College application season is almost over, and it’s time to look to the future. Every year, LASA graduates attend colleges all over the world to pursue art, science, math, literature, athletics, and many other fields of study. Although athletics aren’t usually highlighted at LASA, many alumni are competing today in college athletic programs.

Crystal Zhou, a college freshman who plays tennis for Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, said that she prefers college tennis to high school tennis, despite the added pressure. According to her, in college it’s much easier to form closer relationships with your teammates, which is important to her, especially due to the individual nature of tennis.

“In high school there’s a lot less freedom to bond with your team members,” Zhou said. “But in college, it’s on a daily basis. You hang out with them like family and tell each other stuff. It’s just a much closer connection, and as a tennis player, this is something that you almost never feel because it’s such an individual sport.”

Josephine Wilson, a freshman rower at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, also said the bond shared between team members in college athletics is valuable. As a freshman athlete, she and her teammates live together and spend much more time together than high school athletes would, which according to her, results in a closer friendship as both friends and teammates. 

“We spend all our time together,” Wilson said. “We’re either in the room studying, going to practice, at practice, or eating together. I think it’s more of a sibling dynamic than anything. We all love each other a lot. When you’re on a high school team, you only see [your teammates] at practice. I don’t think the relationships were as strong.”

Although college athletics does give you a close group of friends and found family, it’s not all rainbows and butterflies. According to LASA cross country coach Mary Beth Metcalf, students wanting to play college sports should be aware that it also comes with a sacrifice of your freedom. 

“All of a sudden, you might have a recommended time you have to be in bed by, and maybe they’re keeping track of your diet, or all your workouts, and you have to give this number of hours in the athletic room,” Metcalf said. “So there’s lots of controls on your life that you need to factor in. Being a college athlete is a privilege, but it does come at a cost.”

Not only are there more restrictions in college sports, but there is also more pressure, according to Zhou. She is expected to perform both academically and athletically at a high level, and juggling that makes time management incredibly important for her.

“There’s a lot more pressure because you want to make a good impression, especially as a freshman,” Zhou said. “My school is also academically challenging, so for me personally it’s been a rough ride. I’m very busy, so time management is a skill that I need to master. There’s also a lot more traveling in college as well. The amount of traveling I’ve had to do at the beginning of the fall was really overwhelming at times.”

Similarly, Wilson’s rowing and academic schedule have changed drastically since high school. Because of her intense and rigorous rowing schedule, many of her classes are not taught at times she is available, forcing her to take them asynchronously. 

“Our practices [during high school] were five days a week for two hours,” Wilson said. “[In college], we have 20 hours with coaches a week and then more on top of that. And just because of the nature of college athletics, being an athlete is your job. I think I’m doing 17 hours right now for my classes. It’s definitely a lot and it’s very intense to balance academics and athletics.”

Another important factor to Metcalf is considering scholarships. According to her, athletics in college can help, but students must be grounded in reality about their skill and position compared to other applicants. 

“The process was eye opening because it’s one thing to be a superstar in your high school, but when you get to college you find out pretty fast that you are now just a smaller fish in a much bigger pond,” Metcalf said. “It’s not like there’s a lot of money in a pot out there just waiting for talent in young athletes. You have to be careful with that dream of getting a full ride because there really isn’t a lot of that out there.”

While Wilson has greatly enjoyed her experience with college athletics so far, she believes that students’ college research shouldn’t be solely based on athletics. According to her, it’s important to pick a college that will provide a fulfilling and satisfying experience beyond athletics as well.

“You definitely need to look outside the lens of athletics,” Wilson said. “You don’t just want your college experience to be athletics. There are very few college athletes who are going to go out of college and be professional athletes and make their living as athletes. Going somewhere that’s going to set you up for the rest of your life is also very helpful, and athletics enhance that. But if you choose somewhere purely for athletics, it’s going to take away from it.”