Transition is word scramble for change… and change is HARD.
Trying to find your stride in a new place.
“Besides covid the hardest part was knowing everything I left when I transferred. I was really comfortable at Villanova but the main reason why I left was because I wanted more. It wasn’t that Nova was bad, so leaving made it that much harder.”
- Kelly Jekot of Penn State Women's Basketball
Sometimes you have to be your own best friend and biggest cheerleader
Any transition in life is hard because it goes hand and hand with change - which very few people embrace. Transitioning from high school to college is challenging for a number of obvious reasons like being away from home for the first time and having to take care of yourself. With that being said, I don't think those are the topics that create such difficulty for incoming freshmen. I believe the biggest, and most difficult parts of the transition are: 1. having to adjust to an intense structure or lack of structure, 2. not having someone you immediately trust, and 3. The pressure.
If you are anything like me, someone who grew up in a small town with a tight-knit community, you can probably attest to these transition difficulties as well. I was blessed to grow up with a great group of role models and supportive people in my life. I was used to my own schedule and a set routine that I had built for myself. When I began my freshman year in college, I really struggled to adjust to the new environment. At home, everything was easy and comfortable. However, college is just the opposite of easy or comfortable - especially when you are playing a sport. So the first step to transition? Get comfortable with being uncomfortable.
I promise you will figure it out. Good, bad, or indifferent.
"Set yourself up for success by setting up a routine for yourself and reaching out to people."
It takes time to adjust to change.
The everyday challenges of surviving college have lasted my entire career. However, as time has passed, I have gotten better at adapting to the difficult situations that arise.
You will often hear that one of the greatest struggles of being a student-athlete at the collegiate level is time management. As a student, you have the mental pressure of school work (and not just keeping up with it, but doing well at it). Then as an athlete, you have the physical pressure of practice and games. We are supposed to show up every day, ready to give 100 percent. We are told that basketball (or whatever your sport is) is supposed to be our safe place - a place where every other problem leaves when you enter the gym. But, playing sports in college comes with more responsibilities and pressures than it did when we were kids. It becomes a job, I even found my worth becoming more and more tied to basketball. There are more rules and regulations around the game. You aren't always surrounded by your best friends as teammates and your coaches may see you as a number before they see you as a person and that's just the honest truth
The reality is, it’s hard to balance everything. With all the pressure, time commitments, and mental exhaustion, having a thriving social life becomes a challenge. I have learned that it is all about setting my priorities straight and making sure they align with both my personal goals and my team’s goals. It's not only about what you are willing to do, but just as importantly, what you are willing not to do. It's up to you to balance the fun and success of your college athletic career, and the goal is, they go hand in hand.