During high school I played soccer, volleyball, tennis and ran track. High school sports were a great way to stay in shape, make friends and have fun. Although most of us didn’t end up playing in college, high school athletics stick with us throughout our college career. The experiences we gained will benefit us throughout college and afterwards.
Time management
Time management is a vital skill, and high school sports teach you how to juggle practice, grades, work, and other high school extracurriculars. As Robin Lindemann, fellow Her Campus Minnesota writer, said, “I had to learn how to manage all of the extracurricular activities that I was in and work part time while still keeping a 3.9 GPA. That definitely benefitted me in the long run .” Balancing between homework, classes, socializing and work in college, while also preparing for the rest of your life, can get ridiculously stressful. Thus, having strong time management skills is essential.
Teamwork
Anyone who has worked or played on a team knows how valuable teamwork is. The team won’t succeed unless everyone works together, pushes each other, and tries their hardest; the same goes for college. Many classes assign high level group projects. In order to do well, everyone in the group has to work together and pull their own weight. Working with a team in college can also provide you with new insight and new problem solving methods. In careers and internships, you’ll be working with others as well, so teamwork is highly beneficial.
Leadership
In high school athletics, there were many ways to gain leadership experience. Whether it was an official position, such as the captain, or just leading the team in warm up exercises, there was always an opportunity to be a leader. Even if you weren’t in a leadership position, you were always able to act as a role model to those around you. When asked about her high school sports experience, Sophomore Kaylee Shields said, “My siblings really looked up to me and now are starting to get into sports themselves!” Leadership is crucial in college; almost every college application requires you to list leadership positions you’ve held. Acting as a leader in your classes allows your professors and classmates to notice you, and it’ll be helpful for group projects. You can also use your leadership experience in high school to gain leadership positions in clubs and organizations here on campus, which will boost your resume.
Practice makes perfect
It’s a saying instilled in our minds since we first began playing. The more we practice, the better we’re going to get. This mentality applies to college too. No one’s going to excel at a certain subject right off the bat. It takes hours of studying, homework and extra help to master the material. Just like in sports, the effort is often rewarded. With sports it may be winning the game or becoming captain. In academics it could be acing a test or passing a class. Practicing may not be the most fun, but it’s crucial for success and pays off in the end.
Determination and dedication
Something I learned from playing high school sports is that we’ll never succeed unless we’re determined and dedicated. We need to strive to improve and be willing to invest our time and energy. In college, you need to have that same determination and dedication. We have to spend long hours doing homework and going to the extra study sessions to pass our midterms and do well in classes. If we aren’t determined, we won’t do well.
Attitude is everything
How we perform in sports and in college often reflects our attitude. If we have ambition and believe in ourselves, we’ll be able to achieve our goals. In college we need to have a positive outlook so that we can succeed and do well; our attitude will determine our success. Negative comments about the course and the professor will get you nowhere. If you think positively about the class, you’ll be more likely to do well. If you’re willing to try and do anything to succeed, you will.