Presentation Alumni Share Their Experiences as College Athletes

Today, college sports are glorified almost as much as professional sports. Players like Stanford’s Andrew Luck are garnering as much—if not more—media attention than current NFL stars. While college games are exciting to watch, and even more fun to attend, what the televised games do not portray is how the pressure of sports at the collegiate level affects its athletes. Our Pres alumnae gave The Voice an inside view to what it’s like to be a collegiate competitor.

While most college students arrive on campus for their first classes around mid-September, most student-athletes have already begun training for their intense pre-season during the summer. Athletes often characterize pre-season preparation as the most extreme because classes have yet to begin, so almost every minute of their day is dedicated towards their sport.

Emma Caringello, who plays soccer for Boston University, compares her pre-season schedule to that of a professional athlete: “We have breakfast, then a two-and-a-half hour morning session, a lunch break, followed by a two-and-a-half hour afternoon session, dinner, and then a two-hour team meeting.”

However, once school starts, athletes need to balance school and their sport. A Pres alum, who plays field hockey, but cannot be named due to her school’s media policies, says that as long as she makes schedules and manages her time, schoolwork doesn’t become too unbearable.

During the season, most athletes will practice two to three hours a day, followed by a weight training once a week. However, because some athletes must travel out of state, or even cross-country for away games, college students will often miss anywhere from one to two weeks of school.

Although missing class is a huge disadvantage of playing sports in college, universities often do as much as they can in order to ensure their athletes’ academic success. Caringello says that Boston University allows its collegiate athletes to register 30 minutes before their other classmates. BU also provides a student athlete support services building that offer tutoring for athletes. Stephanie Sorg, who plays soccer for Santa Clara University says that SCU’s athletic program works hard to help student-athletes combat procrastination. “To help us balance school and soccer our athetic academic support manager makes sure that we put in at least six hours of study time in the library a week. The time set aside allows us to complete our work and get in any studying that we need. Having mandatory study hall decreasese that margin of being “lazy” and skimming on our work.”

According to Pres alumni, other benefits to playing a sport in college are the close friendships that they develop with members on their team and with players in other sports. Because athletes operate on a different type of social calendar (one that does not include alcohol) than the typical college-goer, they often spend their weekends on creative outings with their team. Also, playing a sport is a fantastic way to meet new people, they say, especially if you’re new to the school and aren’t yet familiar with the student body.

While many students readily praise the advantages of playing sports at the collegiate levels, some Pres alumni have had negative experiences. Sarah Cole, who was recruited to play volleyball for Davis, quit the volleyball program before the onset of the academic year.

“My current major is mechanical engineering with materials science, which would have been virtually impossible [to manage] during the volleyball season,” she explains. Sarah also offered some helpful advice to student-athletes who discover that collegiate sports are not what they initially expected

“My advice to student-athletes would be to treat the recruitment process like a two-way street. I think when I was talking to coaches, I acted like I was being interviewed, but really, I should’ve been interviewing them as well. You’re going to be working with them every day for the next four years, so it’s important that your values and expectations align. I don’t regret quitting the Davis team at all; if it doesn’t feel right, it’s not and it is perfectly fine to change your mind.”

Overall, while most of our alumni describe collegiate sports as much more difficult than the high-school level, they still recommended pursuing playing a sport in college. “It’s a whole different college experience; it’s difficult and something that you have to work at every day, but it’s definitely worth it!” says Caringello.

Player Profile: Emma Caringello

The Voice: How long have you been playing soccer? How did you get into soccer?
EC: I have been playing since I was five and I started in Rec. My parents put me in it because its just one of those sports that everyone plays at that age, and I just stuck with it.

The Voice: Do you play any other sports?
EC: No, I used to swim but I quit before freshman year.

The Voice: Do you play soccer for a club team or just for Presentation?
EC: I play for both a club team, NVLA Storm, as well as at Presentation.

The Voice: What do you like most about soccer?
EC: The team atmosphere and how you are always with the same people so they become your best friends. My best friends have always been on my soccer team.

The Voice: How many days a week do you practice?
EC: I practice two days a week with my team and another day a week by myself or with some other teammates. Then we also have games on the weekends.

The Voice: What teams are going to be your biggest competition this year?
EC: Mitty always has a good team and they have tons of seniors this year. So they will be a good challenge but I think we can do well.

The Voice: What do you believe is your greatest success as a soccer player?
EC: I believe my greatest success would be committing to Boston University and being able to play Division I soccer in college.

The Voice: What position do you play?
EC: I mostly play defense on the outside but I can play in the center too. I sometimes play midfield but not that much.

The Voice: How did you decide on Boston University and how does it feel to be a signed athlete?
EC: The hardest part for me was deciding whether I was going to stay close to home or whether I was going to go across the country. Then I went on my official and I went to a camp at BU and the people were what did it for me. When you live that far away from your actual family, the people become your family. I decided to go to BU because I had such a great experience when I was out there. It feels great especially only having to fill out one application.

The Voice: What is your personal goal this season?
EC: This season I would really like to grow as captain and lead the team well through the season.  It would be great to win a CCS championship my senior year.
The Voice: Have you thought about going pro?
EC: I haven’t ever really thought about going pro.  It would definitely be a challenge and even though I love soccer, it isn’t what I want to do as a job.  It has always been about the game and playing for enjoyment.  I think making it a profession would change the way I love it and put extra pressure on the game.

The Voice: Are you looking forward to playing soccer in college?
EC: I am definitely looking forward to playing in college. I saw a BU game against Harvard when I was out there, and it is definitely a different level but it’s exciting.

The Voice: What keeps you pushing through your last year even after you have signed and are set in terms of college?
EC: Even though I am already “set” in terms of college, I just want to finish the year well. Sometimes it is hard to stay focused on schoolwork, but I don’t want my grades to slip when there is only half the year left.  Even though it’s a cliché, I just want to end high school on a good note.