The term sophomore slump literally refers to the tendency of students to do worse academically in their second (sophomore) year than in their first (freshman) year. Colloquially, since the term "sophomore" often refers to people other than students, the term is often used for situations in which an individual's second effort shows a marked decline over the first—for example, it is sometimes used in sports to describe a player's lackluster second season, or in music to refer to a band's mediocre second album. Students attending a lecture at the Helsinki University of Technology The word student is etymologically derived through Middle English from the Latin second-type conjugation verb stÅ­dÄ“rÄ•, meaning to direct ones zeal at; hence a student is one who directs zeal at a subject. ...

There are many factors that contribute to the sophomore slump, including:

• Lack of confidence: The fear that the initial success was a fluke and cannot easily be repeated, leading to trying too hard.
• Overconfidence: A delusion that the initial success is an indication of genius and that failure is not possible, leading to only a perfunctory effort.
• Underestimation of difficulty: A student may expect that the second year of studies will be no more difficult than the first and be quite surprised.
• A change in working condition: A band may craft their first album over a period of years by writing dozens of songs, trying them out before audiences, and choosing the best ten songs to record; once this album is successful, however, the record company will demand that the next album be completed in a year under intense pressure—and to make matters worse, the band has already recorded its best songs.
• Increasing competition: An athlete may find that his incredible rookie season has inspired his competitors to train harder in the off-season, leading to a much harder second season.