From Playbook to Textbook: Helping Athletes Adjust to College Academics
“Why the classroom can feel harder than the competition - and how we can help.”
When people talk about athletes going off to college, it always seems to be about the big stuff: tougher competition, long practices, the pressure of juggling sports and classes, finding their place on a new team. But hardly anyone brings up the school part.
For kids like my son, that part can be the hardest. Hockey has been his whole world since he was little. He hasn’t sat in a “normal” classroom since sixth grade. His days were filled with ice time, travel, games, and whatever school could fit around it. Tutors and online programs covered the basics, and that was fine when his identity was mostly “hockey player.” But once college started, it was like he’d been dropped into a foreign country. Suddenly, he had to take notes in lecture halls, keep up with reading, and crank out essays- things he’d never had to practice before.
The Shift No One Prepares You For
Our kids grow up with every hour of their day laid out for them: practice, workouts, meals, travel, games. Coaches, billets, parents -someone’s always making sure the next thing happens. Then they get to college, and it’s silence. No whistle, no reminders. Just them in a room with a professor talking to 200 other kids, and they’re supposed to figure it out alone.
It’s a different kind of pressure, and it can knock the wind right out of them.
Why It Feels So Overwhelming
A lot of them never went through a traditional school system. Online classes and flexible schedules worked for sports, but they didn’t exactly prepare them for a 10-page research paper.
Time has always been managed for them. When suddenly it’s their job, it feels like trying to stay afloat without a life jacket.
Add exhaustion on top of it. Early lifts, hours of practice, travel weekends — then they’re expected to read, write, and study for hours more.
And I’ll be honest I didn’t get it at first either. When my son was placed in a lower English class, I was frustrated. I knew he was smart. I thought the class wouldn’t push him enough. What I didn’t understand was that this wasn’t about brains it was about missing skills. He didn’t know how to take notes in a lecture or how to write long essays. He needed to learn those things piece by piece, the same way he once learned to skate. I wish I had listened better instead of pushing harder.
My husband, who skied growing up, told me his first year of college felt the same way. He’s brilliant, but even he had to learn how to study, how to write, how to keep up without a coach or a parent managing the day. That reminded me — it’s not about how smart they are. It’s about learning how to function in a whole new world.
What Helped (And What I’d Do Differently)
Start small at home. Have them practice pulling out the main idea from an article, or show them how to outline something short. Even keeping a planner helps.
Remind them resources exist. Writing labs, tutors, study groups — those aren’t just for kids “in trouble.” They’re there for everyone.
Make asking for help feel normal. Professors expect it. It’s not weakness.
Ask about more than the sport. “How’s practice?” is good, but so is, “How are classes going?” or “What’s been the hardest part of studying?” Sometimes that opens a door.
A Little Hope
Here’s the thing I keep reminding myself: our kids already know how to work hard. Years of early mornings, tough losses, bus rides, and teamwork have built grit and discipline into them. Those same qualities will carry them through school too.
The first months might be messy. Papers marked up in red, late nights of cramming, maybe even a few tearful calls home. But just like in their sport, it’s practice that makes the difference. Step by step, they’ll figure it out.
And eventually, we’ll look back and realize they didn’t just grow into stronger athletes. They grew into young adults who can stand on their own two feet in every part of life.
💬 Parents - has your athlete struggled with the academic side of college? What’s helped them adjust?
— Alison