The transition from high school sports teams to college level athletics is challenging. From tackling the academic rigors of university to getting adjusted to a new team, a lot of changes are coming your way. This is why we came up with five skills that every athlete needs to make their transition to college athletics easier. S Developing these skills now will support you throughout your college athletic career and beyond.

1. Time management

Time management skills are incredibly important for transitioning to college athletics and for life. One reason in particular is that the time commitments for both athletics and academics increase. As a result, you have to be intentional about how your time is used in order to keep up with your classes, practices, competition schedules, and social activities. If you need more help honing this skill, check out this article for “3 Time Management Tips That Actually Work.”

2. Being coachable

Coachability refers to your ability to be coached. This means being able to receive feedback and use it as an opportunity to further your growth. In college athletics, athletes begin working with a new coach and follow a training program that may be different compared to previous ones. Being coachable speeds up the transition period that each athlete goes through when adapting to their new programs and circumstances.

3. Advocating for yourself

Throughout your college athletic experience, there will be many situations where advocating for yourself will help you get what you need. Let’s say you are struggling in biology and want to get help after class, but this conflicts with your practice time. Instead of getting flustered and attempting to figure out this puzzle alone, this is an opportunity to advocate for yourself! By reaching out to your coach and explaining your situation, you may learn that you have more options and support than you realized. For example, the athletic department may provide tutoring for student-athletes after practice hours or your coach is fine with you showing up to practice after attending tutoring.

4. Dealing with failure

Handling failure is a must in transitioning to college athletics. As a recruited athlete you may have been the star of your high school team or even a state champion. In contrast, college teams will consist of athletes who are just as accomplished as you are and this may mean that you will experience failure or situations not going as planned more often. Try to see these situations as an opportunity to check in with yourself to identify the important lessons and small wins that are buried within your loss. Everyone is running their own race and failure can be used as a catalyst for tremendous growth.

5. Being a team player

Lastly, being a team player will be crucial for your future as a college athlete. Being recruited to a college team means that you will be practicing alongside athletes that come from backgrounds different from your own. Doing your best to be supportive and understanding will not only shape your personal development, but also the experience of your teammates.