As swarms of freshmen descend on campus this week, each will face the same challenge of transitioning to college life. Among the various feats of adjusting to dorm life, dining hall food, rigorous academics, and life away from home is: social networking.
The difficult and sometimes awkward task of making friends with complete strangers is often one of the toughest challenges freshmen encounter. For freshmen fall athletes, however, the bonding and friendships automatically created from being part of a team can make social networking easier -- but it also poses challenges of its own.
The first upperclassmen freshmen fall athletes encounter are their new teammates on the practice fields. Throughout the rigorous double practice sessions on the field and team bonding off it, freshmen can very quickly develop strong relationships with their teammates.
"Being on a team as a freshman introduced me to a whole new group of people in a short time," senior women's soccer tri-captain Sarah Callaghan said. "It was good to be able to come into a situation where I could bond with the upperclassmen and have an automatic group of friends within the team. I would encourage students to just try out for a team even they are not sure they will make it just to have the opportunity to meet so many people."
Befriending and networking with upperclassmen -- one of the most useful tools for incoming first-years -- is where freshmen athletes have a unique advantage. Upperclassmen are able to give invaluable advice to first-year students when it comes to adapting to college. Playing on the field with their older peers for three months during the season allows freshmen to bond with the upperclassmen and become that much more connected to the entire campus life.
"I thought it was great to meet upperclassmen and become friends with them as a freshman," senior field hockey defender Erika Goodwin said. "They were able to give me tips on what classes to take, what professors to avoid, and what was happening on campus and it made my transition [to college] easier."
Being a freshman athlete can also be a double-edged sword when it comes to networking, however. According to athletes, the toughest challenge is meeting people outside of their teams and taking advantage of the other social aspects of campus life that the University provides. Finding the median between athletics and life outside of athletics can be difficult at first. Senior tri-captain Todd Gilbert's experience as a freshman soccer player trying to branch out was challenging.
"It's great to have a close group of friends right away and then see them every day, but I found it hard to meet people outside of the team," Gilbert said. "[It was] tough to branch out as a freshman, especially in the fall when I was in season. It was very frustrating at first, but once the season ended, I was able to meet a lot of new people outside the team. I guess you just have to be patient."
According to Goodwin and Callaghan, making an effort to balance their lives as athletes and their lives outside their teams helped them gain a broader perspective of college life.
"When I wasn't busy with practices and team activities, I was able to meet a lot of new people that lived in my dorm and through my classes," Goodwin said.
"There is definitely a trade-off with playing a sport, and it's hard sometimes but I managed to have my in-season friends and my out-of-season friends," Callaghan added. "Some of my closest friends don't play sports, and I think that is true with many athletes here."
Many athletes said they find it difficult to balance sports with a social life while in season. Between practices, team meetings, games, and academics there is little free time.
"My best advice would be to develop good habits as quickly as possible," Gilbert said. "Sports can be exhausting but can also help you get into an organized routine and be an anchor in your life."
"I was exhausted in between double-sessions when everyone was going out and partying the first week of school," Goodwin added. "It can be overwhelming but manageable and I think it's important to have priorities. There is plenty of time in the off-season and throughout your four years to party and socialize."
