Freshman, Sophomore, Junior and Senior Explained

A college career for an undergrad student is often classified into four academic levels referred to as freshman, sophomore, junior and senior. These distinctive student categories are based on the current stage of the student and the sum of credit hours earned towards the degree.

A bachelor’s degree is more often than not meant to be completed in a 4-year course if you’re a full-time student, which is a student that takes the minimum of credits required by the college. Most colleges suggest taking 15 credits each semester in order to graduate in four years.

In any case, many students study part-time whereas others exceed the number of credit hours expected and they graduate in less than four years. When this takes place, the student classification is different from the expected “four years” which is why the level of the student is decided by the number of credits taken. Not everybody opts for the ordinary 4-year program due to a range of reasons and a few majors might take more or less time than others.

Keep reading to find out the differences between the four stages.

Freshman

A freshman is somebody in their first year of high school or college. You might in some cases see this abbreviated to “frosh.”

The word “freshman”, being a child of Advanced English, dates back to the mid-16th century where it implied either “newcomer” or “novice.” Its use to represent a “university student in first year,” also has roots in the 1590s.

A freshman in college is additionally known as a first-year student. It is the primary year of a college career and it is a new stage of their life. Incoming freshman students that begin college right after wrapping up high school are for the most part 18 or 19 years of age. On the other hand, you’ll also find students from a range of ages. There are a few younger people that graduate early from high school, though many students might begin college afterward. You can always start pursuing your degree regardless of your age! It’s never too late to learn.

Sophomore

A student in their second year would be referred to as a sophomore. This is sometimes abbreviated to “soph”.

The word “sophomoric” means juvenile, and the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as “conceited and overconfident of knowledge but poorly informed and immature.” Many might argue this is exactly the description of students in their second year.

Junior

The third categorisation is junior year, and someone in their third year is a junior. When writing, this term might be shortened to “jr.”.

With origins dating back to the late 13th century, the word junior has almost always meant someone younger, or more specifically, “the younger of two.” Juniors, when defined in contrast to their more learned upperclassmen, used to be called “Junior Soph,” and seniors were referred to as “Sophester”.

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