Did you know that I wanted to be a physical therapist as a college student athlete? Ha! Let me tell you how that went. Like my attempt, it won’t take me long. First semester. I got an F in Zoology . Second semester. I got a D in the same Zoology class with the same dog-on professor! Keep in mind there were students in that class , during the second semester that was seeing the material for the first time, that got an A! Let that sink in.
Like other professions within the medical field, it really didn’t matter what I majored in. The most important thing was my grade point average and taking the necessary prerequisite classes that those professions required. I didn’t get off at the best start.
But hey, I’m no quitter. I was a college student athlete at the time, I sure I leaned on the whole underdog mindset that we use so often within sports. I soon tried my hand and taking Spanish 1 and Spanish 2 during the summer. As if learning a foreign language wasn’t hard enough; I just to take it during the summer (which is an accelerated class!). How do you think that went?
I’ve never flirted so much with a woman twice my age ever in my life until those classes! I was in there giving her DVDs ( yeah that’s how old I am) like Agent under Fire ; starring Denzel Washington because Spanish was spoken in the movie. Given compliments on her floral print shirts and animal print shoes. But even my flirt game was sub par because it only amounted to two Ds! Two of the proudest Ds I’ve received in my life!
Soon there after I just did what so many other student athletes (that participate in a revenue generating sport like basketball, football and baseball) do. I picked an easier major. Instead of picking a major that would stretch me and lead to a great career; I just something that was a lot more certain. I chose to major in “staying eligible”. Have you ever been in this situation ? How would you advise a student athlete that’s going through this when sports are the reason and the thing that’s potentially paying for their education?
I mean if your major is too tough and it causes you to have to study more , that’s more time away from getting better at your sport right? At least that’s what I told myself to justify my action in majoring in “Washing my hands with soap”. It was something that would keep me eligible but not something that would help me feed my family later but we’ll worry about that part later. At least I get a degree out of it , right?
But what if there was a better way? What if there was a way that I could have picked a major that I could be proud of, that would have landed me in a career that would have made me some good money while also not sacrificing too much time that would impact my responsibilities as a collegiate student athlete?
Believe it or not, there are plenty of student athletes that have figured this our and they fall in 1 of 2 different categories . These very two different categories , creates two very different mindsets and two very different starting points. Whether you’re a student athlete or you’re assisting student athletes during this process; take note so you can remove the added friction added while navigating as a student athlete in college and moving toward your desired career path.
1.You already come from a solid academic foundation.
This is low key, the biggest flex you can have in college from a academic perspective. This gives you a leg up in the sense that much of the material is more of a refresher versus new information altogether. Even if its a new information, if you have a good foundation of the material, you’ll at least have the building blocks that make it a lot easier to understand the concepts. You have a reference point.
2.You have a horrible foundation or non at all.
If this is your reality, I understand this isn’t ideal but not all is lost. The best thing I can tell you is , You have to catch up and order to keep up. Catch up meaning, understand and accept that you are behind, and that’s okay (for now). The worse thing is to think that you are at the same level as your peers who are coming from a better foundation academically and you act as though you are as well. You are not them. You can’t wait until the last minute to study and miss class. You don’t have that luxury .
Your mentality should be that of a unskilled and talentless basketball player. You may not know how to shoot but if you do all the little things and maintain having a scrappy approach to the game; you’ll always have a chance to compete and win. This also means you’ll have to put in extra hours and utilize academic resources in order to catch up with everyone else. It won’t be easy but it’s more than doable.
Once you reach a cruising altitude , then you’re able to let your seat back , look out the window and get a little more comfortable while you keep up with the rest of the class but you have to catch up first and that won’t be an overnight effort. Most often this can take 2 to 3 years!
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For more articles and list of careers dedicated to assist collegiate student athletes of "making it" after their eligibility has elapsed; check out : https://www.jobs4studentathletes.com/
-- Jobs 4 Student Athletes