5 Perks of Being a Student Athlete

It is no secret that extra-curricular activities like sports provide students with tons of benefits. More than the undeniable popularity you’ll gain from playing for your university flag, joining an athletic team can actually boost your overall college life. Here are the top 5 student-athlete perks that you can enjoy:

1. Scholarship opportunities

Athletic scholarship is one of the most common types of support that students get when they join a varsity team. This type of scholarship provides students with either full or partial tuition coverage as well as other miscellaneous expenses. In line with these benefits, student-athletes must meet certain requirements to retain this scholarship like grade requirement, good moral character, and athletic performance among others. There are numerous athletic scholarships offered in the Philippines that you can try.

2. Improved academic performance

As varsity players regularly undergo trainings required for their sport, their mental wellness is also enhanced. While some would argue that participating in these type of activities may reduce a student’s time for studying, the values that students develop in athletics can actually help boost their motivation to perform well in class. In fact, a recent study showed that sports involvement has a high influence on mental cognition, memory, and concentration of students. All these help them learn more efficiently and maintain a good academic performance.

3. Character-building and values formation

By competing in collegiate sports, student-athletes learn valuable life skills such as cooperation, leadership, and time management that they can apply in the so-called “real world.” Engaging in sports also help in developing one’s positive attitude towards self-improvement, discipline, goal-setting, self-esteem, and camaraderie. Since sports is not just all about winning, the setbacks and shortcomings that students encounter can also help them learn how to deal with stress and cope with wins and losses.

4. Optimal health

An excellent physical condition is the foundation of student-athletes, so taking good care of their bodies is a top priority. From the food they eat, their workouts, and lifestyle, sports contributes a lot in instilling healthy habits making them less likely to develop problems like obesity and heart disease. Further studies also indicate that elite endurance athletes (those who do distance running or mixed-sports) tend to live longer than the general population.

5. Meaningful relationships

Sporting activities, esp team sports, can also improve a student’s social well-being. Apart from its physical and mental benefits, joining athletics is a great way to make new friends and meet possible mentors. From your teammates and coaches, to your and your team’s supporters, you will get to meet different people whom you can make great memories with, or learn a lot from. Essentially, it will increase your network which you may find helpful later in life.

 

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