Congratulations to parents of sophomore students! Actually, parents of all Tech students deserve a big round of applause, but I would like to extend a special shout-out to parents of students who are entering their second year at Tech. As you know, completing freshman year is quite an accomplishment, and New Student & Sophomore Programs (NSSP) is committed to helping your student continue that success through Sophomore Programs.

Sophomore Programs focuses on keeping your student involved and informed during their second year at Tech so he or she can continue to be successful and engaged. Our programs touch on various areas of your student’s experience and help your student continue to build his or her community at Tech. We also have programs on topics such as career exploration, internships/co-ops, and leadership development.

Two programs we would like to highlight this year are Sophomore Summit and the Sophomore Career Experience.

Each fall, Sophomore Programs hosts Sophomore Summit—a one-and-a-half-day leadership conference focused on helping second-year students kick start their year and set goals for their Tech experience. This program will take place on Friday, Sept. 27, and Saturday, Sept. 28, and will include a guest alumni speaker, small group activities with faculty/staff and upperclassmen, social time, and sessions on goal setting, career exploration, getting an internship/co-op, and leadership. Registration for Sophomore Summit is now open and costs $15, which covers a T-shirt, meals, and program supplies.

Also this fall, Sophomore Programs will take on a new cohort of second-years for Sophomore Career Experience. This bi-weekly program is a partnership between NSSP, the Division of Professional Practice, and Career Services and is designed to give sophomore participants all the information they need to be successful in their internship and co-op search. The programming will feature sessions on resumes, effective interviewing, and networking and mentoring. Sophomore Career Experience also helps students learn more about themselves through leadership development and community building activities among the cohort.

Applications are available this August at sophomores.gatech.edu.