For the past two years, I have been playing D1 college golf as well as studying mechanical engineering. It has been a very tough journey and here are a few tips that have helped me survive my experience so far.
Here’s how I survived as a student-athlete studying in STEM:
Time management
Growing up in a student-athlete environment, I was always taught by my parents that time management was my best friend. As most teenagers do, I didn’t listen to this advice and later regretted it when I was stuck with writing a paper at the last minute or missing out on practice for tutoring sessions. In the past two years of my college career, I’ve learned certain techniques to help manage my tasks and time much better. My most helpful tool has been the google calendar app on my phone and laptop. Whether it be a due date for homework or something as small as “Do laundry tonight”, my google calendar has become my best friend and essential to my success.
Support group
With such a busy schedule as a kid and teen, I always struggled to find a consistent group of people on whom I could depend. Coming into college, I knew this was something I needed to change because I no longer could rely on my parents or hometown coaches as much. Although engineering majors are stereotypically seen as very reserved and anti-social individuals, I luckily was able to find a group of people who support me and my journey with open arms quite quickly. These friends have helped me through thick and thin whether it be helping me with class material or being a shoulder to lean on in tougher times. I have learned to prioritize my time with friends much more in the past few years and have realized that my social time is just as important as my practice time.
Understanding my limits
While I’ve learned to prioritize social time with family and friends, the pandemic also showed me the importance of rest and alone time. Growing up in an intense student-athlete environment, it felt as though breaks were few and far between and burnouts happened more often than they should. I lacked the understanding of physical, emotional, and mental limits and pushed myself too far, to the point of misery towards my sport and my schoolwork. With the mandatory isolation throughout 2020 and 2021, I, like many, was forced to drop all tasks and learnt to stop and smell the roses. I acquired a new perspective on my life and got a better understanding of who I was and who I wanted to be, not only as a student-athlete, but also as a person. Now, two years later, I’ve learned to implement off days and alone days into my weekly schedule to remind myself to spend time with the person I found during those difficult months of isolation.
To conclude, if you are a student-athlete interested in a STEM field and have concerns about managing both of your passions, just remember that anything is possible if you set your mind to it! Surround yourself with the right people who will support your journey and utilize the tools given to you. Prioritize what you think is the most important in your life and enjoy the adventure!
-Emily Romancew
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