The “high school experience” is eagerly anticipated by many adolescents. Children excitedly imagine all the opportunities that await, and the various freedoms they allow. They hold the importance of this experience in reverence. But, despite all of the rumors and stories, nothing can fully prepare a freshman for their first year of high school.

Last year, ASIJ’s Class of 2025 entered and survived their first year of high school. In 2022, they transitioned from freshman to sophomore year. This means one thing — the Class of 2025 are no longer at the bottom of the pecking order. They no longer have to worry about sitting at the wrong seat in the BLR, or taking an upperclassmen’s table at lunch. The class of 2025 can now kick back, and watch the new freshman struggle, the same way they did entering high school. 

However, sophomore year isn’t completely full of perks. It’s a somewhat awkward time, as the Class of 2025 is neither the youngest nor oldest in the high school. In addition, academics have become more difficult.

For most ASIJ sophomores, this year marks their first chance to take an Advanced Placement (AP) class, which can mean a huge transition. A distinct problem that the Class of 2025 faces is the jump from Humanities to AP World. The former (which was a brand-new option for freshmen last year) is a combination of social studies and English—a stark contrast to AP World History’s content-heavy class. Some sophomores are struggling to navigate this switch. 

One AP World Student who took Humanities says, “The biggest change I had to get used to was the quality and amount of homework that AP World History expects.” The quantity of assigned homework, coupled with the clash in curriculum content between Humanities and AP World, has made it quite difficult for some sophomores to adjust.

But there is also a positive: sophomore year contains a wider variety of classes compared to freshman year. There are higher math levels students can choose, depending on their past math history. There are also multiple science options available — Chemistry, Physics, and more. Because of these different options, sophomores have more freedom in their schedule, and can interact with the upperclassmen more.

Sophomore year, deceivingly tame with its status as the second year of high school, can still be a big transition for many students. Students find new academic freedoms, expand their social lives, and encounter fresh challenges. It is a period marked by the development of new growth and strength, and the Class of 2025 is just getting started.