Now Starring: Sophomores Making the Most of Sophomore Year Institutions have put more emphasis on the success of second-year students and appreciate the expertise that housing divisions bring to the program. By Lance Kennedy-Phillips and Elizabeth Fines M ost postsecondary institutions place a strong emphasis on efforts to involve students during their first year of college. As Molly Schaller points out in her article "Wandering and Wondering: Traversing the Uneven Terrain of the Second Year of College" (About Campus, July/August 2005), colleges and universities across the nation have developed and implemented firstyear experience programs that help students navigate the critical first year of transition into college; but not as much institutional attention has been focused on sophomores, though they may need just as much help navigating the second year. Many students experience what is called the sophomore slump, a stage where they may feel uninvolved, seemingly uninterested in their academic pursuits, and overwhelmed by discrepancies between their expectations and the realities of college. JANUARY + FEBRUARY 2014 29