Screw studying, I have the rest of my life to take tests!

[deleted895369]

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Hey guys,

I'm drowning in homework right now. 19 credit hours + work + extracurriculars has been absolutely insane. I'm literally not even procrastinating either. So... I am supposed to be running at the NCAA D3 cross country regionals this weekend. My coach understands if I can't go because of studying, but I really want to go as I've been training since the beginning of the summer and been working really hard.

Part of me is like f**k homework, I'm never going to remember the grades I get on these tests, but I will remember the NCAA regionals.

On the other hand, I feel really irresponsible, especially since I could potentially do better on projects/exams if I had a few extra days to work on them. And obviously, senior year grades are super important.

So... is this just a sacrifice I have to make for being pre-med?

 

[Peter Pan.]

Are you currently applying to Med schools now? If not your grades are going to matter. You shouldn’t have taken that many credit hours being a college athlete.

 

[Goro]

19 credit hours + work + extracurriculars has been absolutely insane.

No, what's insane so now having good time mgt skills and knowing when to bail when you' in over your head.

Drop one class, if possible, and some of the ECs. Med schools aren't going anywhere....but they're going to require even more work than you're going through right now.

 

[deleted895369]

Are you currently applying to Med schools now? If not your grades are going to matter. You shouldn’t have taken that many credit hours being a college athlete.

I'm taking a gap year, but current GPA is 3.86

I guess I'm also paying for my stupid decisions.

 

[deleted895369]

19 credit hours + work + extracurriculars has been absolutely insane.

No, what's insane so now having good time mgt skills and knowing when to bail when you' in over your head.

Drop one class, if possible, and some of the ECs. Med schools aren't going anywhere....but they're going to require even more work than you're going through right now.

Thanks for the reply. Too late to drop classes, and I've already cut down on extracurriculars this week. Managing this courseload has actually been fine up until last week. I'm just wondering about whether or not its foolish to compete this weekend.

 

[Med.School.Hopeful]

I think you should compete. You will never get that opportunity again. But how bad of grades are we talking here? Like a couple of B's or are you at risk for failing classes?

 

[ciestar]

Compete. You’ll regret it if you don’t.

 

[harvard_of_the_west]

I ran NCAA XC and Track for all 5 years of my eligibility at a top D2 program. I maybe focused on running a little bit too much, as I finished with grades that weren't as stellar as I had hoped for, and am now in a Post-Bac. But if I were you, I still wouldn't pass up an opportunity to compete with some of the best athletes in the country--you don't get many more of those! Plus, you could qualify for Nationals. And, in the long run, athletics really does set you apart from all the other applicants. Most schools should understand that grades for an NCAA student athlete might be *slightly* lower than somebody who wasn't running 90+ miles/week and traveling all over the country every other weekend every spring and fall. If you can go race and not take a massive GPA hit, I'd say go for it. If you're at risk for B-/C+ or worse in any classes...well then you have a tough decision.

In all seriousness, talk to your coaches and NCAA compliance officer. They shouldn't have allowed you to take so many courses in the first place. Use your resources: Compliance dept, tutoring services, teammates who've already taken classes, and talk to your professors! I took exams on the road at away meets, studied by headlamp in the back of a charter bus, and got calculus help from my assistant coach. Good luck!

 

[Jeremy Bearimy]

I was a D1 athlete in college and missing a competition, especially something like regionals, for studying was not an option. That said, even if it were, I can't imagine doing it. While athletics required sacrifices, it has also been one of the most valuable aspects of my life and thereby my application. If the sport is important to you, I would compete.

I maintain that my grades would not have been much better if I had dropped my sport because the structure and limited time created a sense of urgency and made me a better student. More time doesn't necessarily mean better grades, but working smarter does. Further, one competition is unlikely to make or break your class. However, if you feel like the balance is NOT creating that sense of urgency and efficiency for you and/or that this weekend is absolutely essential for your class, then it might be best to miss the competition.

 

[Rachapkis]

I suspect that competing will not harm your chances of performing well in school as much as you think. And it would be a shame to miss the chance to compete in an event that you've been training for long and hard. That said, only you can tell how much extra stress competing will put on you as well as how much additional stress you can handle. I hope you make the decision that's right for you.

 

[M&L]

maybe unpopular opinion, but first, sit down, take a breath, and decide which one of all the things you are doing are ABSOLUTELY necessary for your future, and which ones are just for extra stuff. And then decide what you want to cut out. Emotional and mental well being is crucial! and don't feel guilty for a second if you decide to make some changes! I remember my last semester in undergraduate, I was about to graduate in May, and start med school in August, and I was SO TIRED, that I actually dropped my math minor (only one class away from getting it), and took Anatomy elective instead, because I realized that that one math class would suck so much life out of me, that everything could fall apart.
Obviously, your situation is not exactly the same, but point still stands - put your well being as a priority. Don't jeopardize your long term success by dropping your grades, but do cut out unnecessary things if you feel like it.

 

[hang50]

i was a d1 athlete and i guess i’m confused here...you can still study on your trip to (and at) regionals, no? why is it a either stay home and study vs go run and not study situation?

when i traveled for meets, especially regionals/nationals, i had plenty of downtime. given, i know it’s a little hard to study while you’re away, but if you want to run you might just need to tough it out and study instead of hanging with your teammates in the downtime.

and obv you might not do as well as you would like, but cramming and getting a B or C on one test won’t kill you. have you talked to your professors about possibly pushing an assignment or test back?

 

[deleted895369]

Just figured I'd update in case any pre-med athlete needs advice later on...

I ended up running at Regionals - didn't regret a single moment. I had a fantastic time with the team, got a much-needed break from just doing hw all the time, and best of all ran a personal best by 1 minute!

But, I ended up failing my P-chem midterm two days later 🙁 The rest of the week was HELL because I had so much to do, plus had to make up for lost time that weekend. (But, I didn't realize that, at least at our school, athletes can get deadline extensions if they are competing. I took advantage of that).

Still, I didn't regret my choice to compete. Somehow I managed to finish the semester with a 4.0, so I guess it all worked out in the end. Thanks for all your help guys!