While studying in school, the majority of students are trying different types of extracurriculars to find something they are truly passionate about. At this stage, for many of them, sports become the best opportunity to fit in and make the most of their school years. But then, when they graduate, everything changes.
Due to the increasing academic load and huge levels of stress, many young people decide to quit sports when they get into college. Not being able to keep up with all their assignments, they see it as the best way to succeed. But, is it really a good choice?
If you’re in doubt about whether to quit sports or combine them with your studies, don’t rush! Let us tell you about the top six reasons you should not give up on sports!
Academic Support
To all of you who are thinking about quitting sports due to a huge academic load, wait for a moment. We want to share one secret with you – college athletes receive significant academic support from their college if they need it. So, there is no need to give up on everything just because you don’t want your grades to go down.
It is neither new nor rare for coaches to assist their team members with their schoolwork. Sometimes, coaches can even help you get a good tutor to keep up with your studies and preparations for exams.
There are also academic services that can help any student with hard assignments. You can use free proofreading tools or custom writing services, like WritePaper.com, to deal with your essays. So, even if writing is not your strong suit or there is simply no time for you to complete the task, there are resources that can aid you.
Everyone knows that high grades are vital for young athletes. With help, you won’t be stressed about the next assignment. So, you will be able to concentrate on scoring another goal or setting a new record and not ruin your grades.
Athletic Scholarships
There is no secret that education can get pretty costly these days. On average, US students are forced to pay between $20,000 and $60,000 per year. And this is only the cost of the tuition. Now, add there are thousands of dollars of additional expenses, and you will see how expensive it is to get your diploma. There is no need to say that not everyone can easily afford such large expenses.
This brings us to the first reason why you shouldn’t give up on athletics – because it gives you a chance to afford your studies. As many of you should know, most universities have solid budgets for awarding athletic scholarships. These are meant to help young athletes receive their education with no stress and no student loans.
But, the key rule of receiving such a scholarship is that you have to keep playing for your school’s team while you study there. So, if you want to have this chance and don’t want to burden yourself with hefty loans, think twice before giving up on sports.
Fitness and Well-Being
Due to constant stress, huge academic load, lack of sleep and rest, poor eating habits, and many other things, college students often experience a variety of physical and mental health problems. Indeed, staying fit and healthy in college can be a hell of a challenge. And this is the second reason why being in college sports is good for you. Because it will help you maintain your fitness and well-being.
If you are a student-athlete, you will have access to a huge array of resources. These include college training videos, gyms, facilities, weight rooms, etc. This all will be available for you at any time, whenever you need it. Apart from this, you will have an intensive schedule of training. So, as you can easily guess, there is no way you will be unhealthy or out of shape if you use all these opportunities.
Socialization
When coming to college for the first time, it can feel rather stressful. Every freshman wants to fit in and make friends. But, the truth is that making new connections takes a lot of time, so it can be easy to feel lonely at first. But, the good news is that sports can really help you with socialization.
When you enter a team, you automatically make many new acquaintances who have the potential to become your friends in the future. This way, you will not feel alone even during your first weeks in college. Besides, if you make good friends among your team members, they can also introduce you to people they know. As a result, your social connections will expand, and you will never have to suffer from a lack of communication.
Broader Opportunities
What does it mean to be successful? To the biggest part, it means recognizing opportunities that come along your way and using them to your benefit. And this is one more place where college sports can help you.
There is no secret that college gives young people plenty of great opportunities. But, being an athlete while acquiring your education can unlock even more options for you. Namely, you will have opportunities to travel to games, meet lots of interesting people, and, at the same time, you can broaden your future prospects too. For example, if you do well during games, you could become a pro athlete. Or maybe you could build a career as a coach.
These are just a few of the many great opportunities you could get from playing sports in college. So, don’t deprive yourself of them and don’t give up on everything too early.
Getting Ready for Life
Lastly, another huge reason not to quit sports in college is that it can help you prepare for your future if you carry on. Doing sports is proven to help students gain a wide range of vital life skills and learn a plethora of lessons.
To be more specific, as a student-athlete, you will acquire such skills as:
- Time management;
- Selflessness;
- Leadership;
- Devotion;
- Teamwork;
- Persistence, etc.
All these skills will come in handy in your future life, both personal and professional. And there is no better and quicker way to gain them.
As for important life lessons, there are also plenty of them that you can learn while being an athlete. In sports, you will always get into situations where you will have to make quick decisions, take responsibility for your actions, and act fast. This way, you can gain a wide range of important experiences that will help you to set yourself up for future success.
The Bottom Line
There might be many reasons why first-year college students think about giving up on sports. To name a few, these include:
- A huge load of schoolwork;
- Constant lack of time;
- Financial struggles;
- Loss of passion and motivation;
- Past injuries, etc.
All these things can really get in the way of your athletic commitments. But are any of these reasons weighty enough to quit everything? Not at all! Now, after reading this article, you should be able to recognize the huge benefits of being an athlete in college.
So, no matter how tough it seems at first sight, do not give up, and your commitment will pay off!
