One of the hardest challenges for collegiate athletes is balancing their sport activities with other aspects of their lives such as school. Some student athletes fail to get good grades and consequently prescribe themselves a ‘not smart’ enough. Many times in high school and during college, friends from Judo or other sports complain saying, “I’m too stupid to pass my classes,” “I’m just not capable,” or “It’s too hard.” This is frustrating because every single person is capable of success. On the other hand, classmates tell me that getting a couple good grades is easy for me because I’m ‘smart.’ But success doesn’t just come from being smart or even working hard. It comes from working in groups, time management, commitment to your true self, and critical thinking.
Studying in groups can sometimes be distracting, but if you do it right, it’s extremely useful. It depends what’s being done during the meet up. For example, if a study group meets to complete a homework assignment without independently reviewing the necessary material beforehand, time will be wasted being confused and some group members will show up expecting others to help them. If groups meet to review a completed assignment, to look for mistakes or talk about unclear concepts, time is spent efficiently because group mates come prepared. Before exams, meeting to review material and quiz each other is useful too. Learning the best way to utilize group studying is a powerful learning tool.
It’s key to understand how long it takes to finish an assignment, lab, reading, or studying for an exam. Time management will prevent last minute cramming which will result in a negative change of habit such as less sleep which affects performance, mood, and health. But this is not about procrastinating. By understanding how much time you need to complete tasks, you can plan accordingly, and in turn won’t procrastinate since you realize that you need the time allocated for the task. This is very hard to do at first, but becomes second nature once you see how much easier exams and other tasks become. It’s even easier to manage your time and dread your assignment less when you love what you do.
Sometimes colligate athletes pick, or are pressured by their coaches to pick, majors that are considered easy. Sometimes students will pick a major for reasons such as wanting to be rich, respected, or impressive. But if you don’t love what you do, you won’t have the best motivation for success. An extreme example of the success achieved from loving what you do is demonstrated by a medical scientist I admire. As a teenager, Dr. Robert Lanza performed genetic experiments on chickens in his basement, trying to transfer genes from a black pigmented chicken to albino ones. Today, Dr. Lanza is credited for a process developed for obtaining embryonic stem cells without destroying the embryo, a huge concern in stem cell research. Although there are still ethical issues and risks, this is still a great feat. He is said to be a genius, but I’m certain not even geniuses can use their potential without loving what they do.
Without critical thinking, you won’t be able to discover your best major or manage your time. There are so many exciting aspects of our current world, from modern technology to your own sport. Less time is spent concentrating on the future when the now is quite distracting. Less time is spent considering majors and how they affect your future. Choosing a major is about picking something you like, that you’d like to do even if it’s difficult, and will result in a career lifestyle you’d enjoy. This requires the motivation and time to critically think about your likes and dislikes and natural talents – to find the optimal path towards your future. I went to a local community college because I feared of choosing the wrong major, and it took me a lot of time and frustration. I finally choose biomedical engineering after attending many seminars, talking to engineers, and reading as much as I could about it. Today, even in my hardest classes or labs, I’m having a lot of fun.
Anyone, especially stressed out college athletes, unhappy with school or their performance in it are capable of having a positive and successful experience. It comes down to being self-aware and taking the time to figure out what’s right for you. Disclaimer; even if you made all the right decisions and are happy and motivated, sometimes stuff happens. There are many challenges in life that can interfere even for the most prepared. Just remember to always push forward and never lose confidence in yourself. You can become greater than you could even imagine.