Dear Second Year Nursing Major,

Welcome to sophomore year, where you have probably have considered dropping out 10 times more than last year. I seem to always come across articles either to the first year nursing majors or all nursing majors in general, so this one is for the sophomores out there, who are officially getting into their core nursing classes.

Do not stop now. If you cannot wait for that day that you get to graduate, become a registered nurse, and begin helping patients, do not get discouraged from a bad day, week, or test grade. Classes seem to be so much harder than last year and even semester, but we have to except that each year will be more of a challenge. We are learning how to save lives, therefore nothing can be easy in that process. It's not just about passing, but rather applying what we know. Yes, getting A's and B's are important in determining what we know but do not cheat your way there. If you get a bad grade, get help, learn from that mistake, God knows we'll continue to be learning from our mistakes throughout the career of nursing.

Manage your time. Not that every college student in general isn't told this, but it is crucial for such a demanding major as the coursework starts to pick up. I refuse to believe that I will have "no social life" because of nursing school. Yes, most of our time this year seems to be just devoted to all of our classes, but with the right balance, I believe that no matter how much time is consumed by studying, doing work, or being in classes, there is always some time available for extracurricular activities or dinners with your friends.

It will all pay off. You are not alone and that's the beauty of it. Every second year nursing major is beginning those tough classes, where we finally have to use what we learned in the past to be successful and also remember what we are learning now, to build off it with the numerous classes to still come. Spend time crying over the stress that you have and that will come, but then pick yourself up because you know that anything worth having doesn't come easy, especially the reward of becoming a RN. There are so many people that will need us in the future that we will be able to cure and I hope that pushes you to keep doing the best that you can.

Sincerely,

One of the many in the same boat as you