Balancing Act
WASHINGTON, Pa. — Emily Watson saw the score on her first collegiate test and knew things had to change.
Before Watson, a 2012 Seneca Valley graduate, took her first psychology test as a freshman at Washington & Jefferson University, she had studied a few days before. Having previously taken what she thought was a similar class in high school, she thought she'd studied enough.
Watson, who plays infield and pitches for the Presidents' softball team, got a D.
“It was a lot harder than I expected,” Watson said. “There was no slacking off anymore.”
When she started at W&J, Watson was told to spend three to four hours studying for every class. After that first test, Watson upped her studying and worked with tutors to raise her grade.
“I also never took another psychology class again,” Watson joked.
Balancing academic and athletic requirements in college is a challenge at any level. At the Division III level, where no athletic scholarships are awarded, athletes often have to balance jobs in addition to sports.
Every student approaches the workload differently, based on need. For area athletes, making the adjustments are easier on the field than in the classroom, they said.
“I've been really comfortable with it, even being a freshman,” Waynesburg sophomore pitcher and Slippery Rock High School graduate Stephanie Kotomski said. “Everyone said that college is so much different from high school. It's similar. Everyone's there to have your back.”
Watson works eight hours a week at a cafe for a work study. She is also in several clubs and involved with a sorority.The sophomore pitcher is carrying a grade-point average of more than 3.0 while double-majoring in environmental studies and Spanish. On the field, Watson is 6-1 in the circle and batting .329 for W&J.“It is hard to balance it, but I couldn't imagine not playing a sport. I need to have my mind away from studying; softball takes my mind off everything else going on in my life,” Watson said. “I would rather play sports and get good grades than not play and get great grades.”Ryan Dunn, a 2012 Freeport graduate, doesn't work. He puts his focus on school and playing infield for the Westminster College baseball team.Coaches are understanding if classes force him to miss some practice.“If there's a major conflict, I'm going to have to skip practice for it,” Dunn said. “It's been kind of a learning experience getting stuff done in advance. You can't put stuff off to the last minute; that will kill you in college.”Kotomski, who is 2-3 with a 3.38 ERA this season, has run into similar conflicts.She has a class at 1 p.m. and the team leaves for road trips at noon. So she's missed a game in the past.That's the biggest difference to her between high school and college. Kotomski never had to miss in high school.“It kind of sucks that I miss out on playing time, but coach understands,” Kotomski said.Kotomski, a psychology major, also has 40 other young adults to worry about. She serves as a dorm resident assistant, a paid assignment that helps pay for school and build her resume.“I was kind of nervous because it's a big role,” Kotomski said. “I thought it would be a good experience.”Twice a semester, Kotomski has to participate in informational programs at the dorm. In the fall, the programs were on alcohol awareness and diversity.For the diversity project, she had to put together a poster board on the topic of medicine and talk about it to whomever approached the booth.While adjusting took some time, everyone has settled into a groove.Dunn feels once he got through the first semester, he developed good habits for the rest of his career. He's comfortable in the classroom and is hitting .304 in 21 games on the field.“I just focused on managing my time. Whenever I came in, I struggled with time management and trying to cram, and it didn't work out for me,” Dunn said.“I got in better habits and got stuff done in advance and it paid off for me.”
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