A Little About Varsity Athletics
Katelyn talks about her experience as a student-athlete at Carleton!
Katelyn talks about her experience as a student-athlete at Carleton!
“What is it like to be a student-athlete?”
I get this question a lot and I never know how to answer it, so I usually end up saying something to the effect of “oh, it’s great!”. However, I would like to try to give an actual answer and create a quick overview of some of the different aspects of what being a student athlete is like.
Time Management/Time Commitment
Like most other things in life, time management is key. In season (Fall for volleyball), I practice every weekday and usually compete 1-3 times a week. Volleyball has anywhere from 25-30 games throughout the season, and less than half are at home, so being efficient with my studying as well as homework is essential. Let’s just say that a lot of homework gets done at West Gym and on the bus rides to and from games. Honestly, I am a lot more productive with my time in season as opposed to out of season. Outside of season (Winter term) I lift anywhere from 2-4 times a week, trying to get in some reps on the court a couple of times a week, but it is nowhere near the time commitment of being in season. This is a nice change that allows me to take harder classes without worrying about whether I’ll have enough time to study.
Speaking of Schoolwork…
If you’re an athlete, you have definitely heard the term ‘student-athlete’. Carleton makes it a point that we are STUDENTS before we are athletes. From dozens of Academic All-Conference awards across all of our sports to my team (volleyball) getting our 16th straight AVCA Team Academic Award, school is undoubtedly our main priority. Sometimes, this means missing practice for a lab, or sometimes even a game for an important test, and that is totally ok! However, if there is a game or practice that you shouldn’t miss, professors are usually more than accommodating, as long as you tell them in advance. I find it helpful that Carleton allows you to make these decisions for yourself and do whatever is best for you.
Challenges vs Advantages
Challenges:
A lot of my time is taken up in season so I have to focus on time management to ensure that I have enough time to study and that I’m taking care of my mental wellbeing.
Advantages:
The student-athlete community is made up of some cool people. I have met some of my best friends on my team and I am really lucky that we all play volleyball together because otherwise, we might not have met. Another advantage is that you learn how to deal with challenges as well as self-advocacy and discipline. You learn practice, patience, and perseverance, pair it with a full course load, and end up with great preparation for future jobs and balancing adult life.
Why Division III?
I commonly (and annoyingly) hear people bash Division III athletics as if they are not competitive or even worth it. I would like to touch on this, since Carleton participates in the MIAC, a Division III conference, and explain why D3 was the best decision for me and all of the other student-athletes here. Take women’s volleyball for example: out of the 470,000 that participate in high school, only about 3.9% will go on to compete in the NCAA. Getting to play in college is a great feat in itself, and Division III is just as competitive as other levels within the NCAA, with the biggest difference being that D3 does not offer athletic scholarships. While this can be off-putting to those like me, where affording college was one of my top priorities, Carleton being a school that meets 100% of demonstrated financial need was a huge selling point. Another important thing for me was making sure that I had a good balance between athletics, academics, and my social life. D3 has allowed me to participate in all sorts of extracurricular activities, and also be a varsity athlete.
Katelyn (she/her) is a junior at Carleton from Las Vegas, Nevada and a psychology major with minors in cognitive science and german. She is a proud first generation student who loves to participate in all things happening around campus. She is involved with Carleton’s student-run first-gen organization 1Gen, KRLX, and Babyteeth. When she is not in the gym playing volleyball or lifting (super heavy) weights, she can be found hanging out with her friends or in the small park next to the Weitz, specifically on the east-most swing.