I am currently a division III college athlete at a small university in Ohio. I shoot college archery in the Women's Fixed Pins category. Sometimes I find the balance between school and athletics challenging, but then remember that I get to do what I love to help pay for my education.
Anyone who is involved in extracurricular activities during school understands the struggle of balancing it all. In college, I find that with the workload assigned on top of a practice schedule is definitely hard. There are many times where I know I should be working on homework, but I have to attend practice for an upcoming competition. In archery, we don't have an off season because we compete all year around. I find it especially hard when we travel for competitions because we are all missing at least one full day of classes if not more than one, putting me behind. I've learned that it's all about finding your balance in all of it.
I've found that time management is key in college athletics. It is important to learn to block off your time to be able to sit down and get assignments done but also have the time available to make it to practices and take care of yourself. I like to use a planner or a digital calendar to keep all of my assignments in line as well as my practices and workouts. It is also very important to always stay on top of your work because once you fall behind, it's very hard to catch back up again. Not to mention the possibility of getting benched for academics or even potentially getting scholarships taken away for not preforming well academically.
Make sure that you are taking care of yourself both physically and mentally. What many people don't talk about is the mental toll that college and athletics take on people. For me, going to the gym helps with both aspects of that. It keeps me in decent physical shape and also helps clear my mental headspace. Make sure you eat well to keep your body well fueled and get enough sleep.
As challenging as college athletics is, I wouldn't change a thing or tell anyone to not do it. I've met so many people through college athletics, and it helps when moving into college because you at least have your teammates there rather than being alone. I would recommend these opportunities to anyone because it is so cool to me to be able to still do the thing that you love and also get help paying for your education all at the same time.
Through college athletics I've had so many amazing opportunities. I've traveled to many different states such as, PA, OH, IL, AL, KY, VA, and more to come. I've met so many people from around the country that I never would have met otherwise and seen so many things that if it wasn't for this opportunity, I never would have. I also think that it has helped me with my time management skills and self-discipline, which are all skills that will overall help with everyday life. College athletics have helped me grow as a person and gave me a sense of direction as I learned to be on my own.
My biggest advice to someone looking into college athletics would be to just stay on top of your stuff. Don't fall behind on assignments and study for your exams to keep your grades up. Take time for yourself and keep yourself in a healthy headspace. :)
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