2aDays polled college student-athletes from various, sports, and divisions in the US. See what they said about what they wish they knew before playing a college sport.
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NAME |
COLLEGE |
SPORT |
RESPONSE |
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Tyler Scanlin |
Lehigh University |
Track and Field |
I wish I knew that competing was so mentally draining, especially when it's introspective–college track is completely different from high school and I wish I knew the ups and downs I'd be in for.
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I wish I knew about all the secondary commitments this sport has. It's not as easy as just going to practice. Not because I regret having to do other things, but because if I had known about them earlier I would have been more prepared for them both mentally and physically.
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Olivia Wiener |
I wish I had known more about some of the negative connotations and stigmas surrounding athletes. In my experience, students at Dartmouth who aren't on a sports team see the students who are as less smart or think that they don't necessarily belong.
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Morgan Clauser |
One thing I wish I knew before playing sports in college was how much harder I had to work. And, I mean, how every aspect -academically and athletically- is harder than in high school.
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Elizabeth Knoll |
I would have to say that the one thing I wish I knew before coming to college and playing a sport, would be that in high school, you are so used to being the superstar, stand-out athlete but once you are in college, everyone is a superstar, stand-out athlete. This can be difficult to adjust to but ultimately pushes you to a high level of competition.
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I wish I had known the intensity and importance focused on strength, I feel like in high school it's not common especially for girls to lift weights but in college, it definitely is something that puts you at an advantage (at least for my sport).
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I wish I would have known how hard the balance between academics and sports commitment is.
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Coleen Campbell |
Gettysburg College |
I really was only pleasantly surprised by everything once I got here. There isn't anything that I wish I had known prior to coming in!
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Jacquline Russell |
Gettysburg College |
Cross Country |
I wish I knew how big of a transition it was going to be in terms of time management and commitment.
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Melissa Tringali |
Gettysburg College |
I wish I knew the time commitment and the sacrifices you'd have to make in giving up other campus involvement to make time for athletics (as in not being able to be a part of as many clubs or maybe work as many hours as a non-athlete).
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If I could have known one thing before playing a sport in college it would have been about time management. I knew playing a sport in college was demanding and a time commitment but I would have never realized to such an extent. |
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Gettysburg College |
Track and Field |
The one thing I wish I knew before playing a college sport would have to be it's a huge time commitment. Playing a sport in high school was one thing but in college, it's ten steps up, so you really have to love what you do to compete at the collegiate level.
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I wish I really understood how much of a time commitment it was and that I would be missing out on a lot of things and not able to join things I am interested in because of conflicts.
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Gettysburg College |
Cross Country & Track and Field |
I wish I had known more about the team dynamics and how close the team was.
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Shelby Fragetta |
Gettysburg College |
I wish I knew how much more mentally hard it would be in comparison to high school.
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Quinn Igram |
Gettysburg College |
I wish I knew about the specifics of how my coach conducted practice, and what his theory on workouts was since the coaching mindset has differed from my experiences in high school which can be challenging to adjust to.
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Sully Desmond |
Gettysburg College |
Track and Field |
The one thing I wish I knew before coming to college and playing a sport is how to manage my time better. I realized my freshman year playing a sport and being a good student was a lot of work. It was hard for me to manage my school work and sports schedule at first. It was difficult to keep up with my classes while having practices and meets. Now as a sophomore I've learned how to manage my school work better with my athletic schedule, by using my day wisely to accomplish as much school work as possible. Managing my time better has lead me to become a better student and athlete.
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Hailey Moseman |
Gettysburg College |
Cross Country & Track and Field |
I wish I knew how well you need to manage your time from the start.
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Gettysburg College |
The one thing I wish I knew was that college sports come with less coaching and more self-discipline.
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Gettysburg College |
Cross Country & Track and Field |
I wish I knew how different it was from high school sports in time commitment and effort so that I could have been more prepared for my first year.
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* Originally published on March 16, 2018, by Elisabeth French
