Student-athletes at The University of Edinburgh: Tips and tricks
by Georgia, from York, UK, studying Human Geography (MScR)
The University of Edinburgh is one of top ranked universities in the country for sports. Offering over 70 different sports to its students, as well as an increasing number of intramural teams (recreational school-based teams such as the History Football team or Geography Netball team), there is so much opportunity to be involved with sports in several ways.
Having fenced competitively at a regional and GB level for nine years prior to coming to Edinburgh, I was keen to continue with my passion for the sport. The University offers a ‘Performance Sport’ programme to around a dozen sports at the university – this gives you access to a wide range of support, from strength and conditioning specialised to developing your physical capacity in your sport, sports psychology and physio services, and for some athletes, access to scholarship funding to support their individual successes.
Teams compete in a BUCS (British University and College Sport) league which allows you to travel around the country competing against other teams at universities. Whilst this all sounds very exciting, and I assure you it is, it comes with commitment and dedication to your sport alongside your important studies. The following, I hope provides some insight and advice into doing well in your studies alongside pursuing your goals within sport at the university.
1. Meal preparation
This is arguably the thing that has affected me most positively as a student-athlete. With training often falling before / between or after university lectures and tutorials, you will find yourself hungry on the way to a lecture or needing fuel before an evening training session. I find that meal prepping, be that making soup, roasting vegetables or making a curry or pasta sauce for the week is incredibly time and cost effective, and means that I can bring food in for the day and not worry about being hungry. There are microwaves all across campus that you can make use of too. Investing in some tupperware (that won’t leak in your bag) and always having cereal bars / bananas one hand will do you a world of good and will reduce potential for fatigue.
2. Sticking to a routine
University is a time filled with so many things to do, places to visit, and often late nights. Spending time not doing your sport, as will be elaborated on later, is integral, however creating a routine that allows you to flourish in both your sport and your studies is a useful thing to decipher as soon as you can. For me, that looks like earlier nights than most of my course mates, and power naps if I have an hour between classes. This allows me to perform my best in training, and focus during lectures – both important for succeeding as a student athlete. Admittedly, there’s something quite invigorating about waking up at 6am and feeling like you’ve had enough sleep…
3. Communicating with your School
Competition schedules during a BUCS league can be intense – for fencing that can look like weekly matches where we have long days travelling 5 hours each way to Liverpool for a three hour match in one day (tip: if you can manage working on a bus/train – getting your tutorial work or reading done whilst travelling on away days will make Thursdays feel a lot less stressful). Sometimes, you may have to request to attend a different tutorial one week if you have a sports fixture, or you may be away competing individually during exam season. Many schools are highly understanding and accommodating of their high performing athletes, but they need to know! Be proactive with letting course organisers and your support staff in the school know about your sport commitments – often, they can help you manage your deadlines and tutorial absences. It is key you let them know, for it is your responsibility to effective manage your commitments.
4. Check in with yourself and your team
Committing several hours a week to sport is a tiring task, which can require discipline and sacrifice. Balancing both sides of your university experience can be challenging at times, and you may find that there are moments where you feel under pressure both academically and perhaps by your coaches. There are many people in the same boat, and the best thing that you can do is talk about it! Let your coaches know if you are feeling overtired, or overworked, and equally, your teammates are going through many of experiences, so checking in with them can be super valuable too. Ultimately, you do sport because you enjoy that, and so it is important to try and keep that forefront when you are managing your time and health as a student athlete,
5. Balancing your non-sport life
Following on from the previous point, it is valuable to remember that in moments, there is more to you as a person, and to life than your sport. It can be all-encompassing, and that is one of the fantastic parts of it, but it is useful to be reminded that there is so much else you can be doing. When I first came to university, I found it difficult to create balance between enjoying socials, going out with me friends and having to miss a training night or do a lighter gym session so I could attend a non-sport based activity. I’ve been juggling being a student athlete for six years now, and rest-assured, taking time off or away from your sport when you can is also productive. It can be a very positive moment to reflect and relax which can in turn improve your performance in your sport in the first instance.
I hope these tips help with managing being a student athlete at university. Continuing to pursue my sport has been fundamental to my university experience, and with these tips, I hope you feel better placed to your academic and sporting goals too…
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