That One Class…

This blog is going to be something different. Since I am a student-athlete, I have to focus my attention on both being an athlete and a student. This blog is going to be geared towards the first word of that phrase: student.

I am now five semesters down into college with five to go (yes five thanks to lots of dead credits from transferring) and every semester, there is always that ONE class that gets me. Looking at my schedule, I was taking three classes for 13 total credits. A general education course for three credits, physics I for five credits, and calculus II for five credits. I thought my toughest class was going to be physics I since I have no experience with physics whatsoever, and I also earned an A in calculus I with a 97% on my final exam during our spring season, but I was gravely mistaken.

Calculus II was all I did this past semester. My other two classes were simple and easy, as long as I completed my work on time. Calc on the other had was an entire beast itself.

This was my final exam note card for calc II.

I had thought that since I did so well in calc I that calc II wouldn’t be too bad. I did have to study a lot in calc I, but I understood it pretty well, and struggled very little understanding the concepts. Calc II was the opposite of this. I was confused with many concepts, and my professor didn’t always make a lot of sense to me. It also didn’t help that I had this class at 8:30 AM and three out of five days a week I was coming straight from team lift which ended at 8 AM. So, I was tired and the last thing I wanted to do was to try and figure out what was going on in calc.

I spent SO MANY hours doing homework and studying for that class. I went to many office hours to understand the concepts, especially leading up to our final unit test and our final exam. For the longest time in this class I had a C, so I was doing everything in my power to scrape out my B and move on.

The thing that got me through it was telling myself this was my last math class I would ever have to take in my life. I am proud to say I have completed my math curriculum and I will never have to take another math test again!

There is always one class each semester that I simply have to take my B and move on. Last semester it was organic chemistry II. The semester before that it was the lab portion of general chemistry II (a class I shouldn’t even have been in), and before that I thought I was going to get a B in organic chemistry I until I pulled a 95% off on my final exam. It probably helped that I was no longer a student-athlete at that point in time at Converse, so I had all the time to study for that final exam.

Needless to say, it is ok to get a B in college, especially if you are in a more intense major such as biochemistry. If I was constantly stressing myself out to get all As in college, I wouldn’t have any fun, wouldn’t enjoy college, wouldn’t play good golf etc. If my number one priority was only about a 4.0 GPA, I simply wouldn’t have a good relationship with my teammates, coaches, and friends. I could probably have pulled off an A in calc if I never did anything else outside of classes and practice expect for studying for calc, but that isn’t realistic nor is it a healthy way of living.

Being a student-athlete is all about balance and cutting your losses where you have to accept them. Calc II is a difficult class, so taking a B while still enjoying myself was better for me than trying to earn an A but being miserable while doing it. I don’t love earning Bs in classes, however sometimes it’s better for my overall health and enjoyment in life to take it and move on, especially in hard classes where half the class is failing out.