Urban Dictionary defines Sophomore slump as a time "During a college student's sophomore year, [where] their GPA drops after having a high GPA from their freshman year".

This slump is something I know many of my friends have expressed to me, and I, myself, have had my own share of exasperation. Even after OS (The best and worst class in CS), I find myself potentially experiencing Sophomore Slump pt. 2 because of my non-CS classes.

In light of the end of my Sophomore slump, though, I've found this past semester to be a fruitful time:

• I've gained the ability to cram two centuries of Texas history into my brain within 2 days for every exam (whether that's healthy or not).
• I've acquired the ability to tell a subpar fiction story about insane ducks and ecstatic clock smiths. (ask me about it sometime)
• I've grown a greater heart for proofs and algorithms (at the cost of sleepless 5 AM mornings for problem sets. NP-Hard man).
• I've experienced the process of creating an API using other people's data (and learned that front-end does a lot for back-end folks... thank you guys).
• I've learned to creatively write more words this past semester than the past 20 years of my life.
• I've run almost 100 miles, all at times I wish I could've been sleeping.
• I've been blessed to work on many projects at several hackathons with many amazing friends.
• I've received the opportunity to help organize a hackathon of my own (with the Freetail Hacker Team).
• I've reflected on my life too much (or maybe too little)?
• I've had thoughts over why I became a CS major, what I valued in my passions as a software engineer, blogger, or proctor, and what my intentions over my faith, organizations, and classes I participated were.

And I'm looking forward to the next coming semester! There's so much more I hope to learn and do; whether it's being able to order a full course meal in Korean, experience more sleepless weekends at hackathons, relearn the fundamentals of Linear Algebra so I can code a graphical 3D model, participate in startup talks by founders all around Austin, or experience the wonders (and stresses) of Junior year, I really can't (but probably should) wait for what's in store.

Taking new classes, meeting new people, and taking on the 3rd year of college may be intimidating, but I know that it will all bring forward experiences that I will cherish, learn, and look back years after they pass.

So here's to another year in the textbooks *raises an imaginary glass of water*, and here's to many more years to come! *downs glass of water*

Good luck with exams, projects, and finals everyone, and have an amazing summer!