PART FOUR THE HOW TO GUIDE DURING COLLEGE
ATHLETES
WANTED
CHRIS KRAUSE High School Edition
P A R T 4
THE HOW TO GUIDE DURING COLLEGE This section will cover the major issue that student-athletes often face while in college: maintaining their scholarship. While getting into a good college with good scholarships and making the team may have seemed like the hard part, it is no less a concern to capitalize on all that effort. Keep in mind, scholarships are for one year at a time only, and they do not transfer should an athlete wish to go to a different school. Three criteria dictate whether a student-athlete will keep a scholarship: 1. Perform well for the team 2. Adhere to all rules and regulations 3. Maintain the required GPA PERFORMING WELL Once a student has entered college, the student must maintain the habits he formed prior to college that enabled him to succeed.
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RULES AND REGULATIONS Numerous rules and regulations govern scholarships. Some of them are unique to a student’s school and sport; others are defined by the NCAA or NAIA. Below are some standard rules governing student-athletes. In general, to keep their scholarships, student-athletes must:
• Remain amateur athletes the entire duration of the scholarship (including refusing to make agreements to play professional sports).
• Refuse payment or the promise of future payments for playing their sport.
• Never participate on other teams, including exhibition teams or for tournament games.
• Refuse to promote or have their name or likeness used to promote a commercial product.
• Refuse gifts from interest groups or individuals involved in the athletic program at their school.
• Decline representation by agents. The student-athlete must also refuse to promise to be represented by an agent in the future.
• Never receive benefits not open to other students at their university.
• Refrain from knowingly taking banned substances. • Refrain from sports gambling. • Refuse professional services, such as legal advice, for less than a normal fee.
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MAINTAINING THE REQUIRED GPA Few college athletes will go on to play sports professionally, and even for those who do, the primary purpose of college is receiving a valuable education. Indeed, one of the factors reliable recruiting services look for when dealing with athletes is their commitment to learning. Stereotypes aside, success off the field is a great predictor of success on the field. Moreover, given college rules, an athlete can no longer get by with low grades, nor can the student retain scholarship. Bad grades can be expensive. College is not easy, even for students who are able to devote the bulk of their time to classes and studying. For a student who is also spending a great deal of time playing sports, good study habits and a committed work ethic are non-negotiable. So how can student-athletes excel in the classroom? Broadly, they should continue doing what made them successful in high school: attend class, study hard, prepare diligently. But those basics and a bright mind are not always enough. Most students are never taught how to study. Student-athletes should pay attention to a few tips that will help them improve their study habits so that they can achieve more in less time. The most important study habit is to set aside the time to do it and then do it! While poor study skills are widespread, more widespread is the tendency to procrastinate and try to recover by all-night cram sessions. The results are usually reflected in poor grades that could have easily been prevented through pacing. Students who get help early, meet the tutors, and get in touch with the academic support systems are positioned for success. Likewise, students are wise to schedule classes favorably to coincide with the training schedule. If chemistry is a required course, but not a student’s strong subject, the athlete should consider scheduling it during the off-season.
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That said, assuming an athlete is setting aside time to study, what else can a student do to improve efficacy? Let’s look briefly at each of the core skills of studying: reading, remembering, note-taking, and preparing for and taking exams. Reading Glancing over the words on a page is not enough. Active reading requires identifying the essentials of what is being said, and identifying what ideas and concepts are important, and then working to assimilate them. This means underlying key passages, making relevant notes in the margins of one’s textbook, noting any overlap between the reading and the student’s class notes, memorizing key definitions, and condensing important points into a few retainable notes. Remembering Numerous books are available on improving one’s memory. But the basics still hold true. Students should:
• Tell themselves: “I need to remember this.” • Review the material several times. • Use mnemonic (memory aids or techniques) devices where applicable.
• Review classes online using a podcast, if available. In many cases, students have trouble retaining an idea because they don’t actually understand it. This is why active reading and focused attention in class are crucial. Memorizing a baffling list of archaic terms and bizarre formulas is much more challenging than if the words and concepts are clearly understood.
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Note-taking Thankfully laptops have made it easier than ever to take good notes and organize them. The days of having to learn shorthand or take a magnifying glass to one’s own scrawls are disappearing. Nevertheless, proper note-taking is still something of an art. Students make two basic errors with notes: their notes are either too detailed or not detailed enough. If notes are not detailed enough, then the student will miss out on important ideas that will be necessary to review later. But if notes are too detailed, the student will have a hard time keeping up with the teacher and focusing on important ideas later on. Notes should include:
• All definitions and key concepts. • Any points the professor repeats. • Any idea that was also covered in the reading. • Any idea the professor says will be on the test. Eventually, students will learn what works best for them, but a good rule of thumb is: When in doubt, don’t leave it out. Preparing for and taking exams The primary issue here is to put to work all of one’s reading, remembering, and note-taking. Prior to a test, students should review their reading, review their notes, and work to remember any items which they know or have reason to suspect will be on the test. During the actual test, the key is to be well-rested, to read all the directions, and to work through the test at a regular pace, keeping track of how much time is permitted to finish it.
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This of course is only a brief sketch to point students in the right direction. If a student has difficulty studying, many resources are available, including professional tutors, classmates, and books on the subject. TRANSFERRING SCHOOLS Deciding which college to attend is a difficult task, and often students discover that the decision they made during high school was not the best decision for them. In the rare case, a transfer might make sense. But transferring colleges is not a decision to make lightly. For starters, studentathletes’ scholarships do not transfer with them. Moreover, depending on the relevant rules and regulations, students who transfer schools may be prevented from playing, at least temporarily. The first principle of transferring schools is: Students should not transfer unless they cannot meet their academic or athletic goals at the current school. Let me say at the outset that this is a complex topic. Depending on which sport a child plays in which conference at which school, the rules and regulations that apply can be different. Any student who is considering transferring schools should contact a recruiter who can help guide the athlete through the process while avoiding the many landmines. For more information, visit www.athleteswanted.org. Here are the most essential guidelines to keep in mind:
• The student-athlete should start by talking with the coach, athletic director, and counselor to discuss options and penalties of transferring.
• Consider both the educational and athletic qualities of the new school.
• The student must obtain written permission to contact the coach in another athletic department at a different school.
THE HOW TO GUIDE DURING COLLEGE
• The student-athlete will have to relinquish any current scholarships to transfer.
• Some conferences require a student-athlete who transfers to sit out for a year or more.
• For more help about transferring, visit www.athleteswanted.org.
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Key Points 1.
Once awarded a scholarship, a student-athlete must maintain the scholarship. Three criteria dictate whether the student-athlete will maintain the scholarship:
• Performing well for the team. • Adhering to the NCAA or NAIA rules and regulations. • Maintaining the required GPA. 2. If athletes are unable to meet their academic or athletic goals, they might need to transfer schools. However, depending on the relevant rules and regulations, students who transfer may be prevented from playing immediately. And a student’s scholarship does not transfer with the athlete. 3.
Because of the complications and risks of transferring, an athlete should meet with a recruiting specialist and visit www.athleteswanted.org before transferring.