In a university community, everyone is busy in their own fashion — but few are busier than Dal’s student-athletes, which makes their achievements even more impressive.
This week, Dalhousie is celebrating nearly 90 students in Halifax at its annual Academic All-Canadian luncheon. Academic All-Canadian status is an honour bestowed by U Sports Canada (formerly Canadian Interuniversity Sport) to varsity athletes who maintain a grade-point average (GPA) of at least 3.50. And many of these athletes also sport impressive resumes full of community and volunteer activities.
How do they navigate busy schedules, juggle social/school/other priorities and still make an impact on their respective fields of play? We asked just some of Dal's Academic All-Canadians to share tips for their fellow students.
Anna Dunn-Suen
Women’s Volleyball Tigers
Science
One of the number one things for me is making my study sessions palatable/ as enjoyable as possible (especially in a subject I'm not super passionate about).. getting myself a nice coffee and studying at a cafe or bringing tasty snacks with me or having a good dinner or TV show waiting for me at home, all as incentives to put in the work. That way I'm excited about going to study or I can relax after and feel like I earned the time away from school work.
Luke Madill
Men’s Hockey Tigers
Commerce
As a student-athlete I think you have to have a high degree of awareness as to how you allocate your time between activities. If you're too heavily invested in just your studies then your play as an athlete may suffer; or, if you indulge too much in your social life then it may take away from your academics, training and community work. In order to remain accountable to your teammates, your coaches, your family, your friends, the community and to yourself, it's important to be cognizant of how you're balancing your responsibilities so that you can put yourself in the best position possible to be a successful student-athlete in all facets of life. If I were to give two quick tips for students looking to better manage their time/studies they would be: 1) use a calendar to help organize your life (having a visual representation of your activities that you can look at everyday can help you better manage your time as you prepare for upcoming events) and 2) go to class and listen (you gain valuable insight from your professors as to what topics specifically deserve most of your attention and learn from your classmates as to how best to succeed).
Jenna MacDonald
Cross Country/Track & Field Tigers
Neuroscience
I think the biggest reason for my successes in school and sport is doing things that I enjoy and am motivated to put in the time and effort with. For me, two important things are time management and balance: I actually spend a lot of time just planning when to fit everything in … The other thing is keeping that balance every day. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed with how busy life gets, but there’s such a variety in my days that no one thing becomes too much. Running is a great break from studying, and vice versa.
In a weird way, having so many things going on helps me handle something not going my way – because I know I have so many other strengths and interests and it’s impossible to do it all. Plus: being involved with so many things has given me a huge support system to draw on. I think it’s really important to take advantage the advice and friendship of teammates, co-workers and peers going through the same things you are.
Adam Karakolis
Track & Field Tigers
Law
I do my best to balance responsibility by working hard when I can, and not stressing when I cannot work hard. During my undergraduate studies I planned on the assumption that each day had equal time … When I got to law school I realized that the days where I had less free time were more frequent. As a result, I adjust my workload based on my time demands and motivation. This meant that if I finished my planned readings for the day, but I still had free time, I would continue to read into the next day's readings. I call this banking time.
My advice on balancing responsibilities is to work as hard as you can when you can. If there is a day where you feel that you have nothing to do, then read ahead or review your notes. Do not be afraid to finish a project weeks before it is due. Conversely, when you are tired, or unmotivated, accept that you may not get as much work done. Be kind to yourself. Get some more sleep, go see a movie with friends. The time you bank when you work hard will help smooth the peaks and valleys of your motivation. Schedule your workload based on when you have motivation, not when your syllabus suggests that things should be done.
Dierdre Alexander
Women’s Basketball Tigers
Political Science
Balancing my activities as a varsity athlete all comes down to being proactive in my studies. One strategy that has worked for me is scheduling specific times to finish assignments a certain number of days before they are due. For example: if I have a paper due on Friday, I will try to finish it by Wednesday. The same applies for studying: if I have an exam on Thursday, I try to be finished studying by Tuesday. This helps me to avoid last-minute stress, and opens up time for other things like extra gym sessions, volunteering or time with friends. I would recommend a similar strategy to other students. Scheduling really works!
Jonathan Doucett
Men's Soccer Tigers
Nuclear Medicine
Be really good at managing your time. People often underestimate how busy life can be as a student athlete, and you’re also trying to commit to the community and have your own personal life. Managing your time is hugely important. A lot of people think they know how to manage their time, but learning how to do it is important. When you first come here as a student athlete, there is a course on time management that a lot of people push to the side.
Also, surrounding yourself with a good support group. A lot of people are brought down by the people in their environment. A lot of my success isn’t just about me, it’s about the people in my life — having conversations with them and allowing them to help me out. If you surround yourself with the right people and right environment, that will contribute to success as a student athlete.
Scarlett Smith
Women's Soccer Tigers
Nursing
Being able to balance your responsibilities as a student athlete takes time. It may not be something you get in the first couple of months. It actually took me a year or so to get to the point where I felt like I was able to balance school, sports, volunteering, family, and a social life. I’m in my fourth year now and there are still points where I find it hard to make time for everything. So don’t be too hard on yourself coming in…
Prioritizing school is really important. You’ll often hear from coaches at this level that you’re a student athlete, and student comes first. If you are in the same program as some of your teammates, connect with them to get any advice or support they may be able to provide. Varsity athletics provides student athletes with free tutoring services which I know have been very helpful for myself and other athletes…
Make sure you’re taking care of yourself and creating a healthy balance. If you are devoting all of your time to your studies and sport, try to set aside some time for friends and family to give yourself a break. I really enjoy volunteering, and I find that it provides me with a really nice break from the stress of school and athletics that we all face at times.
Ultimately, don’t be afraid to ask for help and guidance when you begin your time as a student athlete. Get involved, work hard and make sure you are taking care of yourself! A varsity family is one of the biggest and supportive ones you will become a part of, and we are all here to succeed and help each other out.
Colleen Wilson
Cross Country/Track & Field Tigers
Oceanography (master’s)
Looking back on undergrad, memories of classes and practices have blurred together, but the unique and quite often spontaneous experiences stand out. So make sure to try new activities and spend time with friends! Find a group to work on assignments and past exams with. Cook in big batches once or twice a week. And one more piece of advice, not related to time management: go on exchange! It will be the best year of your undergrad!