A Case of Sophomore-itis: HutchCC Students Struggle at Times with Spring Motivation

By Bianca Salazar
Staff writer
IG: bancasalazar_bts

As the spring semester progresses at Hutchinson Community College, students are expected to attend classes and stay on top of their classes. But it is hard when students are more than halfway through with little to no breaks.

Staci Unruh, academic advisor and a student support specialist, works with students who need a little more support with things in their classes, like optimizing their study skills, taking better notes, managing their time well, and more. She explains what this “disease” does to students.  

“I would describe sophomore-itis as a lack of motivation, wanting to be finished with the semester, or just checking out a little bit and feeling ready for a break,” Unruh said.

The feeling of wanting to do nothing more in the semester is common throughout students, especially for the graduating class.

Hutchinson sophomore MaryAna Flores talks about how she is done with the semester.

“I’m so ready for the year to be over, and motivation is hard to come by now,” Flores said. “The only way I can make myself feel better is to not procrastinate and get everything done so it doesn’t hang over your head for the whole week.

The signs are shown throughout the semester after spring break.

“This is the time in the semester when, as an advisor, I’m receiving the most attendance warning notifications for students missing their classes,” Unruh said. “We also see students inquiring about how to withdraw from a class or struggling with motivation.”

Unruh said that a couple of reasons why students might feel this way is because they are so close to the end of the semester, the weather is changing, and they might just be feeling tired and ready for a break from classes.

The road to the end of the semester becomes rocky when students don’t get enough breaks from class. Unruh encourages students to remind themselves of their goals. Some questions to help would be asking why they were in college in the first place, what they are working toward, and why is it important to them.

“Making connections between what you need to do today to continue the path toward accomplishing your goals can help boost motivation,” Unruh said.

After figuring out why students are there, their next step would be to find people who would be able to give them the support they need to finish the semester strong. Unruh says that a great place to start is with their academic advisors. These people have been where each student has been in and will help connect people to other people on campus.

“Rimmer Learning Resource Center is full of resources—there’s walk-in tutoring for math and writing help, or you can set up one-on-one tutoring with a peer tutor by clicking on TracCloud in DragonZone,” Unruh said. ”Librarians in JFK Library are happy to assist if you’re struggling with finding sources for a paper. Or a student could talk with an instructor they’ve connected with or stop by the Student Success Center in the Student Union. The Student Success Center is where students can find free counseling services with licensed therapists, information on food pantry resources and free weekly meal bundles, accessibility services for students requesting accommodations, and our Retention Coordinator who helps students brainstorm solutions to barriers that may keep them from finishing their classes. Literally, every building on campus has people who are ready to cheer you on.”

There are many places on campus that are able to help each student succeed with their classes. HutchCC has an abundant number of resources available for students no matter where they are in their college career.

“This is a great time to build skills like self-advocacy, perseverance, and resilience,” Unruh said. “Make sure the small daily choices you’re making are moving you closer to the person you want to be in the future. Work hard, finish the semester strong, then have a wonderful summer.”

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