “Sophomore JUMP”
Sophomore party to celebrate being halfway to graduation. April 24th, 6:00pm - 8:00pm, Phase 8 Courtyard

Sophomores Experience Dallas
Dallas — or Big D, as it is often referred to — offers visitors a unique blend of Southwestern warmth, cosmopolitan flair, Old West charm and modern sophistication. UT Dallas students have three ways to experience all that the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex has to offer. Pick up tickets and get more information at the Comet Center.

Student Success Retreat
Each September, the Multicultural Center hosts their Student Success Retreat in partnership the Black Student Alliance and the League of United Latin American Citizens.  This retreat is specifically designed to address the concerns and needs of first-year & second-year students at UT-Dallas.

Study Abroad
Yes, you can go abroad your sophomore year! Studying abroad is an opportunity that allows for personal growth, a time to develop new insights into other cultures and an opportunity to enhance your global knowledge.

Cometline to Success

To help you make the most of your sophomore year, take a look at the Cometline to Success.

Contact Us

Yolande' Evans
Director, Student Programs
yolande@utdallas.edu
972-883-6204
Office — Student Services Building, SSB 3.600
Mailstop — SSB 33

Updated: February 7, 2012