Sophomore year was when things definitely got more interesting. We were able to start taking classes that were closer to what we wanted to actually receive a degree in. For me though, this was when my girlfriend, future wife, transferred up to school with us. We were both able to find apartments in the same building. She had the ability to move in with a long time mutual friend and her dorm roommates. Me on the other hand, I had the experience of moving in with three strangers who were all older than me and already had lived together. This experience helped me to appreciate roommates going forward. In the dorms you are often set up in a room with random people, but this was different.
The dorms create a semi controlled atmosphere. Things need to be kept to a certain standard at a minimum. The apartment was an uncontrolled environment where I could only control my room. We had a shared common space, kitchen, and bathrooms. Moving in with a crew who already lived together, meant dishes were done in a certain way, cleaning was done (almost never) in a certain way, but more importantly, schedules/hangouts were done in a certain way. Given I was only 19 at the time, and they were all 21, every Thursday night was a party for them. They would have 5 to 10 people over at a time and then head to the bars. They would reconvene at our apartment to continue the party until 2-4am. This experience taught me patients, the ability to confront awkward situations, and would allow me to later think of others when I was making decisions.
All and all, sophomore year provided valuable lessons outside of school. To put it in perspective, I don't remember a single class from sophomore year or what we learned. Keep in mind, I graduated with a GPA greater than 3.5, so it's not a factor of not going to school, there just was nothing of importance taught there. All of my lessons came from outside of school. This was really the basis of me realizing school wasn't necessary. If I were to advise a 19 year old that was questioning going to school, or going for life experience, I would tell them every day of the week, to go for life experience. This is where the real lessons are taught.
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