Seven Successful Strategies As You Transition to College

August 31st, 2021

Seven Successful Strategies As You Transition to College

Fall athletes have already moved back to campus.  Everyone else will be moving in within the next couple of weeks.  With the anticipation of returning back to campus or moving in for the first time, I can’t help but think back to a conversation I had with an incoming freshman thrower from a couple of weeks ago.  

As our Zoom conversation was wrapping up, he asked me what he should focus on the most as he prepared to transition to collegiate throwing.  Without hesitation I said, “Start working on your time management skills.”  

Some, not all, student-athletes make their first transition to life away from home between the ages of 17 and 19.  To a certain extent, they are left to their own devices (no pun intended) without the direct supervision of a parent/guardian.  They move in and get settled as they wave to the ones that dropped them off.  Now, maybe for the first time they are left alone with the possible expectations of going to class, earning “good” grades, developing a social life, making new friends, completing their homework, and for some competing on a varsity sports team.  That might be a lot to handle for some athletes.

It was a lot for me to handle when I was dropped off in August, 2000.  There were no instructions given to us.  As a student-athlete I knew I had to maintain at least a 2.0gpa and could not participate in or indulge with drugs/alcohol for fear of either being kicked off the track and field team or expelled from school.  I had a few teammates over the years that stayed on campus for a fall semester and didn’t return for that spring semester.  The same for those that didn’t return in the fall of our sophomore, junior and senior years too.  The one thing I remember Coach OG sharing with me in one of our first meetings on campus that August was to learn how to manage my time so I could get everything done and remain eligible to compete on the track and field team.

That was all great and good, except nobody told me or taught me how to exactly do that.  

Here is a list of some strategies you can begin to incorporate to ensure you give yourself the best opportunity to be successful as you navigate your way through the 2021-22 academic year.

1. Buy a journal/daily planner/daily calendar and write down when all of your assignments are due.  Yes, this is a bit old school, but writing things might ensure you remember those things moresoe than if you don’t.
   
2. Plan out your day ahead of time.  If you know you’ll be in class for 5-7 hours a day, you should be able to build in study/homework time throughout the day.  For some of us, completing homework in the morning is best.  For others, finishing our work in the evening works better.  You need to figure out what works best for you.  Waiting until the night before to complete a paper/project/report might not be the most efficient way to navigate through college.
   
3. Schedule time to complete work/assignments with peers in your classes.  Scheduling time to complete assignments together will hold you more accountable to the group because others will be counting on you to join them.
   
4. If you have questions about an assignment or project, ask your professor.  Schedule a time to meet with them.  Don’t be afraid to ask them questions about your projects, assignments, or homework.  
   
5. Don’t wait until the night before an assignment is due to ask a professor for help.  You should receive a class syllabus on the first day of class.  If you are unsure about something a few weeks or months away, ask for assistance sooner rather than later.
   
6. Try to get at least 6-8 hours of sleep a night.  There is tons of research out there that suggests this is an adequate amount of time for a multitude of reasons.  First, it will give your body a chance to recharge from the day before.  Also, if you are a student-athlete you will need the time to recover from training sessions and competitions.
   
7. If you have concerns that might not be academically related, don’t be afraid to ask for help.  The counseling center or health center on campus would be a great place to find someone to talk to about whatever your concerns might be.
   

What strategies/suggestions would you add to this list?  These specific items are concepts I wish someone would have shared with me 21 years ago.  To say I was clueless would be an understatement.  My one priority in college was to compete well enough to someday be inducted in our SUNY Fredonia Sports Hall of Fame.  That priority almost cost me my education, but I did end up winning a first place medal the size of a quarter for my efforts.

To be continued tomorrow...