James A Brown

Colleges want their students to be well rounded. In addition to academics, schools like their students to be engaged in extracurricular activities such as community service, playing an instrument, and playing sports. Students who choose to participate in collegiate athletics face different challenges than narps (non-athletic regular people). Athletics forces students to use their time wisely. Between practice and travel it is not uncommon for student athletes to fall behind. Freshman athletes often struggle the most because they have not been through a collegiate athletic season. They aren’t aware of the time commitment that comes with being a student athlete.
There are number just ways for freshman athletes to ensure they do not fall behind. All freshman are required to attend at least 4 hours of study hall a week. Freshman athletes who don’t achieve a cumulative 2.3 GPA must continue going to study hall until they have met the requirements. Students believe that study hall helps give them a way to stay organized.
Madison Krauss said “study hall has helped and I plan out when all my papers and tests are due on my calendar. I plan my work around my sport schedule”. Properly planning when you will do assignments is an essential aspect of being a student athlete.
Playing in the Middle Atlantic Conference, Hood and Stevenson are the only 2 teams in the conference in Maryland. Hood athletic teams regularly travel 2 hours to compete against teams in Pennsylvania such as Albright, Alvernia, and Lycoming to name a few. Game days are days that students typically plan their work around. After a game, athletes are exhausted and have little energy and motivation to get work done.

Students are responsible for asking for assistance in any courses they aren’t doing well in. Coaches want their players to do well and remain eligible to compete. Coaches are constantly inquiring about how their players are doing. Jayden Barrick, a member of the field hockey team explained that “you have to set up personal meetings with your coach to check on your grades. They set up a tutor for you if your grades are in danger.” However, it may be difficult for an athlete to make time for a tutor because of their tight schedule. If a tutor is necessary, coaches may let the athlete miss a little bit of practice time to allow them to get the help they that students typically plan their work around. After a game, athletes are exhausted and have little energy and motivation to get work done.

Students are responsible for asking for assistance in any courses they aren’t doing well in. Coaches want their players to do well and remain eligible to compete. Coaches are constantly inquiring about how their players are doing. Jayden Barrick, a member of the field hockey team explained that “you have to set up personal meetings with your coach to check on your grades. They set up a tutor for you if your grades are in danger.” However, it may be difficult for an athlete to make time for a tutor because of their tight schedule. If a tutor is necessary, coaches may let the athlete miss a little bit of practice time to allow them to get the help they need.