Jillian Rogers
PHHS ‘18, Misericordia University ‘22
Hi! My name is Jillian Rogers, and I just completed my sophomore year at Misericordia University. I am a Psychology/Pre-DPT (Doctorate of Physical Therapy) major, and I play field hockey. With being a D3 student athlete in an accelerated program, days can get pretty crazy, yet the two things that have been really helping me are: balance and adaptability.
In high school, I was a three-sport athlete at PHHS, so I was used to balancing athletics with academics. Yet, stepping into my first preseason made me realize that college is way different than high school and that I have to expect the unexpected. Therefore, a day in my life is very scheduled, but I have to be prepared for anything that changes.
At Misericordia University, students choose their classes, and student athletes actually have preferential scheduling which means that during the semester that our season is played we select our classes prior to other students so as to eliminate as many conflicts with practices or games. Also, my coach takes our schedules and works around them so that we have time to eat, sleep, do homework, recover, watch film, attend meetings, etc.; even the small things are very important to us, and I make sure that I have enough time so that all are done properly and efficiently. This helps a lot, because we are able to follow a regimen, yet have some flexibility as well.
A typical day of a student athlete includes classes, practices/games, and lifts. All of these activities can happen at different times in the day, but it all depends on what the specific team does. For my team, our classes typically range from morning to early afternoon, and so our practices are in the evening to avoid overlap. So, while classes and practices/games rarely change, lifts can happen at any time, just as long as they are done. Additionally, student athletes have both an in-season and out-of-season, and in out-of-season we are able to practice and lift, but these are not always done in the evening. Instead, we practice and lift at any time in our out-of-season, even early morning and late at night. Also, my team is very close with each other, so we also like to eat together and do some team bonding during the week. Being a student athlete at college may seem very stressful, however it does have its advantages, helping me now and in the future. A day in the life of a student athlete is pretty complex, but what I like the most about it is the balance between academics and athletics as well the new opportunities that are offered to me.
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