Being a student-athlete at any American University comes with countless perks and opportunities throughout your experience and upon graduation. However, no one talks about the grind that managing both playing at the highest level and studying full time toward your degree can be.
Our alumni have compiled a list of 10 tips and tricks to make sure your GPA doesn’t suffer when you are juggling being a student as well as an athlete!
The Secret to Success, Courtesy of KAA Alumni
You will constantly hear your coaches and parents emphasise how getting good grades is vital to your success in college, and they aren’t wrong! A lot of the time your GPA will determine your eligibility to play or could determine whether you keep your academic scholarship for another year. This list of 10 tips and tricks that helped them excel academically, and that these athletes wished they knew when they were in college, so take notes!
1. Maximise enjoyment during the first semester
The first semester for any student is a massive learning curve, let alone when you’re juggling 3-hours practices a day as a student-athlete! Taking classes that you enjoy, or that you are already knowledgeable in, will make a huge difference to the success you have!
2. Set yourself up for success by making a plan
One of the biggest student-athlete hacks is creating an arrangement with your professor on the first day of your class. This is to show initiative when moving forward, and to say “This class means a lot to me and my GPA moving forward, how could we best work together to ensure I get the most out of this class despite me having to leave class 10 minutes early in order to get to practice on time?” This will allow you to have a positive support system moving forward when things do get busy.
3. Time management is key
This shouldn’t be the first time you have heard this, and it most definitely won’t be the last, but time management is key people!! It is absolutely vital to the success you have, or don’t have for that matter, as a student-athlete in all capacities.
Having good time management will allow you to keep on top of assignments, be on time for sporting commitments, will allow you to have a social life, all whilst getting your 8 hours of sleep!
4. Study hall, the key to seeing your friends and getting good grades
Speaking of have a social life, have you heard of study hall? Athletes have a set amount of study time per week allocated by their coaches or academic advisors which is to be completed in a mutual place, such as the library, where all over teams are also required to complete their hours.
This is a win win for everyone, as this is the perfect place to meet other athletes, get to know people in your classes, while getting your work done in a fun, productive, and educational setting.
5. Bus trips = prime study time
One of the main ‘excuses’ athletes try to make during season is that “it’s too hard to study or complete my assignments when we are on the road every week”. While this is true and it does make studying a challenge, there are also several ways around this.
Our athletes pointed out that if you’re on a bus trip for 8 hours, you are forced to be in one place for that amount of time which wouldn’t be true if you were on campus, so utilise this time to the best of your ability!
6. Don’t be a follower
This may sound harsh, but during college there will be so many opportunities to conform to your peers and forget about your priorities and long-term ambitions.
It is SO important to be your own person and follow your gut instinct. If you think you need to be in your dorm studying rather than going out with your friends, listen to your instincts and don’t be ashamed to put your work before your peers opinions!
7. Planners will become your best friend
Another ‘basic’ yet vital tip, use your planner! Whether it’s the free one you get on the first day of school, an aesthetic one you order from Etsy, or simply your laptop calendar, use something to organise your assignments and exam deadlines! There is nothing worse than an assignment sneaking up on you the night before a game, so prepare for this in the right way!
8. Do the hardest things first!
Who else writes themselves a to do list, and includes something they have already done just so you can immediately tick it off? Why do we do this? Does it actually help us, or does it just give us some sort of immediate gratification?
The key to success is tackling the hardest thing on that list first. Changing your mindset alone gives you a ‘go-getter’ attitude and will set you up for more success down the road. I understand that this is a very unnatural thing to do, but trust me, it works!
9. Remember, you’re a STUDENT-athlete, not an athlete-student
This is a hard one as you are constantly immersed in the world of being an athlete. From strangers around campus congratulating on your win over the weekend, to your 3-hour training sessions every day, it is hard to escape being an athlete.
However, keeping in mind the ultimate goal of your 4-years at University is to graduate with a degree and set yourself up in the best way possible for future opportunities!
10. Ask for help!
The last and most important tip is asking for help! The best thing about going to an American college is the endless supply of resources you have access to as an athlete.
From your academic advisors, coaches, tutors and professors, and most importantly your upperclassmen! All of these people want you to succeed, but can’t do that if they don’t know you’re struggling.
What now?
I hope that this post has given insight into how some of our student-athletes were able to succeed academically throughout their 4-years of being a student-athlete. The best part about this is that they had to figure this out on their own, whereas now you have the tools and knowledge to excel from day 1!
Now it’s your turn to put this into action! Ask yourself, am I already doing some of these things, how can I implement this into my own college experience, and how can I better prepare for this upcoming semester?
