How to Maintain Good Grades While Playing a Sport?
Sports affecting grades is a common occurrence because it is a time-consuming and energy-demanding activity, sometimes not leaving enough time for study. Many students struggle between the need to keep their grades up and their desire to succeed at competitive sports.
Do student athletes get better grades or worse? Statistics show that this depends entirely on each individual student and on skills unrelated to sports such as the ability to fight off procrastination and to delay gratification.
Top Tips for Balancing Grades and Success in Sports
Although balancing grades with sports is tough, there are specific strategies that you can use to keep your grades up while playing a sport in college or high school. By implementing these tips and time-saving techniques in your daily routine, you can regain control over your time and succeed both academically and athletically.
Stay Organized with School and Sports
Keep a big calendar on your desk and mark all school assignments, paper deadlines, exams, sports practices, and events to have a clear idea of your responsibilities on a weekly and monthly basis. Each week you can have a look at the calendar, make readjustments, and establish the most efficient daily schedule to meet all your calendar goals. To keep it up with both sports and grades, follow these tips:
- Use travel time effectively by reading, listening to audiobooks, or taking notes.
- Don’t leave assignments for the last minute, as this creates a lot of pressure and stress.
- Use a digital planner to access on your tablet or smartphone on the go.
Plan Study Sessions for Better Grades
Don’t let a week pass by without at least a couple of hours of focused study. This way you will avoid getting overwhelmed at the last minute with too much work and too little time. Have a look at your calendar and squeeze in regular study sessions, even if you only have an hour or two available. A single hour of study can make the difference between an average grade and a good one. Plan how, when, and for how long you will study.
Find Help to Balance Sports and Grades
Maybe you’re doing everything right, yet still feel that school and sports are hard to mix satisfactorily due to the increasing demands of each. Many students confess things like “I need help writing a research paper so I can go to practice” because they simply cannot fit everything in a day. Searching for help with a research paper is very common even among non-athlete students. For athletes, using economic essay writing service help is a good time-saving tip that enables them to go to sports practice without remorse and yet still get an excellent grade for their research paper.
Attend Classes
Many students believe that playing a sport in college or high school means free permission to skip classes whenever they want. This is the root cause of sports affecting grades because balancing schoolwork and sports practice is impossible if you get too much behind your peers. While skipping a class might seem harmless, there are subjects where it’s easy to lose track if you are not present when your teacher or professor explains the most complicated concepts.
- To keep your grades up, try to attend at least the difficult classes as much as possible.
- Attend classes to create a closer relationship with your teachers and colleagues who can help you out in times of difficulty.
- Take good notes in class so you will spend less time studying.
Be Productive During the Weekend
If you want better grades while playing a sport in college, there are some sacrifices you have to make, including doing school work during the weekend. Even if you feel the need to relax, this is the perfect moment to prepare some school work in advance to make sure you stay on top. Even if only for a couple of hours, you could do some light reading, do research for an upcoming paper, or prepare an outline for the next essay you must present.
Do Student Athletes Get Better Grades
When it comes to school and sports, studies show there is a direct correlation between academic success and success in sports. Do student athletes get better grades? According to several studies, the answer is yes. Students who participate in sports have a more positive attitude towards school and a better educational achievement rate.
There is thus a direct relation between sports and grades, which suggests that many athletes are very motivated to seek academic achievement as well. Cases of sports affecting grades negatively are also common. Ultimately, it all depends on each individual student and his ability to manage his time and efforts effectively.