It’s 6:30 a.m. They head out to their first training session of the day, tired from finishing homework until midnight the night before. Their schedule for the day is booked with academic classes, practice, and then weightlifting.

This is what a college student athlete faces on a daily basis.

Many student-athletes find it hard to manage a sport in high school. For the six percent of student athletes who end up playing a college sport, they often find it even more difficult to balance their commitments.

Emma McCarthy, a swimmer at University of Arizona, Tyler Peck, a baseball player at Chapman, and Rachael Thorson, a volleyball player at Kenyon University, are encountering first-hand how playing a sport affects their college experience.

Since college sports are far more time-consuming than high school sports, it can be hard for a student athlete to keep up academically and maintain a social life. College sports are also a year round commitment, whereas a high school athlete will only play the sport for the given season.

McCarthy, Peck and Thorson all felt that at Redwood it was easier to keep up academically, and that their sports schedules didn’t interfere with classes as much as in college.

“At Redwood I never felt like I didn’t have enough time to do the work,” Peck said. “During my Redwood baseball season I would be home around 6:30 p.m. and have three to four hours of homework a night.”

At Chapman, Peck feels that his schedule is based around baseball rather than classes.

“I feel like I go to baseball and then take breaks to go to class,” Peck said. “It’s not the other way around.”

McCarthy echoes Peck’s statements, agreeing that it was easier to balance her time at Redwood.

“[At  University of Arizona], it’s pretty much all consuming,” she said. “Swimming is a part of school now. I have to take my classes around my practice schedule.”

At Redwood, Peck only practiced for two to three hours a day compared to the practically all-day training at Chapman.

McCarthy also finds herself completely focused on swimming.  

“I train over 24 hours a week,” McCarthy said. “And that doesn’t include the travel time it takes to go to meets.”

McCarthy, Peck, and Thorson have found that during the transition from high school to college they have had to learn new time management skills.

“You have to be really accountable for yourself,” McCarthy said. “If you need help or have questions, you need to be the one to go to your professors or teachers.”

Peck agrees with McCarthy, stating that college requires more responsibility.

“You can’t waste time,”Peck said. There is always something to do, whether it is studying for a class, being in the weight room, or being at the field.”

Thorson knows that time management is a big part of being able to keep up with her school work.  

“I need to make sure that I stay on top of my schedule so I know if I need to work on a certain class or assignment,” Thorson said.

Peck thinks that the teachers at Chapman are part of the reason why he is able to balance his schedule. He feels that they work with him to accommodate his schedule.

“I’d say that they are definitely more flexible than the teachers at Redwood,” Peck says.  

According to Peck, the NCAA rule, which doesn’t allow teachers to penalize students for missing class because of sports, results in more flexibility from his teachers.

According to Thorson and McCarthy, the teachers at Kenyon and Arizona are also very willing to compromise.

“If you miss a class or need an extension on an assignment, most of them are really nice about it and understand you are playing a sport,” Thorson said.

Along with trying to balance athletics and academics, these athletes want to have a social life.

“It was easier to make friends with kids outside of swimming at Redwood,”  McCarthy said.  

Peck and Thorson also found high school easier as they had more time to spend with non-athletes.

“At Redwood, I had no problem hanging out with other people, but around the clock here at Chapman it’s a little tougher,” Peck said.

They all agree that their demanding schedule prevents them from developing as many out-of-sport friends.  

“I don’t really have a lot of regular student friends. It’s because I’m always at [the training center] or at practice or doing my homework,” said McCarthy. “I don’t have a lot of time to go out and socialize and meet new people.”

The time McCarthy and Peck spend training strengthens the bond with their teammates.

“College swimming is such a team atmosphere. You train with these people everyday and you race for them,” McCarthy said. “My friend group is my swim team.”

Peck has seen that the time he spends with his teammates leads to better friendships.

“I’d say that there are 30 guys on the team, and those 30 guys are my best friends at Chapman,” Peck said.

Thorson has also seen how college sports have played a bigger role in her social life.

“Being an athlete here is part of your social identity,” Thorson said.  

Although their sports take up most of their time, all three students said that they wouldn’t give it up for anything.

“Swimming for a top team like Arizona is an incredible experience,”McCarthy said. “It’s more sacrifice than I could imagine making in high school, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”