<p>Is it tough being a varsity athlete and maintaining good grades at college? I'm debating if I should play in college or not.</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>My S did it first semester and got good grades. Sometimes the more you do the better you are at organizing your time ie he procastinated less and was effecient in time, still had time for socializing. It is important to listen to your body though. My S got injured as he pushed himself too hard, was performing better then in high school but working out hard 7 days per week at an intense level. Noone will encourage you to back off. My S actually had a better experience 2nd semester when injured as he had time to pursue intrammurals , outdoor club activities and meet a variety of other people besides those on the team. It was a great way to start though and he is debating whether to join it again sophomore year.</p>
<p>Being a varsity athlete I can tell you playing a varsity sport in college has in no way hindered my academic progress. I don't know what school you are planning on attending, and therefore can't really comment on the level of difficulty in balancing the two, but for the most part most schools make an active effort to enable their players to achieve the most they can in the classroom. Secondly, to echo arizonamom, I find that I am much more focused during the season then out. Thirdly, playing a varsity sport in college gives you access to a wide variety of opportunities that you might not otherwise have. You can draw upon upperclassmen for advice regarding classes, find friends with similar interests to room with, and best of all have a ready made social scene for when you first arrive on campus (even better if you play a fall sport). Anyway, feel free to ask more questions regarding sports in college...</p>
<p>p.s. What sport and school?</p>
<p>One of my good friends is the second-string goalie on our varsity women's ice hockey team (second only to the best goalie in the league), and she's doing well in school. Of course, she did -nothing- during the season, and was able to attend debates, meetings, movies, &c. (not to mention be in town on the weekend) after the season was over - for about a month and a half at the tail end of the spring semester.</p>
<p>You just have to accept the fact that your sports will eat up, generally, all free time and time which would otherwise have been devoted to extracurriculars. If that's a sacrifice you're willing to make, then it's an activity worth pursuing.</p>
<p>A couple quick points:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Sports are extracurriculars. If you chose to play a sport you are not reducing your time that could be devoted to extracurriculars, you are simply using it well.</p></li>
<li><p>As I said above, the amount of time an individual must devote to athletics is entirely dependant upon the school and level at which that school competes, to make a blanket claim based upon a friend is ridiculous. I played 2 varsity sports my freshman year (eventually quiting one to focus on the other) and have never felt restricted in what I can and cannot do.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Fair enough. Sports are -an- extracurricular. You will have to sacrifice quantity of EC's for quality and involvement in a varsity sport.</p>
<p>"the amount of time an individual must devote to athletics is entirely dependant [sic] upon the school and level at which that school competes, to make a blanket claim based upon a friend is ridiculous. I played 2 varsity sports my freshman year (eventually quiting [sic] one to focus on the other) and have never felt restricted in what I can and cannot do."
Also true. I will, however, state that the varsity athletes that I know all feel the same as my one friend. I was using her as a case study.</p>
<p>I guess it does just depend on how much time the teams demand of you. Maybe some teams don't need to practice as much. Or some students need to study less.</p>