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Start Preparing for College Now

Knowing you want to play sports in college is one thing, being able to maintain and juggle sports and college is going to be something completely new to incoming student-athletes. It’s often one of the last things considered by incoming freshman, but is one of the most important parts of maintaining a healthy college life.

The recruiting process can be intense and extremely time consuming which can lead potential college athletes in many directions as they work on preparing for college. As recruits move forward in high school and their recruitment they need to start to ask themselves what it is they will need to work on before they are enter into college life, this can range from specific athletic skills, to making sure their grades will maintain, but the most important skill recruits will need to prepare for early is managing their time.

Part of the process of becoming academically eligible to play at the college level is to ensure potential recruits will be able to keep up with college academics while maintain their athletic obligations. Don’t think that because you are a top athlete who carries the team and can put up the stats that you are exempt from making the grades. College athletes are held to a higher standard and are expected to meet and exceed the standards of the rest of the college student-body.

What the vets are saying

The number one advice veteran college athletes are going to give to freshman coming into a program is to be prepared to manage all of your time. Knowing how to manage time and to keep up to date with important tasks will take the stress out of day to day activities. Start connecting with potential teammates and ask them how they coped with the change of high school to college. The more insights you are able to get the better your chances of using your time wisely.

Have a plan

Because college athletes will be asked to manage a lot, they will need to begin preparing early on how they plan to juggle, school, practice, homework, games, etc. Recruits need to be able to accomplish all of the tasks while in High school, which will be great practice for college sports. Athletes need to start planning early; get familiar with planning out your upcoming day, week and month in advance. This will show you where your free-time is and how you are expected to meet deadlines.

Managing time is a valuable tool for all student-athletes and those who are able to do it well will have a greater appreciation for the free-time they do have. They will be able to take the skill with them wherever they go.

If you have more questions about how to prepare for college than leave a comment below or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.

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