By: Adolfo Miliano
The life of a college student can get rather hectic when you combine school, work, friends, and personal matters. You must learn how to manage your time well to deal with everything and, if possible, have time for yourself and relax. But what if you add sports to the equation? Apart from dealing with the matters already stated, student-athletes have to include sports in their busy schedule. That means adding practice, game days, and longer commuting hours for away games. How do they manage it? What or who helps them keep track of everything? Does it ever get easier? Some Lehman athletes spoke about their experiences and the strategies they implemented to help them handle their busy agenda.
Emmanuel Oladosu, a senior student-athlete who plays on the Men’s Volleyball team for Lehman College, joined the team in the Fall semester of 2021 and has been a part of the team since. On top of academics and Volleyball, Oladosu also works part-time in IT support at MetLife Stadium during the weekends. Oladosu revealed various strategies he implements to balance sports and academics simultaneously. He mentioned how he takes advantage of the off-season to take more classes to work towards his Computer Science degree and fewer classes during the Volleyball season to be able to make it to practice and games. He also mentions that this is an approach many other student-athletes take as well. “In order to play, you need to take 12 credits minimum,” Oladosu mentions. “Last year, I took about 18 credits in the Fall [of 2023], and in the Spring [of 2024] I took 12 credits.”
Knowing what to prioritize is also crucial to having a cohesive schedule. In Oladosu’s case, choosing the right professor for his classes is his top priority. “If there’s a professor that’s really good, and I know I’m going to learn best from that professor, I’m probably going to take that class,” he said. “I want to have a good GPA. Computer Science is such a competitive market, and once I graduate, I’m going to be in that field. I don’t want to be stuck.” Being a student-athlete is not only about being good at sports. A good academic record is needed for students to be eligible to play for any sports team in CUNY, with a minimum of a 2.0 GPA average required.
When asked about the hardest part of balancing everything out, Oladosu revealed that the mental aspect plays a big role in student-athlete's mind. “Having doubts like ‘Am I good enough?’ or ‘What if I fail?’ or even developing your own career can occur. What if I don’t build the career I want for myself?” he pointed out. Oladosu expressed that as much as he loves the sport and representing the school team, he constantly thinks about his life after college. He prioritizes his academics over sports to make sure he has a proper foundation to become successful in the future. “I don’t want to have this ‘prime’ of my life in college, and then after graduation, I’m working minimum wage, living check to check.” Ultimately, Oladosu shared a piece of advice that all student-athletes should follow. “Truly do your best,” he expressed. “Put in 100% effort in everything you do so that you won’t have any regrets later on like ‘I could’ve done better,’ because those regrets stick with you.”
Patria Sanchez, one of the captains of the Women’s Softball team at Lehman College, shared her experiences about being a student-athlete. Sanchez is a junior student-athlete majoring in Exercise Science and is also enrolled in a work-study program on campus. Sanchez had connections with Dily Felix, the assistant coach of the Softball team, before joining the team in her freshman year. She talked about some similar strategies to Emmanuel Oladosu’s, like taking classes in the morning in order to make it to practice and taking advantage of the off-season to work on her Exercise Science degree as she has more time to do so during the Fall semester. Sanchez opened up about her struggles in her first semester as she was adjusting to college life.“My first semester as a freshman, I fell below a 2.0, so I wasn’t able to play in the Spring,” she confessed. “I fought for my grades because I thought that I could’ve done better. I was able to bring it to a 2.0, and I was eligible to play. I think that is something that happens to freshmen- it gets overwhelming.” She talked about how the transition from high school to college can be challenging for student-athletes as they have the pressure of maintaining a 2.0 GPA to be part of the team. She also expressed how it has gotten more manageable through time.“Me, being in my third year of college, I already know how to adjust my schedule. I know the timing of when to attend practice when to study…” Sanchez spoke about being a captain of the Softball team and her relationship with the rest of the players. Having prior experience as a captain with her travel team, the Lady Twins, she already knew how to take on the role of a leader within the team. “I brought the same attitude and leadership skills from the Lady Twins and brought into Lehman,” she said. “I don’t see ‘captain’ as just one person. ‘Captain’ can be anybody; leadership skills can come from anybody.” She emphasizes how important it is for the team to trust and rely on each other and how she doesn’t view herself as the main person on the team. “Being able to turn to each other to speak about certain issues they are not comfortable with the coaches is something that I love that they do.”
Student-athletes, just like any regular student, have to excel in their academics to obtain their pursued degrees. However, they also have the extra responsibility of their respective sports. Oladosu and Sanchez showed us a glimpse of what a student-athlete goes through and how they manage to fit sports into their already busy schedule. Knowing how to manage your time is crucial for student-athletes as sports commitments can take up most of their time throughout the week. Representing your team, however, makes all those hours of practice worth it in the end.
