Dear Stampede News,

I have a problem managing my academic and social life. My teachers give me too much homework, I and never have time to do it as I play a sport and want to maintain a social life. I often do not do good on tests, and the overload is overwhelming. I also have a problem with knowing what I am going to do when I am older and what colleges to go to that will be most beneficial to me. And the resources of recruitment that colleges use do not make it easy for the student, especially when the coaches do not help me. I often don’t know how to contact colleges or get in contact with coaches, which makes me less likely to play sports in college and makes getting a scholarship nearly impossible.

Thanks.

Junior at Eagle High

Dear Anxious Athlete,

It sounds like you have a lot on your plate. It also seems like you are an overachiever in the sense that you really care about your performance in the various aspects of your life. This is not necessarily a bad thing—you should hold onto your overachieving tendencies. This is what is going to help you succeed and set you apart from the majority of people in life who settle for mediocrity.

Being a student athlete can be difficult for a plethora of reasons. It is both physically and mentally draining to go straight from your eight-hour school day to practice and still try to cram in time for homework and spending time with friends. However, if it was easy, everyone would be an all-star student athlete with a 4.0 grade average. It’s not going to be easy.

By managing school and athletics and a social life, you are going to make sacrifices. Your priorities can change day to day, but you are going to have to put some aspects of your life before others. You mentioned that the workload from your teachers was overwhelming considering your sport and social life. I get it. Academics are important, though, and if you’re failing your tests, you’re going to need to set aside an extra hour or two for homework and studying. Maybe consider getting a tutor, or even asking a smart friend for help in areas of school that you are really struggling with. It is nice to have a social life, and you can, but maybe make plans with your friends after your homework is finished and you have studied enough for your upcoming tests.

As for getting recruited for athletics, you need to start pretty soon. As a junior in high school, graduation is coming up next year. You can take control of your recruitment by emailing colleges you are interested in right now and seeing if they have a place for you on their team. Your coaches can be useful in helping you decide where you would like to go; but, if I were you, I would try utilizing our career counselors. The career counselors know a lot about recruitment. They can help you get scholarships and even help you decide which majors would be best for you.

Remember that while it’s nice to have a perfect balance of academics, athletics, and relationships, it’s okay to make mistakes and fall short in certain areas. Just make sure you are prioritizing the things that are truly important to you, and that are important for your future. You’ve got this!

Sincerely,

Stampede News