<p>Hey! So I (obviously) want to pursue nursing as a career. I have heard that it is extremely time consuming leaving you with not much time to do other things. Does anyone currently in college do a sport? I really want to be on a sports team in college, and I am eligible, but I just do not know if I would have enough time? What do you guys think? Thanks!</p>
<p>I can tell you that there is no way my D could do a sport. When nursing classes are scheduled, there’s no choice in when to take them. Some classes have been at hours that sports would practice or be traveling to games. There are strict restrictions on the number of classes or clinicals that can be missed (I believe it’s two clinicals a semester) for any reason at all. If you injure yourself, you might be deemed ineligible to proceed with clinicals and have to repeat a year. Studying obviously also takes a huge amount of time. Freshman year wasn’t too bad, but after that your time may not be your own.</p>
<p>I asked that question of a couple people, and they said it would be almost impossible to do a competitive varsity sport while you are doing clinicals. One college said the practices are scheduled during the same times as most clinicals.</p>
<p>Of course, there is a big difference in the level of competition. If you are a Div I athlete on a scholarship, more is expected of you. If you are in a Div III sport, not only is it likely to be less demanding and time consuming, but you may spend much less time travelling because the other colleges are likely to be closer together.</p>
<p>My D has managed (now in second year). BUT, she doesn’t have an athletic scholarship, which means that when there’s a conflict, she’s free to choose school. There is not a good second string for her position, so the coach is more flexible. She has already decided not be be in her sport again next year. </p>
<p>In my own experience in the academic support center, I have seen students participate in a varsity sport and major in nursing. Most who do both need the athletic scholarships. After freshman year, the burden of keeping up with the nursing curriculum while practicing and traveling can be overwhelming, so any love of the game pretty much evaporates. Those who can manage to do both are top notch students, and even then, their GPAs probably aren’t where they would have been if there’d been more time to study. This, however, is not a D1 school, and both athletics and the nursing department work like dogs to make it possible for the student to be in sports and get in all the clinical hours. That being said, the majority of students who come in thinking they will be athletes and nursing majors find they cannot do both. Some change majors. Some drop the sports.</p>