Is being a college athlete actually appealing to potential employers? is that something they even look at? I think they would prefer a higher gpa and more internships/experience than me being a college athlete.
Is being a college athlete actually appealing to potential employers? is that something they even look at? I think they would prefer a higher gpa and more internships/experience than me being a college athlete.
Jhm1014 wrote:
Is being a college athlete actually appealing to potential employers? is that something they even look at? I think they would prefer a higher gpa and more internships/experience than me being a college athlete.
Employers care about college athletics more than just about anything besides grades. Being a college athlete proves that you can get good grades while being very busy. It proves that you don't need or expect to have 6 hours of recreational down time every day.
Anecdotally, my brothers and I were all told by our employers, point blank, that our backgrounds in college athletics were major factors in getting offers. We all had excellent academic records from top schools. One of my brothers double-majored in math and econ, and had been published in a major journal. I had an appellate clerkship with a famous federal judge. But everyone came back to the college athletics, even for post-professional school jobs.
A whole page without a troll rating?
2/10. Only because you survived a whole page.
To the OP, my decision framework would be like this:
1) What is the alternative to running?
Is there something SPECIFIC that I really really want to do, which running precludes? If so, then do it. (E.g., I had a specific study abroad program I wanted to do during soccer season. I did it. When I came back senior year, I had a token spot on the bench, but I was never going to see the field. I knew that was the likely result, but I made my choice, and it was worth it.)
Or, do I just have fear of missing out? Do I think that I would do lots of cool things if I weren't running, but I'm not sure what exactly they are? If that's the case, then don't quit running. Freedom and choice are really appealing in the abstract, but ultimately, everything meaningful happens after we've made a choice and relinquished some freedom to something important. People who want to be free to do lots of things end up just playing Halo (or whatever kids play today) and jerking off all day.
2. What does running mean to me?
Does running on the team make me truly miserable, regardless of what else I might choose to do with my time? If so, then quit.
Or, does my relationship to running go through ups and downs. Are there things I like, even love, as well as things I hate?
My girlfriend would drink/smoke in the off- season and be super disciplined otherwise. Try that.
Enjoy getting fat. Sounds like you've already quit.
(Ignore my crappy spelling - I'm on a break at work and need to type this quick so you don't ruin your life). I ran D2 and wanted to quit my junior year but didn't because of family and friend pressures. I regret it every single day. You are only young once and have the rest of your life to go to work and be mature. After college pressures only get worse and you will have less and less freedom. Most people here who say the wished they never quit are just losers who get caught up in the "what could have been" mentally our society forces on us today. Honestly I never post on here, but I urge you to really truly consider quitting. Most runners here have no lives which is why they are on letsrun and it would challenge their world view if hey knew someone actually had the balls to quit. Again you can always run in the future, but let's be honest you will probably not go to the Olympics or even win a national championship. Again, after college things only get worse, people are less friendly, girls won't want to hookup and smoke at 3am, everyone gets uglier and less open to being your friend. I spend so many hrs in college trying to "reach my potential" and I could have been smoking/drinking with hot girls and just having good old fun. You might think things get easier after college and you will have time to socialize, but honesty its all about bills, working, investing, and working some more. Also people in college are more likely to befriend you and not care about you effing job and social status. You can hookup with girls you will probably never have a shot at in the real world unless you make a 100k a year. I say quit now and don't second guess your instincts. Why would you force yourself to do something you don't want to do? And ask yourself are you a person that cares more about having a happy/fun life or do you care more about status and trying to reach your running "potential". Or you could always stay on the team for a year, make friends, and then quit. That's always a good plan to so you still have connections on the team and can go to parties and stuff but don't necessarily have to ruin your 4 years of college. Anyways I go to go back to my job and wish I was you. I finally quit running, right after I graduated college 2 years ago, and regret every day I didn't do it sooner because I am so much more happy and am not tired all the time, and girls also love me now since I actually gained weight and am not skinny af. Good luck.
I totally feel where you are coming from. I ran my freshmen year at a mid major D1 school. I ended up qutting because of injury and losing the drive to compete. You really just need to sit down and evaluate how badly you want it. If you're going to keep going to practice and justing going through the motions everyday without any passion for the sport, then you should quit. You would be wasting your time and the coaches. However, if you can buy in, work hard, and want to compete, then you should not quit! I really do regret quitting. I should have stuck it out another year to see if wouldve gotten any better. The point I want to make is that you should really evaluate everything. Quitting to party more isn't a great reason to quit. Quitting because you don't enjoy it anymore is.
I'd like to reiterate that my reason for quitting would not be so i could drink and smoke. I would drink and smoke on occasion if the oppurtunity did arise, and i would be able to do so without guilt. im not trying to be a stoner or a drunk. My main reason for wanting to quit is not liking to run or race that much, in fact i often dread going to practice everyday. In addition to this i dont really mix well with my team but thats not a big issue. Running takes a lot of my time and energy and just stresses me out lately, and i feel by quitting i would have a much more productive college experience both academically and socially.
I haven't read all the responses, but I feel like I'll be the odd man out here.
You're asking this question on a running website, so of course people will tell you to keep running. This is what I would say - Frankly, you probably will never make a career out of running, or race on the international stage, so if you aren't passionate about it, or if you have other areas you want to explore (especially things you could possibly do as a career) then do those instead.
I'll probably take a roasting for posting this, but if it helps someone, I don't really care. I ran for 5 years at college and I was ok - I ran under 1:50 for 800 and 3:40s for 1500. During college, I ate slept, and breathed running. I didn't even have time to think about exploring or questioning anything besides finishing the degree I chose when I was 18, and running.
When I finished school at 23, I was absolutely lost because I hadn't thought about anything besides running for the past 5 years. I went through depression and borderline alcoholism among other various things throughout my 20s. In retrospect I realize that a lot of it was because I didn't use my adolescence and college years to explore other things, I was just training all the time, and completely lost without running. I'm in my 30s now and I've been going to therapy to explore an identity outside of running. It's helping a lot, but honestly, I wish I would have just been more rounded when I was younger and maybe avoided such hard times in my 20s. If you don't love it, don't do it. Make time to do other things. There is more to life than just running, and the road will always be there whenever you want to lace up your shoes and go for a run, whether you're on an official team or not.
I have seen this a lot -- grades almost never improve after quitting.
Doing a sport requires discipline and time management skills, which spill over into academic performance. Those skills mentioned above are highly valued by employers. As are the ability to win, or lose, with equanimity and a level head.
But what may mean more to you immediately, and later, is what's been said a lot by others here -- being on a college team is fantastic. You will never get another chance at it -- lot of competitions, representing your school and helping a team you really believe in. Your teammates will remain your great friends for your whole life.
Long after graduation I found my best event was the marathon and I ran a lot better at that than I had at shorter distances in college level. But my college T&F days were the high point of my athletic career.
Agree with 30oldtimer.
A lot of responses here are based on the poster's personal beliefs and passions. Most people on here are die-hard runners who's lives at least somewhat revolve around the sport, so of course they'll say "you'll regret it! The best times of my life were spent with my college xc team!"
I quit after three years of NCAA xc/track. I just stopped wanting to run or go to practice. It by no means was an easy decision, but after weighing the pros and cons and giving it a few practices - I just decided I shouldn't spend 20hrs a week doing something I actively was not enjoying.
No regrets - I still ran for fitness, but joined the club crew team for fun, my grades improved, and I was able to spend time doing a social science thesis project.
I might give it the rest of the year before you make up your mind, since you are a freshman. But there is nothing wrong with pursuing other interests and passions. Running shouldn't be a jail.
A lot of people are saying they dont think my grades would improve if i were to quit. I am confident they would improve because if i quit i would get my adderall prescription back. I got off adderall because i felt like i was cheating in running by using it,and in the long term it would actually deteriorate my running performance. But for those who dont know adderall is f*ing crazy and you can get so much work done on it. My gpa would be through the roof.
Always have to check your motives. Why do you do what you do? Is social life and extra chill time what you need to be happy and healthy? You said you run, because you like to see your progression. Imagine if you chose something you like to do and watch your progression in that. Here's a silly acronym I use for making big decisions: Don't make decisions when you're HALT: Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired.
Quit. Network with the classmates and faculty in your major. Get internships. Seek professional development opportunities. And party and get that young stuff. Your testosterone levels will rise once you quit running. Slay that poosie!
You can still run when you feel, you may even feel like joining the team again in a year or two. You won't regret it.
Garph wrote:
Your major will be just as stressful without running, arguably more because you replace a constructive habit and team environment with smoking, drinking and being lazy.
Quit at your own risk, grades won't improve
This is certainly possible. I ran every year except senior year track - easily my worst semester. If you have work that needs to get done, give it to a busy person.
BOO BOO KITTY!!!
Grow a pair and ANSWER THE BELL!!!!
Man I have had those exacts same thoughts my first two runners in college as well, as an underclassmen it's incredibly difficult to have any impact on the D1 level so like you I thought about doing the same thing you are describing with almost exact same thought process; more time to focus on academics, enjoy the college life, etc. I stuck it out for the same reasons you also describe, wanting to see your potential and future regret. Sticking it out was the best decision i've ever made, i finally found my rhythm and routine in my third year. Learned better study habits, trained more consistent which lead to massive improvements and finally felt like a somebody at the collegiate level. You're gonna physically and emotionally develop the next two years becoming a better runner and student in the process. I thought running was taking away from my academics and social life, but at most it took 2 hours of my day and I realized it complimented my academics more so than hurting it. All about prioritizing and being consistent.
So true, I gave up racing competitively in my mid twenties when I was working Saturdays. It is my biggest regret in life (among many), I now tell younger guys with pretty average ability in their early 20s just to focus on 1% gains each year over 5-6 years and you will respected as pretty good runners. So don't give up, just have breaks where you do things you don't normally.
Jhm1014 wrote:
Hello everyone
.... I have never particularly enjoyed running or racing, i have just always liked ..., and i could drink/smoke on occasion without guilt. ...
What do you guys think i should do??
Quit. The sooner the better. You clearly aren't getting anything out of it and nobody is getting anything out of you. Quit. Full stop. Nobody will care. Now or later.
You said it yourself, "I have never enjoyed running." Just quit. Free up the space for somebody who really wants to be there.