Ryan Yerby
Mechanical Engineer
Life as a Student Athlete​
Being a student athlete teaches many trait and qualities that are transferable to other aspects of life. When reflecting on my almost six years of being a collegiate student athlete, one word comes to mind: balance. A balance of efforts, attention, and passions. This balance is important but difficult to maintain throughout a season, semester, and college career.
One of the biggest advantages to being a student athlete is having the ability to shift your focus and direct energy toward a new goal or interest. Performing poorly on a test would rarely lead to dwelling in disappointment; I would instead be more driven to succeed athletically knowing I will improve on the next test. Conversely, if baseball wasn’t going well, I could shift my attention to my schoolwork to get my mind off things, knowing I can only focus on my next immediate task. This was a concept I learned over time and it encourages staying level, never getting too high nor too low. I'm at my best in most facets of my life when I stay calm, confident, focused, and motivated.
This couldn't be a blog on being a student athlete without mentioning time management. Time management can really be boiled down to the concept of prioritization. The reality of being a student athlete is having less than half the time to complete your schoolwork compared to the average student. This means prioritizing what. is important is essential to succeeding in college. I have always found myself to be a more efficient worker in season because I don’t have time to procrastinate. Wasted time results in late assignments with a busy schedule, especially during a college season. I’ve discussed this phenomenon with many teammates and they too find themselves doing better in school in season when they have less time. This. is because they only have time to complete the essentials, school and athletics, and cut out the often unproductive other extracurricular activities, Although this is initially counterintuitive, it begins to make sense through the sense of prioritization. If something is important, you will always find time to get it done.
The student athlete experience is one that I will forever recommend. Being a part of a team that represents something greater than yourself is a priceless experience. The bonds and comradery that is built is second to none. Furthermore, furthering your education by learning about one of your interests is a valuable experience in itself, but the addition of playing a sport you love makes the experience incredible. The student athlete becomes a multifaceted individual, with applicable traits acquired from the classroom and playing field.
