4 answers
Savannah
Student
Winston, Georgia
2
Questions
Asked
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How hard is it to keep up your school work and play a sport at the same time?
#athlete #school #soccer
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4 answers
Virginia Hine
Product Operations
1
Answer
Memphis, Tennessee
Updated
Virginia’s Answer
Hi Savannah -
I was a D1 3-season scholarship athlete at Duke (cross-country, indoor, outdoor track). I will echo what the other responders have said - being a student athlete is a unique (but very rewarding) experience. It also is a serious time commitment that requires strong focus and time management skills, which I found to be the most valuable traits to making me successful in my career post-college!
A few tips:
- Develop a weekly schedule / plan for your school & athletic responsibilities. Lean on your coach and your teachers (if you can) to help you determine where to focus your energy, particularly if you need to make trade-offs.
- Get an understanding of what resources or support systems are available to you. In college, there are often student-athlete study groups, tutors, additional study materials, or special sessions set aside to ensure you can focus on your school work while still balancing your athletic duties.
- You're not alone. Talk to your teammates or other student athletes about how they are feeling and what best practices / tips they've employed to help with balance.
- Be realistic about what is most important to you. Is it your chosen major / career path? Is it being the best athlete you can be? Is it finding balance / having a rounded experience (academic, athletic, social)? If your major is super demanding (pre-med for instance), be candid about how much additional bandwidth you will have to focus on athletics or building community.
Wishing you all the best!
V
I was a D1 3-season scholarship athlete at Duke (cross-country, indoor, outdoor track). I will echo what the other responders have said - being a student athlete is a unique (but very rewarding) experience. It also is a serious time commitment that requires strong focus and time management skills, which I found to be the most valuable traits to making me successful in my career post-college!
A few tips:
- Develop a weekly schedule / plan for your school & athletic responsibilities. Lean on your coach and your teachers (if you can) to help you determine where to focus your energy, particularly if you need to make trade-offs.
- Get an understanding of what resources or support systems are available to you. In college, there are often student-athlete study groups, tutors, additional study materials, or special sessions set aside to ensure you can focus on your school work while still balancing your athletic duties.
- You're not alone. Talk to your teammates or other student athletes about how they are feeling and what best practices / tips they've employed to help with balance.
- Be realistic about what is most important to you. Is it your chosen major / career path? Is it being the best athlete you can be? Is it finding balance / having a rounded experience (academic, athletic, social)? If your major is super demanding (pre-med for instance), be candid about how much additional bandwidth you will have to focus on athletics or building community.
Wishing you all the best!
V
Courtney Shen
Engineer
2
Answers
Austin, Texas
Updated
Courtney’s Answer
Hi Mitchell,
I played Division 1 lacrosse at Liberty University while getting my B.S. in Industrial Engineering and pursuing a minor in math. It was basically working two-full time (40 hrs/wk +) at the same time. However, having the structure of practices and the support of being on a team made the education part of college extremely fun, rewarding, and doable. Yes, it is a lot of effort and you need to be diligent in both. But it is a very enriching experience. I wouldn't trade it for anything. I would highly recommend pursing being a student-athlete.
Not all majors require the same time commitment, so depending on what degree you want to pursue, it may be easier than others. A lot of my team mates did exercise science, comms, or business. But there were also a few who were engineers and nurses. I would recommend using the summer and breaks to take some classes so that when you are in-season you can reduce your credit/hours. This is super helpful, so that when it is season you can focus more on your sport. Some universities offer intensives (a course that you can complete just in one week) and those are really fun to do with your teammates to all get ahead together. Also not all collegiate athletic programs require the same time commitment (D1 vs D2 or D3), so there are ways to make it work for you regardless of what you want to do!
Hope that helps!
Courtney Shen
I played Division 1 lacrosse at Liberty University while getting my B.S. in Industrial Engineering and pursuing a minor in math. It was basically working two-full time (40 hrs/wk +) at the same time. However, having the structure of practices and the support of being on a team made the education part of college extremely fun, rewarding, and doable. Yes, it is a lot of effort and you need to be diligent in both. But it is a very enriching experience. I wouldn't trade it for anything. I would highly recommend pursing being a student-athlete.
Not all majors require the same time commitment, so depending on what degree you want to pursue, it may be easier than others. A lot of my team mates did exercise science, comms, or business. But there were also a few who were engineers and nurses. I would recommend using the summer and breaks to take some classes so that when you are in-season you can reduce your credit/hours. This is super helpful, so that when it is season you can focus more on your sport. Some universities offer intensives (a course that you can complete just in one week) and those are really fun to do with your teammates to all get ahead together. Also not all collegiate athletic programs require the same time commitment (D1 vs D2 or D3), so there are ways to make it work for you regardless of what you want to do!
Hope that helps!
Courtney Shen
thank you so much this actually made me happy to see this comment, i will try these steps so i can try to play any sport i want to play.
madison
Mitchell Strack
Sr Operations Manager
3
Answers
Updated
Mitchell’s Answer
Sports do require a time commitment. I find that the exercise working on my sport is not only healthy but is a great break from school work. When it’s time to study, I have more energy and focus.
Mitchell recommends the following next steps:
BJ Miller
Sales
4
Answers
Fort Collins, Colorado
Updated
BJ’s Answer
Hi Mitchell,
I swam at the University of Texas and got a Bachelor's of Fine Arts in Art History. As a swimmer, we had a couple of weeks off every year after we were done competing at NCAAs. I found whenever I didn't have the structure of practice, that I was actually a much worse student! Athletics kept me focused and always helped me to get my work done. Plus, having the accountability of a team and the automatic group of friends helped me to be a better student overall. Athletics in college is one of the best, most fun experiences of your life. I wouldn't trade competing at that level for anything, even if you have to walk on.
Good luck!
Cheers,
BJ Miller
US Olympic Team, 2000
I swam at the University of Texas and got a Bachelor's of Fine Arts in Art History. As a swimmer, we had a couple of weeks off every year after we were done competing at NCAAs. I found whenever I didn't have the structure of practice, that I was actually a much worse student! Athletics kept me focused and always helped me to get my work done. Plus, having the accountability of a team and the automatic group of friends helped me to be a better student overall. Athletics in college is one of the best, most fun experiences of your life. I wouldn't trade competing at that level for anything, even if you have to walk on.
Good luck!
Cheers,
BJ Miller
US Olympic Team, 2000