By Dr. Robert Nathanson [1] and Arthur Kimmel [2]
Parents of college-bound student-athletes often ask, "How can I best help my child prepare for the academic demands of college?" Whether or not your youngster is planning to compete athletically at the next level, or has been an A or C student, the question is significant.
To help answer that question, we have compiled the following "To-Do" list for parents. These suggestions come from our more than 30 years of teaching and mentoring student-athletes and are drawn from the ideas and strategies of academically successful student-athletes from around the country whose insights were at the core of the research for our recently-published book, The College Athlete's Guide to Academic Success: Tips from Peers and Profs. We offer these suggestions and quotations of student-athletes from our book to help you provide guidance to your youngster now, while he is still in high school, because now is the time for him to establish good habits, attitudes, and skills, so that when freshman year arrives, he'll hit the ground running and his academic transition to college will be smoother.
Student-athletes possess a host of personal characteristics, traits, and values that have helped them thrive athletically, including discipline, commitment, focus, high energy, work ethic, ability to handle pressure, and resilience ... the list goes on and on. Yet, as students, they often don't realize that these same attributes are transferable to the academic playing field.
As ESPN Academic All-American soccer player and Long Island University valedictorian, David Ledet, says, "School should actually be easier for a student-athlete because we are so well-versed in being disciplined and, just like class, each sport is goal-oriented."
For parents this means:
Does your teen think of him/herself as a student-athlete or athlete-student? To succeed academically at any school level, it's critical that family and friends encourage and support a youngster in:
In the words of University of Massachusetts scholar-athlete and swim team captain, Becky Hunnewell, and echoed by just about all of the student-athletes we've spoken with, "Time management is the most difficult part of being a student-athlete."
The ability to manage time and juggle all the academic and social demands of college life is a major challenge for every college student. But student-athletes have far more on their plate than most non-athletes in high school, and when they reach college the plate becomes even fuller, with more intense conditioning and practices, a longer season with more competitions, increased travel away from campus, and other demands.
That is why it is so important, while your child is still in high school, to occasionally remind him about the importance of taking increased responsibility for waking up, scheduling his day, getting to practice, and devoting sufficient time and energy to his studies, but still leave time for chores, employment, and social life.
Staying organized is critical:
Developing habits of healthy eating, getting enough sleep, and taking responsibility for their own well-being while in high school will pay dividends once your teen transitions to college:
Since the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) governs most college and university athletics, it's wise for you, your youngster, his or her high school guidance counselor, athletic director, and high school and travel team coaches to be on the same page about eligibility requirements and the application process.
The NCAA Eligibility Center [7] offers prospective student-athletes and their parents a myriad of essential information and resources, useful phone numbers, and website links, including a 24-page downloadable "Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete" and a "What Do I Need to Do?" list broken down by grade levels, 9 through 12. Whether or not your child is a highly-recruited star athlete, we encourage you to become familiar with the application process and all of the academic and other requirements as they relate to your child's particular circumstances so that you can proactively support his efforts and provide him the necessary guidance and information. Unfortunately, you can't sit back and assume that everything will be taken care of by others.
We wish you all the best on the wonderful journey with your child from high school to college!
Bob Nathanson and Arthur Kimmel are professors of education and sociology, respectively, at Long Island University (Brooklyn Campus) and the authors of The College Athlete's Guide to Academic Success: Tips from Peers and Profs [8] (Pearson Prentice Hall 2008).
Links:
[1] https://momsteam.com/user/608
[2] https://momsteam.com/user/645
[3] http://www.amazon.com/Home-Team-Advantage-Critical-Mothers/dp/0060881631/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1235419946&sr=8-1
[4] https://momsteam.com/node/443
[5] https://momsteam.com/node/236
[6] https://momsteam.com/node/291
[7] http://www.ncaa.org
[8] http://www.amazon.com/College-Athletes-Guide-Academic-Success/dp/0132379473/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1235065922&sr=8-1
[9] https://momsteam.com/successful-parenting/parenting-elite-athletes/college-recruiting-for-the-elite-athlete
[10] https://momsteam.com/successful-parenting/parenting-elite-athletes-is-a-special-challenge
[11] https://momsteam.com/successful-parenting/college-recruiting-how-your-child-can-market-himself-to-college-coaches
[12] https://momsteam.com/successful-parenting/back-school-recruiting-checklist-high-school-student-athletes