I am a student athlete at a Division III college, and I am in love with my lifestyle. I have a team who I love and play a sport that I was too enamored with to abandon after high school. At the same time, I am still able to strive for the academic standard I expect for myself, and I get to have a little fun along the way. But the life of a student athlete is not for the faint of heart. Without further ado, here are the five most difficult aspects of being a DIII athlete.
1. There is literally no time. Ever.
In season, there is never a moment of downtime. There are so many times I have to leave early from class, from club meetings, from group project work sessions, and dash to catch the bus or make it to practice. On game days, you usually just wear gym clothes to class, so you don’t have to waste time changing. Some days, you’re on the move from 7am to 12pm, without a moment to catch your breath
2. Some days, you just can’t do it all.
Sometimes, it comes down to a veritable Hunger Games of class assignments. You just can’t do all the reading AND the forum post AND the video response. It’s too much. And you still have to find time to work out! As much as you strive for academic excellence, sometimes you have to take an ‘L’.
3. Do you have a salad for lunch? Or ice cream?
The never-ending struggle. You want so hard to eat healthily, and you know deep down that you’ll feel good about it, but that chocolate chip cookie dough is like magnetic or something.
4. You have waaaaayyyyy too many friends.
First, there’s your team. Your brothers and sisters, always there for you. Then there’s the people in your classes, people in clubs, people from your dorm, and some people that you’re friends with and you can’t even remember how. Making time for all of them and trying not to let anyone down is just so difficult.