Sophomore year can feel like an in-between moment at K. Research on undergraduate development often identifies it as a pivotal stage in the college experience, as students begin figuring out what interests, energizes, and challenges them, while many still see questions about life after college as something to think about “later.” As a result, students can miss opportunities to explore possibilities, build relationships, and test out ideas while they still have the support and flexibility that college provides.
This year, the Center for Career and Professional Development partnered with four sophomore seminar faculty to pilot a workshop designed to help students pause, reflect, and think more intentionally about where they might want to go next.
The workshop, Reflection to Direction: Exploring Purpose in Practice, was developed by CCPD staff, Alejandro Alaniz ’18 and Valerie Miller, using the Guiding Compass, a tool adapted from the Innovator’s Compass developed by Ela Ben-Ur at Olin College of Engineering. During the session, students reflected on their experiences at K so far, identified patterns in what felt meaningful or energizing to them, brainstormed possible directions, and developed small “experiments” to test out next steps. The workshop also emphasized the value of talking with people, both on and off campus, whose work, interests, or experiences connect to what students are curious about.
Faculty feedback also highlighted the value of giving students dedicated time to reflect and talk openly about the future within the sophomore seminar experience. They noted that the workshop created space for students to think more openly about topics like study abroad, future plans, and uncertainty about what comes next. Faculty also observed that students were engaged, reflective, and willing to participate honestly in the discussion.
After the workshop, 87% of students said they had a clearer sense of directions they may want to explore, 97% said they better understood how to take a small step toward exploring their interests, and 95% said they better understood the value of career conversations and relationship-building in exploring future possibilities.
Student reflections highlighted how many sophomores are carrying big questions about the future while still feeling like they are supposed to already have answers. Many appreciated having dedicated time to slow down and think about what matters to them before decisions start to feel more urgent. Others shared that breaking career exploration into smaller, manageable next steps made the process feel less overwhelming. Students also shared that hearing from peers helped normalize uncertainty about the future.
One student described sophomore year this way:
“Being a sophomore feels lukewarm. You need to have all the answers at the top of your head without any guidance and only expectations.”
Another student reflected that the workshop helped them step back and think more honestly about what they want moving forward:
“It makes you think about what you truly want, not just the thing you’ve committed yourself to wanting.”
Others appreciated having dedicated time to pause and think about life after K before those decisions begin to feel urgent:
“Having career workshops in sophomore seminars is valuable because it forces you to take a break from school and think about what your career might look like. I personally get really caught up in school so I haven’t spent as much time reflecting on what I want to do, so this gave me an opportunity to do so.”
A huge thank you to sophomore seminar professors, Cyndy Garcia-Weyendt, Josh Moon, Babli Sinha and Amy Elman, for making space in their sophomore seminars for this pilot and for sharing thoughtful feedback throughout the process.
Next year, the CCPD hopes to continue refining the workshop and partnering with additional sophomore seminar faculty. As Miller put it, “Our goal is not to add ‘one more thing’ to sophomore seminar, but to support the important reflective and exploratory work that is already central to the sophomore year experience at K.”
