Welcome to the Life of a Student-Athlete
One of the most exciting things in your student life is watching your school compete against other schools in sports. There’s enough excitement just being part of a crowd while watching the games, what more if you were the student-athlete competing. These sporting events can pull in an audience as big as thousands packed inside a coliseum and if you’re a basketball or volleyball player, expect a TV crew, too! Behind the fame and the game, what is campus life like for a student-athlete?
Student-athletes are naturally one of the more famous people in school. They get cheered on and adored by their schoolmates, teachers, alumni, or even school employees. But when it comes to academics, one of the misconceptions is that student-athletes are less academic, they are given easier workloads by their teachers, or that they only care about being an athlete than being a student. Basically, the notion is that student-athletes pass their classes with less work and less effort compared to other students.
These are not true at all. Truth be told, student-athletes are actually some of the most hardworking in any student body because of the things they have to manage and balance.
Student-athletes can be as successful as any student with their academics. One good example is former UP Fighting Maroon alumnus, Jett Manuel. He took up Civil Engineering, a course many consider to be challenging, in one of the top universities in the Philippines. He did it while being one of the top players for the UP Fighting Maroons in UAAP (University Athletics Association of the Philippines). He is now also licensed engineer after passing the civil engineer licensure exam and is also playing for the Ginebra Gin Kings in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He is just one of many exemplary student-athletes who made it big beyond their school.
A famous quote from the sports film, “Coach Carter” best explains what it means to be a student-athlete. “These boys are student-athletes. Student comes first.” Coach Carter taught his team that academics should be prioritized over being an athlete. If you don’t succeed in your classes, you will not play.
Student-athletes are usually asked, “How do you balance your time being a student-athlete?” or“How do you find time to study?”. The answers boil down to two things: time management and priorities. A normal day for a student-athlete involves classes and training. Factor in sleeping and eating, that should not take up 24 hours of your day. A student-athlete must also set his/her priorities straight. So after spending time in the classroom and in a gym, would you choose to do unproductive things and suffer the consequences instead?
If you’re an aspiring student athlete who would like to know more about schools and its courses, scholarships, and sports programs being offered, visit Edukasyon.ph and apply to the school or university where you want to study and play for.
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