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Demands of Being a Student-Athlete



Being a College Student-Athlete is one of the greatest experiences of my life.  It provided me a life full of great moments, memories, and friends.  But it wasn’t easy.   Playing college sports is very demanding on the body, mind, and soul.   There are many demands of being a college student-athlete,  academic demands, physical demands, the time demands, and psychological emotional stress you will have to endure throughout your career.

The biggest challenge that student-athletes face is how to balance the 3’s of Being a Student-Athlete, School, Sports, and your social life.  College is about the overall experience, you just don’t want to be a student-athlete, you want to be a successful student-athlete who excels in the classroom, on the field, and in the community.

Academic Demands

Playing college sports allows you the opportunity to play a sport you love while building an educational foundation for your future.   As the NCAA says in their advertisements, most student-athletes will go pro in something else.  That makes the academic side of great importance to your future. 

To be a student-athlete you must be enrolled in a minimum number of courses each semester you are in school in order to compete.  In addition, you must carry a minimum GPA in order to be academically eligible.  What it comes down to if you are not doing what you need to do in the classroom than you won’t have the opportunity to perform on the field, court, ice, course, etc.  These are what the NCAA called Progress to Degree Requirements


Physical Demands

The biggest hurdle for high school student-athletes making the transition to college sports is the physicality of their sport.  Not just the actual sport but the preparation, the training, the lifting, etc.  Being a college student-athlete will take a toll on your body if you don’t care for it properly.

One of the biggest keys to success for a student-athlete is maintenance and recovery.   How will you handle a full day on the go.  Wake up at 6am for lifting, then off to breakfast, 2 or 3 classes, lunch, and then head to practice.  Following practice you have to grab dinner and then hit the books, only to do it all over again.  It is a monotonous routine that is essential for student-athlete’s to deal with on a daily routine.  Are you eating enough to get you through the day? Are you eating the right foods to keep you energized?  Are you getting enough sleep?  It is the answers to these questions that is going to help you with the physical demands of being a college student-athlete.  If you don’t take care of your body the wear and tear will eventually cause injuries down the road.

Time Demands

As a former student-athlete and someone who worked in intercollegiate athletics for over 10 years the biggest challenge that student-athletes face is time management.   There are 168 hours in a week. How do college student-athletes spend their time. Let’s break it down so you can see.  

Academics - 
  • In the Classroom - 12-15 Hours / Week
  • Homework -  1.5 - 2 x Class time

Experts say you should be spending 1.5 - 2 times amount of time you spend in the classroom on work outside the classroom.  For example,  for each class you spend about 2.5 - 3 hours a week in class, so you should be doing approximately 4-6 hours of homework for each class.  So about 20-25 hour of homework a week.


In total, your academic responsibilities will take up anywhere from 30 - 40 hours a week. 

Athletics  

The NCAA allows a maximum number of hours that can be dedicated to athletic activities each week called Countable Hours of Athletic Related Activity (CHARA).  There are two segments, the Championship Season and Non-Championship Season.  We will only focus on the Championship Season for NCAA Division I, II, and III CHARA - 
  • Maximum 20 Hours / Week
  • Practice 
  • Lifting / Conditioning 
  • Individual Workouts with a Staff Member
  • Film Study
  • Competition

What is not included
  • Academic Meetings
  • Compliance Meetings 
  • Rehab / Recovery Sessions
  • Media Activities
  • Community Service Activities


 What does a weekly calendar look like for a student-athlete?




Psychological / Emotional Demands

One of the biggest demands that we don’t talk about as much but we should is the psychological and emotional demands that a student-athlete might endure throughout their career.   As a student-athlete there are all kinds of expectations they have to live up to, either from their parents, the coaches, professors, and even expectations of themselves.  But what happens when a student-athlete can’t live up to all of them that really starts to take a toll on the mind. At one point or another a student-athlete will have to deal with some sort of adversity through their college career.  Whether they are not performing in the classroom, or not living up to the expectations on the field, or struggling with the social aspect of college it can be hard on a student-athlete.




























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