Collegiate Athletes Have A Different College Experience

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Collegiate Athletes Have A Different College Experience

Everyone has his or her own ideas of what the ‘college experience’ should include and be like. Some thoughts on the subject include going out a lot, meeting lots of new people, and dating many different people. Other people consider it the education, and finding someone to settle down with.

“The college experience means your academic and social experiences you have during your time in college. They are the friends you meet, and hang out with. The classmates you meet and work with, and also the professors you deal with in your years at school,” said Tyler Grogan, a senior football player.

Are athletes in college getting the same experience as the non-athlete students, or do practices and other sport related events take up too much time? Do all of the practices, games, weight lifting, and time spent in the training room interfere with their learning, or more with their social life? For the majority of the varsity athletes at Northeastern, their commitment to their team leaves little time to be involved in much else.

The transition from high school to college can be a difficult one. Young people must deal with making new friends, learning how to manage time and their newfound freedom, and getting used to being away from home. In coming to college there is more responsibility put on oneself. Students no longer have teachers taking attendance every day, and reminding them about all of their assignments. If the student does not go to class in high school, their parents are notified; in college there are no checkups. If students choose to not go to class, then they usually end up failing. Because of the involvement with athletics, is it easier for athletes coming in to c...

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...et by, and to get a degree, and not worry about their GPA. For most female athletes the chance to play their sport professionally is very slim, so they tend to put more stock into their class work and school. The two teams with the highest GPA here at Northeastern University are the women’s volleyball team and the women’s hockey team.

The five-year program here at Northeastern offers the student-athlete to simply be a student for a year. Tyler Grogan found that once his eligibility for football was over, he had a lot more time. With his extra time he has been able to meet a few more people, and has more time to spend with them because he no longer has football to take up the majority of his time.

In general student-athletes just have less time to spend doing anything besides their sport. The college experience is different for them, but not necessarily better.

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