“Wait, coach, we won’t have access to the varsity weight room? What do you mean there are specific hours for ‘free swim?’ How am I ever going to get a treadmill with all of these people here?”
Face it, athletes. Your season’s over. You made fun of your “narp” (non-athletic regular people) friends for having to use the crowded gym, but you also complained that your grades would be much better if you had all that time to study. Well, now you’re a narp.
With my swim season ending at Bentley, I’m starting to panic about how much free time I’ll have. For others in the same boat, here are some things at Bentley you could get involved in, and some good uses for the extra hours in your day.
1. MAKE SOME NARP FRIENDS. I cannot stress this enough- it is a wonderful thing to have multiple friend groups. Your team is your crutch, but there are so many other awesome people to meet at Bentley. Plus, since you’re not all sweaty or dirty and don’t smell like chlorine, other people might actually talk to you.
2. Give back to the community. Charity work is a beautiful thing, and there are local soup kitchens to get involved with or clubs like Bentley’s Circle K that can connect you to service options. Now that your schedule doesn’t revolve around your sport, you can give another worthy cause some attention.
3. Slow down. Suddenly you don’t have to run down the hill from class ending at 1:50 to practice starting at 2:00. You don’t have to rush through your homework. Mealtimes can be spent both eating AND socializing, and you have time to digest rather than stuffing your face before rushing off to lift. Hey, you might even have time to call an old friend and catch up on the latest gossip.
4. Take some time to appreciate your friends and your roommate. They were in the stands (or competing beside you) cheering for you at competitions, and they listened to you complain about your sore back and grueling schedule. For all those times your alarm woke up your roommate at 6 am, those times she took out the trash (probably full of wrappers from your unbelievable case of the midnight munchies) without a word, say thanks to your roommate. Oh, also, step up the housekeeping now that you have time- she was really starting to get pissed off about all of your garbage.
5. Go to your professor’s office hours. Everyone always talks about how this is a really good idea, but you put it off because obviously you wouldn’t have time. Well, now you do. A simple introduction and showing your interest in their class may even score you some extra points on a test.
6. Find a new passion. You can say your life revolves around your sport, but give yourself a little more credit. There’s got to be something else you like to do that you’re good at. Bentley has A Capella, Model UN, CAB, an Investment Group, and tons more. If you like writing, join The Vanguard or Her Campus like I did!
*cue athletes rolling their eyes saying sports are their only calling*
Okay well fine, join an intramural or just set up a weekly time for a basketball scrimmage with friends.
7. Send some love back home. A phone call can make your parents day, enough said.
8. Put some effort in. There’s no way your mother let you come to college with only yoga pants and sweatshirts. Now that you’re waking up when it’s light outside, you can see the many outfit options that your closet contains, rather than throwing on the same pair of sweats that you keep crumpled up next to your bed. And try wearing your hair down- femininity is a beautiful thing.
9. Review your class notes before you go to sleep. If you read over what you had to hurriedly scribble down during class, it will help you absorb the information. Getting into this habit could help you prove your point that more study time = better grades
10. Get out of your room every now and then. I know, it’s a long hike up to the library. But now that your shin splits have subsided, there’s no reason you should stay cooped up in your room while studying. It’s a good idea to get into a routine to keep you on top of your work, so pick a time each day to bang out your homework and try venturing to the library for a change of scenery.
11. Venture off campus. Treat yourself to a trip to Harvard Square or explore the beauty of Boston. We could all use a break from Sodexo, and there are tons of places to eat just a shuttle ride away. You have four years to explore the perks of being at a school just minutes from one of the greatest cities in the world- Netflix can wait.