What is Sophomore 101?

Program Overview: 

Sophomore 101 is a course designed for this particular sophomore class of 2024, a class whose frosh experience was not what they’d anticipated. Transitioning to college is an exciting and challenging time for all, but transitioning to college post-pandemic will be a different sort of experience. In Sophomore 101, students will focus on adjusting to campus in all sorts of ways, but the emphasis will be the uniqueness of sophomore year, a time when students are declaring majors and focusing on academics differently. We’ll start with considering how to adjust to dorms, friends, roommates, and social situations on a full campus, and we’ll move toward balancing those personal experiences with academic shifts and major expectations.

Whether you haven’t been to campus at all, or if you’ve lived here part of this year, this course will provide space to: reflect on being on campus with all four classes; talk about living with peers and building community; discover ways to achieve sophomore year goals; explore a variety of campus resources; and reflect on ways to thrive in a diverse community.

The course will meet weekly and will be led by juniors and seniors who have spent time on campus and who have led our Frosh 101 course. The course will have neighborhood sections, so sophomores will have the opportunity to meet others who live near them.

Unique Context of 2nd Year Students: 

Sophomores are not “new” Stanford students, but they definitely have not had a “normal” start to their college experience and for many will be coming to campus for the first time. Additionally, we know that sophomore year is difficult, the time when students have just declared a major, are about to do so, and are often taking on leadership positions. To help sophomores balance both of those sorts of challenges, Sophomore 101 was designed to provide space to discuss and learn with their peers.   

Course Structure: 

Sophomore 101 is offered for one unit of academic credit. Sections of up to 20 students meet for 80 minutes a week for 10 weeks during Fall quarter. Students will enroll in sections based on the residential neighborhood they are assigned to live in during the year. Each section will be led by upper class students who have been trained on the course’s curriculum as well as best practices for leading Sophomore 101 sections. 

Neighborhood Sections:

Students should enroll in sections based upon their assigned residential neighborhoods. Please see the list of neighborhoods below to find the corresponding course offerings and section times. 

Neighborhood Offerings