Sophomore Slump Overcoming for the Student and the

Sophomore Slump: Overcoming for the Student and the Program Melissa Lynn Forgione Ed. S. , M. Ed. Academic Advisor/Career Coach Heavener School of Business University of Florida Michelle Schwager M. S. Academic Advisor/Career Coach Heavener School of Business University of Florida

What is the Sophomore Slump? § Lemons and Richmond (1987) define the sophomore slump as a “period of developmental confusion” and hypothesize that the “sophomore slump results from student’s struggles with achieving competence, desiring autonomy, establishing identity, and developing purpose. ” § The newness of college has worn off; the end of the “honeymoon phase” § There are no longer the programs that were designed specifically for freshman, yet sophomores feel they are not ready for the same leadership, career, and academic opportunities as the juniors and seniors.

Research Findings “The term sophomore slump is widely used to describe students who lack motivation, feel disconnected, and flounder academically. ” (Gahagan & Hunter, 2006) Ø “After a first year filled with novelty and excitement, sophomores often struggle to find their passions and set their goals. ” (Gardener, Pattengale, & Schreiner, 2000) Ø Other obstacles: “Millenial students typically come to college having been shepherded and given much individual attention. ” (Isakovski, Kruml, Bibb, & Benson, 2011) Ø Since millennial students have been used to constant feedback and have little experience with selfreflection, Schaller (2005) found “that to fully develop, students need to progress from random to focused exploration through active reflection, which Ø

Questions sophomores may ask themselves: From Becker College’s website § What am I doing here at ____ College? § Why do I have more questions now than when I was a freshman? § Are the people I hang around with really my friends? § Why am I majoring in this, if I don't even like it? § Why do I feel constantly overwhelmed? § Why am I so confused about my future? § Why am I not having as much fun as last year? § Why do I feel like my parents are always pressuring me to know what I want to do with my life? § Does everyone else have life all figured out? § Why do I feel so unmotivated?

§ One of the best things we can do for these students is engage them and help them determine goal-centered activity. § Where we started: Sophomore Group Advising § The purpose of SGA is to provide a contact point with second year students and check in with them to see how they are adapting to UF.

Scope of the Project Ø Approximately 350 -450 students per semester Ø 7 -9 advisors facilitating 1 -3 sessions per week Ø Split scheduling and data management between two advisors

Sophomore Group Advising 10 -15 rising freshmen or sophomores 1 Advisor and 1 Career and Academic Peer Mentor Allows student interaction and networking Focus on 4 key areas

Session Structure 50 minutes Pre. Assessment Introductions 4 Key Areas Wrap-up Postassessment sent via Email

Academics Understands pre-requisite courses and scheduling Understands different types of GPAs (tracking, core, major, overall) Able to look up course descriptions Able to run minor audit

Career Development Understands internship requirement Value of Networking Able to use career center’s website

Leadership and Involvement Identify 2 student organizations of interest Understands importance of involvement Transferable skills

International Study Value of Globalization Ways to globalize education besides study abroad

Wrap up § Contact information – advisor, CAP mentor, handout of resources § “What do I do now after attending Sophomore Group Advising Session? ” handout § Inform students a post-session survey will be sent to them within a few days.

Positive outcomes of Sophomore Group Advising § All Sophomores will attend a session and realize the importance of the 4 Key Areas we discussed in the SGA session. § The students will know how to start gaining experience in each of the areas and create a plan of action.

Management 2 Advisors Sessions scheduled Data run for selected cohorts Holds placed on student account CAP availability requested

Management Begin 6 weeks into semester Sessions released weekly Reminder emails to register sent weekly Student does not attend, must wait until “make up” sessions Schedule make up sessions

Cohorts § Fall semester: § students who took Intro to Business as freshmen (and have above a 3. 0 UF GPA) § students in Florida Leadership Academy § Spring Semester § Students who did not take WW (regardless of GPA) *matriculated in within last 2 terms § those who have below a 3. 0 GPA *matriculated in within last 2 terms § Innovation Academy students (cohort of students with Spring/Summer schedule)

Data and Assessment § Pre-assessment § Post session survey § Let’s look at the compiled data from a semester and feedback from students.

Weekly Attendance Data Feb. 22 Feb. 29 March 21 April 18 Total Students 438 438 431 Total Attended 149 (34. 02%) 258 (58. 90%) 313 (71. 46%) 397 (92. 11%) 103 103 100 Less than 3. 0 Registered 0 (0%) 55 (53. 4%) 84 (84%) Less than 3. 0 Attended 0 (0%) 55 (53. 4%) 84 (84%) Less than 3. 0 Remaining 103 48 16 No Warrington Welcome Registered No Warrington Welcome Attended No Warrington Welcome Remaining 335 335 331 263 (78. 51%) 258 (77. 01%) 313 (94. 56%) 149 (44. 48%) 258 (77. 01%) 313 (94. 56%) 72 77 77 18 Sessions Held 16 28 37 48 Sessions Remaining 12 0 0 0 Total Sessions 28 28 37 48 Less than 3. 0

Pre/Post Assessment Comparison Pre Post # of Student Orgs: 52. 89% 82. 98% Hours for internship: 22. 31% 76. 60% Internship required: 18. 18% Network: 98. 35% 74. 38% 88. 43% 29. 79% 100. 00% 91. 49% 95. 74% Tracking GPA: Finance degree: Active student member: 97. 52% CRC Services: 80. 99% Globalizing education: 95. 87% Tracking courses: 13. 22% 89. 36% 97. 87% 95. 74% 78. 72%

Student Feedback Ø Ø Ø Ø “I found the session moderately engaging, but it contained a lot of information I already knew” “It would be nice to have more information on finding internships/jobs. ” “You did a great job!” “It was very helpful” “Make more engaging” “I found that group advising only catered to the general, assumed needs of any old business major… There were a few topics… that were interesting, however several topics were bland unnecessary. ” “If there was more time to personalize the sessions to the students. ”

SGA Sophomore Slump: how can we improve § Since our rate of students taking Intro to Business has reached 85%, a lot of information is becoming repetitive. § Student engagement § How do we encourage students to engage more? § How do we reach the students better? § How do we make the sessions more dynamic? § How do we get students excited about coming? How do we ensure the students are using the sessions to make goals and feel empowered to follow through?

Rebranding § Name Change: Second Year Success Seminar § Change in emails: Buzzfeed articles § Integration of different workshop options

Integration of Workshops Goal setting Leadership and Involvement Career Development

Implementation Random Managed in Same Manner Still had traditional SGA sessions throughout

Ø “I Results/Feedback on Workshops learned what steps to take in order to attain my long term goals. ” Ø “It was just a wake up call to pay attention to my future because it’s approaching more quickly than I thought. ”

“The session you attended focused on a specific subject or topic area of knowledge. Are there any other topics or areas you would like to see offered in these sessions in the future? ” Ø “It would be nice to learn more about opportunities to further ourselves rather than setting goals. ” Ø “Study Abroad programs. ” Ø “Topics more about involvement and ways to get involved. A lot of us know different programs and things to get involved with but don’t know how or what we need to do to get involved. ”

Spring 2016 § More workshops § Stress Management and Wellness § Career Decision Making § Leadership and Involvement § Internship Search § 4 Key Areas to Success * Students able to choose the session topic § Moved Innovation Academy Cohort to Summer

2016 -2017 Academic Year Ø All sessions moved to Spring Ø Will be adding new workshops, such as study abroad Ø Utilizing staff across departments to facilitate special topics, decreasing advisor workload

2016 -2017 Academic Year Ø Timeline Ø November: decide on workshop types Ø December: confirm presenters Ø January: create schedule Ø February: begin programming

Questions?

Resources Gahagan, J. & Hunter, M. S. (2006). The Second-Year Experience: Turning Attention to the Academy’s Middle Children. About Campus, July/August, 17 -22. Ø Gardner, J. N. , Pattengale, J. , & Schreiner, L. A. (2000). Summary and recommendations. In L. A. Schreiner & J. Pattengale (Eds. ), Visible solutions for invisible students: Helping sophomores success [Monograph No. 31, pp. 8993]. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina, National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition. Ø Isakovski, T. , Kruml, S. , Bibb, J. , & Benson, A. “C-SCAPE: One Business School’s Answer to the Sophomore Slump. ” The Academy of Education Leadership Journal 15. 4 (2011): 17 -33. Ø Schaller, M. (2005). Wandering and wondering: Traversing the uneven terrain of the second college year. About Campus, July-August, 17 -24. Ø