Homework or Teamwork?
**DISCLAIMER: All characters and scenarios in this post are fictional.**Kim was a star soccer player in high school and hopes to continue playing in college. The college she will be attending has Division III women’s soccer, and the coach is anxious for Kim to join the team.
However, her college is also very challenging academically. She’s heard from some people on the team that, especially during the season, it’s better to take easier classes so you can go to practices and games, and also get your work done without stressing. Kim doesn’t feel comfortable following this advice because she really chose her college because of its strong academic reputation. On the other hand, she doesn’t want to settle for intramural soccer, which she thinks won’t allow her to play up to her potential.
What role should sports play in Kim’s college life?
Found at: http://www.scu.edu/r/ethics-center/ethicsblog/thebigq/16679/Homework-or-Teamwork?
Kim’s situation is very controversial because of the balance of sports and academics. However, Kim’s future can be defined through her academics. School should always come before sports, but we should never completely ignore our commitment to a sports team. Kim could try her first year of college taking her challenging classes along with playing and see how she handles it. It will be very difficult and Kim would know that coming in. She could use proper time management skills to get all of her school work done along with attending all of the practices and games. Kim came to college for her education first, otherwise she wouldn't be there. She is working towards a career with her education. Therefore, her sport is her second priority behind school.Both are big commitments, but her schooling is what will take her far in life. The skills learned through balancing soccer and her education can also be beneficial for her future as well.
ReplyDeleteBut what should she do if she starts failing these classes? What if Kim has a mental breakdown and starts to perform poorly on the soccer field and starts skipping class? Some people might have never learned great time management skills in high school and become forgetful when assignments are due. Should she drop classes and pick up easier classes or drop soccer and try out next year? Should she try intramural soccer the first year of college and see how that fares out?
DeleteI agree with Peyton. That's why schools have tutors, counselors, and academic advisers, and it's why professors hold office hours. Moat universities want their students to succeed, and they provide numerous resources to try and help their students. Yes, it is up to Peyton to use those resources and to ask for help, but that's also what college is about. Growing up and learning things like time management.
DeleteElijah brings up a good point. I don't think that Kim should just see how her first year goes and hope for the best. There are too many problems that could arise. I think that Kim should think things throughly and make a decision about what she's going to do before she gets to college.
DeleteThis can be very relatable to me personally, as well as others on this campus that are student -athletes with a tough major and class load. The key to that statement though is STUDENT-athlete, the first part of going to college is to further your education to prepare yourself for the real world and to find a career. This decision for Kim should be easy that she should take the challenging classes and learn to time manage. If she starts struggling there are tutors and help sessions after soccer practices that she could attend for help. She doesn't want to let her team down so throughout the beginning of the year she can figure out a strict schedule that allows her to get everything school associated done before soccer.
ReplyDeletebeing a student athlete myself i completeky agree that the decision is an easy one. Kim should put academics first and learn to better manage her time, and take advantage of the help provided by the university.
DeleteI agree the decision should be easy she should focus more on school and if she does decide to participate in soccer she should at least take advantage of the resources required to give herself the best possible oppertunity to excel accademically.
DeleteI like the point you brought up about having tutors. I think one of the many things schools have, that students to use to their full advantage, are resources such as tutors. Taking challenging courses during season is encourage to develop you as a person, and if you begin to struggle, seeking out help is definitely something that should be considered.
DeleteKim's situation is very similar to many other people including myself. It is difficult to balance athletics with a hard workload of classes, so she must find her happy medium. She doesn't want to take easier classes during season, but she could always take a less amount of credit hours. Another thing Kim could do is get assistance from tutors or have designated times for study sessions. Kim must also remember that she is there for school, not solely athletics. If she begins struggling she should talk to her coach and professors to figure out what she can do to keep her grades and maintain a position on the team.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Kim should take advantage of the tutors and study sessions available to her at her university. I also agree that Kim should talk to coach and professors for guidance because they can provide great advice. I don't think Kim should take less credit hours because she wouldn't be doing that if she went to a college without playing a sport. She should put all academic interests first.
DeleteI agree. there are plenty options available for her to maintain a healthy academic and athletic reputation. if her school is anything like ours, I'm sure that there are ways for to keep up and people willing to aid her.
DeleteI think that you made a good point that even if she is struggling she can always get help from a tutor or the professor, colleges always offer ways for students to succeed. Also to add to it many professors at small schools are understanding for the athletes because they know so many take part in it so they are always willing to help.
Deletekims situation is probably very relateable for most of us considering a lot of students on campus are athletes. That being said we are student athletes, so our academics should always come first no matter what. It is also important to find a balance so that kim can be successful in acedemics, and soccer. The first thing that kim must learn to do is time management. If she is able to manage her time in a wasy that allows her to be successful in class, and still go to all her practices and games she will be much better off. If kim begins to struggle there are also may resources on campus available to students such as tutors. so overall academics should come first in kis life, but she should still pusue soccer as long as she can balance the two.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with what you're saying, it is important to have good time management skills because it will help her stay on track with what needs to be done and will also help her stay on schedule. I do think that it is helpful for staying with the soccer program because every student should be apart of a program to take time for themselves.
DeleteThis situation is probably very similar for every small D3 college because they have sports but also strong academics that can be very challenging. So at these colleges there will be gen eds that are going to be easy and not to stressful, and that she will have to do anyways to graduate so those are the ones she could take during the season, then out if season could take the ones that are more challenging and for her major. Also Kim seems like a motivated student so it seems that if she wanted to take challenging classes during the season that she could do it,as long as she is smart with her time, like many student athletes are.
ReplyDeleteI like that you bring up the fact that if she is going to be taking gen-eds anyways, then might as well take them during her season. The only problem is, what if certain major classes are only offered during her season or every other year like how some are here? I agree with your last statement, Kim seems motivated so why not try to do what she wants, she'll get a better feel for it all after her first year. Then she can make adjustments to improve for the following semesters.
DeleteHaving gone through a similar dilemma, I understand Kim's frustration. I think that it is in Kim's best interest to seek out help from her coach/college. She shouldn't base her decision off of what other players are saying. Finding out what resources her coach and campus can offer, such as tutors or study sessions, could be very beneficial. I also think that Kim should do what is best or her future. If she has plans to become a professional soccer player then she should definitely make sure she is competing as a high level. On the other other hand, if her athletic career is going to end after college then she should consider focusing on her academics. Kim needs to find out if there are ways to help make the balance between school and athletics easier before she chooses to let one or the other suffer.
ReplyDeleteKim needs to do whats best for her because she's the only person that knows what she can handle. I think as a college athlete my life it's not easy and it won't get better but as long as you have good time management skills and work nonstop it shouldn't be a problem. Kim seems like she loves soccer but also cares dearly about her education. I feel like Kim shouldn't give up soccer because its something that she loves to do and if she's like me soccer is a stress reliever for me. It helps to have something that doesn't involve school work because you should allow your brain to take breaks once in awhile. However Kim still should always put her education first before anything because that is what will make her successful when she graduates and starts her own life.
ReplyDeleteThis was me first semester and I was nervous because I wanted to play soccer here at Heidelberg but also know that it was going to be kind of rough acedemically due to playing. I think that anything is possible and if you want to play a sport and school you can find a way to make it work. You must really take the classes seriously and know that even though you want to play soccer, school is what is going to end up paying your bills. Realistically the chances of you playing pro soccer is very slim especially when you are playing at a division III level. Kim should enjoy playing but make sure to take all the tutoring she can get to be able to achieve all that she wants.
ReplyDeleteKim should do what she finds is best for her in the long run. If she feels like she knows she can handle the classes and work involved as well as the time required to excel academically and compete in soccer she sould do both. If she feels like it may be an issue she should focus on school first because thats what she is paying for and will pay off more in the long run. I was in a similar situation because when I transferred to Heidelberg I wanted to participate in soccer and wrestling because that's what I did in high school, but having a kid on top of working full-time compounded with the time required to study and do homework I knew it wasn't a good idea so I didn't join any sports. Knowing what you should do in these situations is tough but I think if she goes with her gut feeling it will pay off.
ReplyDeleteI feel like this always a potential conflict with being a student athlete and that whatever the sport is has to come after academics. So Kim should not follow the advise given to her, but understand that it may be challenging taking the classes she wants to take and being the best athlete possible. And now that she know that she can try to manage and do both without taking they easy way out by putting her education before her love for soccer.
ReplyDeleteAs a student athlete myself I can say that balancing school and athletics is very challenging, especially during the season because of how much we travel, practice and play. While, it may be worth while to take easier classes during season, it does not mean you can't challenge yourself and take some challenging classes. Playing a sport in college is a great experience to have and something that, if given the opportunity, should not be missed just because you're stressed about workload during season. Overall, it just comes down to Kim's ability to time manage. If she can manage her time accordingly, relative to her class schedule and the amount she will be playing, she will do fine with classes during season.
ReplyDeleteMany student athletes deal with this situation. However, the athletes are always students before they are athletes. I believe that Kim should focus on her future. But I also think it could be possible for her to take her harder classes and juggle soccer at the same time. She could always take her harder major classes more in the spring because she will not have as much soccer and she could take easier gen-ed course to help balance the work load.
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