Many colleges across the United States have realized in recent years that a slump seems to happen in the sophomore year.  This slump, as it is being called, is a discouraging feeling among sophomores. Many students drop out of college in their sophomore year. This is a growing problem at Cornerstone University, as well.

“Over the last few years, there has been much research done on the ‘sophomore slump.’ Students go to college as freshmen and are excited about school and meeting new people,” said Kay Landrum, director of retention at CU. “During their sophomore year, they may become discouraged if they haven’t chosen their major, are concerned about finances, and they realize graduation is a long way off.  They may lose motivation to stay in school.”

The dropout rates and lower grade point averages have been a wakeup call to many colleges, causing many to offer more opportunities for advising, career tests, direction and off-campus study opportunities.

“It’s also important for students to continue connecting with other students and to have quality interactions with faculty and staff,” Landrum said.

  The “Sophomore Experience,” developed by Gerald Longjohn and David Murdock, is CU’s solution to this problem.

“This program is designed to provide anchors to equip sophomores for a successful college career,” Longjohn said. “We hope to be able to connect each student with a mentor that will assist them in answering the spiritual questions that arise. We also want to open up more cross-cultural opportunities.”

According to Longjohn, these cross-cultural opportunities will allow sophomores to experience other cultures and understand diversity, so that they can better understand what God’s call is for their lives.  These cross-cultural opportunities will begin with a trip to Chicago, possibly this fall, with one of Cornerstone’s ministry partners.

There will also be on campus events, such as Advice and a Slice. This event, specifically for sophomores, will provide advice on career and ministry opportunities as well as providing academic information.

The “Sophomore Experience” will be a long-term connection with a mentor. The mentors will go beyond the academic role of the advisers and will be available for sophomores to ask the spiritual questions they may be facing. They will encourage students to stay in college and work toward graduation.

“If a student stays until his or her junior year, there’s a much better chance that he or she will continue to graduation.  Colleges want to help students make it through that sophomore year in a successful, positive way that contributes to the students’ growth as individuals,” Landrum said.

“We are still working out a lot of the details on this program, but we look forward to the positive effect it will have on our sophomore’s in the coming years,” Longjohn said.