<p>I am transferring as a sophomore to play D1 tennis a private school in seattle. I know this will be a huge time commitment, but i was wondering what current student athletes days look like in season and out of season. how do you manage your time? do you have ANY free time?
I might not even play in most of the matches. I am guessing i won't be last in the lineup, but probably won't be playing very much in our competitive matches. what difference will this make.
thanks! anything helps!</p>
<p>Schedule an overnight to the school and that might tell you a little more about the life.</p>
<p>No one can answer your questions except for current tennis players at that school. But as a general rule, I think Div. 1 athletes should count on spending an average of 25 hours a week on their sport and all related commitments (team meetings, travel, hosting recruits, visits to the trainer, etc.) Some weeks it might be more, and some less.</p>
<p>I agree with GFG, best to ask an athlete on the team you are transferring to. I have to kids playing college sports, one D1 the other NAIA D1… it is a huge time commitment for both. The key is if you love it then you should be fine. There are a lot of positives to being a student athlete.</p>
<p>I’ve heard it put this way.</p>
<p>Athletics, academics, a social life. Pick any two.</p>
<p>And that is pretty darn accurate Sherpa!</p>
<p>This is an interesting (i thought so, anyway) little feature interviewing college athletes after they finished their first year. They’re track athletes, but it should still give you an idea of the time demands
[Nicole</a> Cochran : One Year Out : Misc Features : DyeStat US: News about High School Track, Field, and Cross Country | DyeStat.com](<a href=“http://archive.dyestat.com/?pg=us-Misc-Features-One-Year-Out-Nicole-Cochran]Nicole”>http://archive.dyestat.com/?pg=us-Misc-Features-One-Year-Out-Nicole-Cochran)</p>
<p>Reason to place a plug for D3–you can have academics, athletics, other extracurriculars and a social life–the balanced life. You can places any of these in whatever order you want at a D3. </p>
<p>(And if you want to make it to an Olympic qualifying standard you can do that too-- but, it will be by your choice-- not the programs’. In short, at a D3, you have to be an adult and make choices–and live with those choices’ consequences.)</p>
<p>I wonder how many Olympians actually attended and competed for their D3 college. Even D1 athletes will take time off from school (and their college team) to prepare for the Olympics.</p>
<p>Dunno–but taking a break from college for any variety of reasons–including preparing for the Olympics has been shown to be beneficial–Marlyn McGrath Lewis and Bill Fitzsimmons send out an article they co-authored on the practice to all Harvard admits, in order to get them to consider gap years either before or during college.</p>
<p>Of course if you want to be a professional athlete or the being an Olympian is your overwhelming goal then the choice of a “factory” D1 program is the way to go statistically. D3 athletes can and do compete for Olympic slots, but as that is not their raison d’</p>