Career Threads is a micro-blog series that offers quick insights into trending topics in career services, jointly composed by the Consulting Team at The Career Leadership Collective, out of their experiences interacting with hundreds of career professionals and senior campus leaders.
In response to increasing questions about the value of higher education, many colleges and universities have made career advising, career pathways, and student outcomes a highlight of their admissions/recruitment process. Career centers often focus a lot of energy on getting first-year students in the door of the career center or, at the very least, prodding them to explore careers within first-year seminars.
Fewer institutions have succeeded in leveraging opportunities to engage second-year (or sophomore) students in career exploration and planning. This is a missed opportunity for meaningful engagement at a pivotal time for many students, often characterized by a lack of institutional structured support, especially compared to their first-year experience.
A second-year career planning intervention can build upon the groundwork laid during a student's first year and help students:
choose a major/minor
plan to seek an internship
or map the skills they hope to build
It can also positively impact retention and student success.
According to a 2022 article in the Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice, "involvement in a comprehensive second-year program improved students' second-to-third year retention rates, even when accounting for potential selection bias. Second-year students comprise a unique population whose developmental needs have too often been unmet by their institution."
While freshman year is crowded with events and programs focused on engaging first-year students, helping them acclimate to college life and build community, there is often a steep drop-off in targeted curricular and co-curricular opportunities when students return for their second year.
Sophomore year is fertile territory for self-discovery and career planning. Most students have settled into college life and are finally dipping into a major-specific curriculum. This is an ideal time to soft-launch career development, and this can take a wide variety of forms, ranging from a low-stakes initiative like "Sophomore Career Advising Week," which takes the form of an email campaign that markets a particular type of career advising appointment to all sophomores - to a higher stakes program like a Sophomore Retreat that integrates programming focused on career exploration and identity.
Want to get inspired?
Check out these examples of sophomore career initiatives.
Boston College's Endeavor Program “Endeavor is a free, three-day career exploration program during winter break that will empower you to take control of your career journey. Through reflective exercises, conversations with alumni, and industry immersions with employers, you will explore the fit of a few career options and leave knowing at least one career field you are interested in further exploring.” 2024 Schedule
Colgate University's SophoMORE Connections SophoMORE Connections is a 10-year-old initiative designed to challenge "sophomores to explore career interests, develop professional skills to propel exploration, and build relationships with alumni." It is an exclusive career conference offered to second-year students during winter break.
Carleton College's Sophomorphosis “The Sophmorphosis program is designed to be an intentional series of events that brings the class together in focused ways to educate, celebrate, and elevate their experiences as Carleton students,” explains RJ Holmes-Leopold, director of the career center. Read an article about this program here.
Need some insight on innovating your student engagement practices? The Career Leadership Collective provides advisory assistance, strategic planning, and executive search services. Contact us to schedule a conversation.