Being a college athlete is time consuming and stressful. BUT, it is also one of the best times of your life! If you’re considering pursuing the life of a college athlete, here are some things to keep in mind.
Whether or not you should pursue a sport in college is a question that should run through your mind early on. Personally, I knew I was going to play in college since I was a freshman in high school, possibly earlier. In order to play in college, you must be passionate, hardworking, and go above and beyond academically, while still in high school.
The first step in the process of potentially playing a college sport is to succeed in your sport and show the coaches out there you are worth it. From there, start making a list of colleges you are interested in and set goals for yourself as to what division you would like to pursue. Then, start contacting coaches. Every sport is different with rules and restrictions on contacting coaches or when they can contact you, so be aware of that. Also, it is essential to understand the life of a student-athlete. Go on visits. Get to know the campus and teammates. Ask questions!
You wake up at 5:30 am, get dressed, rush across campus to go to workout at 6:30 am. From there, your sore body runs you to your morning classes, and then slumps you down in the cafeteria. You manage a few minutes to scarf down lunch. Now you only have 30 minutes before an upperclassmen picks you up for practice. Practice is from 2-5 pm, which is then followed by a quick dinner, long shower, and study tables at 7 pm. Unlike other students who are ready to hit the party scene when 10 pm rolls around, you crawl up into bed and crash. You may not have workouts every morning or you may end up with a more lenient class schedule. However, being a college athlete certainly comes with a packed schedule.
Being a student athlete comes with many positives. Not only has my college sport introduced me to an amazing group of women, but it has taught me things such as time management and dedication. Plus, there are always a ton of great perks such as free tutors, free clothing, accessibility to gyms and more, depending on your school of choice.
Being a college athlete has a few drawbacks as well. Some cons include lack of free time, limited time to meet new people, restricted time for homework, and the possibility of having to miss class due to competitions or events. I can’t stress enough how I’m constantly on the go. I often wish I just had a second to relax. But at the end of the day, I can’t imagine not being a college athlete. I wouldn’t change it for the world.
Before you decide to pursue being a college athlete, strongly consider what it takes: you must have tons of energy, be passionate towards your academics AND your sport, be able to manage your time wisely, be there to succeed, be open-minded and be ready to step out of your comfort zone.
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