Life as a Student Athlete
Being a college student is difficult within itself without a doubt, but being a student-athlete in college is something that you only will understand by experience. Being in school, having deadlines and enjoying your social life is hard, but having workouts and practice on top of that is a big workload. I feel I owe it to non-athletes to explain why we do the things that we do and why a lot of athletes are prideful. Growing up and playing sports and having it be a big part of your life, you get used to the constant practices and late nights doing homework.
I had to make a lot of adjustments when coming to college. In high school, a lot of people play sports; a lot do it as a hobby. College is definitely a step up from high school or club ball. I think that it is a lot more of a commitment in college. You have morning workouts every day and practice most likely three to four times a week. It’s a job, not a hobby. Most athletes are being paid to play, and the athletic department is paying for your education. The amount of discipline you have to acquire and time management is a lot.
I think the hardest part for me is excelling in all areas of my life. Family, friends, academics and athletics. If it is a good athletic program, they will expect you to excel in all of those as well as help your community and promote the school. I think that being a student-athlete gives you a lot of skills that you will use later in life. I have already learned so many life lessons and learned a lot about my character. I feel there are so many pros and cons to being an athlete in college, but in the end, I feel that you learn so many skills you can use later in life.
