Thousands of teens participate in sports during their high school years, but many contemplate whether or not they should continue playing in college. Being a student-athlete in college definitely comes with a multitude of downsides and perks, so here are some that will hopefully guide you when you make your final decision.

Pros:

Scholarships:

The overall cost of tuition is a significant factor that most people consider when they choose a college or university to attend, but this can actually be a problem that many student athletes won’t have to stress as much about. Many colleges offer scholarships and financial aid for recruited athletes who commit to a position on one of their sports teams, so that can certainly offset the huge cost that comes with attending a certain school.

Friendships:

When you join a team, you also gain a whole new group of friends who have similar interests and may understand you differently than your other friends would. Teammates often go through many of the same experiences as you — struggles during morning practices, winning games, and losing games — and because of this, you end up creating a strong bond with people who will always have your back both on and off the courts.

Cons:

Busy Schedules:

As a student-athlete, you will have to balance your time wisely between practices, games, and academics, which can lead you to feel more stressed than the average college student. Practices often take up several hours a day, and games can even last the majority of an entire day, which leaves you with little time to rest or study for classes. And since the remainder of any free time is usually spent catching up on sleep and academics, student-athletes seldom have the energy or time to actually hang out with other peers, leading to a limited social life.

NCAA Requirements:

While some people may often associate the term ‘dumb jock’ with student-athletes, this is far from true. In fact, federal graduation rates have even shown that students who participate in sports graduate at a higher level from the general student body and usually have better overall grades. These studies are true because of several reasons: student-athletes can only maintain a playing position for a team if their GPA reaches requirements for both their school and the NCAA, and are also required to follow other strict conditions.

As with everything else in life, deciding to play a sport in college comes with its own set of bad points and good points. Being a student-athlete definitely comes with a lot of responsibilities, but can also be a very rewarding experience.