College athletes have it made nowadays, is what society thinks. Well, they are entirely wrong. College athletes have committed to their sport as full-time jobs and do well at their sport to keep their scholarships. They sacrifice their bodies on the field, court, and rings every day. They have to focus on their game, classes, eating right, meetings, and studying every day. It is a full-time job.

College is Different

College freshman Hunter Paulsen says, “College baseball is different from high school baseball, with the competition being way better and the workouts only getting harder.”

“In high school, being a student-athlete, I guess you were considered one of the “cool kids,” and all the teachers would look out for you because they love their athletes, or at least most of them. There is always that select few.”

“The classwork in high school isn’t challenging, and teachers will work with you because they know you have a busy schedule and do not want you to fail, so they will offer help. College is so different. The schedule gets ten times more packed, and you have very little free time and professors will not come looking for you about missing work. They will just put in a zero for you because it’s their job. That is why you are a student-athlete and not an athlete student. Academics before sports.”

In this video, freshman Hunter Paulsen takes us through a day in the life of a student-athlete. Though it is hard, Paulsen would not trade it for the world.