Athletes & Academics

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Mom_of_Alyssa_2024

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I've been reading threads about the "stigma" at KP if a student requires tutoring or asks for additional help. I'm not sure how much of this is just hearsay, or is truth; however, I'm leaning more towards "truth".

Anyway, DD has an offer to play a sport at KP and is seriously considering the offer. She is wondering if athletes do have a study time/assistance like at other schools, or is there a perceived stigma for students requiring additional help also within the athletic student body? DD was fortunate in HS to be in a school that encouraged students to have study groups, so "asking for help" (or providing help) was never a problem for her. As a Captain on her Varsity Team, she hosts study sessions for her players, as well as the general student body.

My general concern is ensuring she (and others) are successful at this level of academia and athletics. She's very headstrong and is willing to look past being teased for asking for help, but the concern is something she has recently brought up. (She said she was even willing to set-up study groups if there aren't any.)

She has a good academic foundation with having taken (or is currently enrolled in) AP Calc, AP Statistics, AP Physics, AP Chemistry.... She's just concerned about dedicating academics, regiment life, AND collegiate athletics.

Thanks in advance for any insight you might have.
 
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My DD plebe is a recruited athlete and I can say there has not been any stigma about extra help- actually quite the opposite. It is encouraged. Attending professor office hours is a priority when add’l help is needed and there was plenty of time for peer tutoring. I believe their tutoring hours, whether receiving or offering tutoring, are signed-off and tracked. No stigma at all, more of a norm and possibly even a requirement, although I don’t know if it’s a coach or school policy. DD was tutored in the ‘plebe-busting’ classes by upper-class teammates, attended study groups, and went to office hours. She also had a very strong HS academic backgroud but the pace at USMMA is like nothing they’ve ever experienced.
Also to add, DD is home for her first break and we discussed if she was still certain she made the right college choice. Her answer was a resounding YES. She reiterated how challenging the coursework and regimental life can be, but her KP classmates and teammates are simply the best. She couldn’t imagine herself anywhere else.
 
@SunnyDays365 Thank you so much for this response! I'll share with my DD once she gets home from school. I know when we visited KP this past summer, the Coaches seemed fully invested in the player's academic wellbeing. DD spent the night with a player and the player loved the life there at KP and seemed to have had a very successful academic year; so when we started reading into the threads (and yes, one must understand that not everyone's experiences are the same), DD started getting a little concerned.

Not that I believe an athlete should be made anymore of a priority than another student, but I know being a student athlete adds yet another layer of complexity to their busy lives, so I'm pleased they got together with upperclassmen to study.

Many thanks!
 
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@SunnyDays365 I definitely concur with Mom of Alyssa. My DS and DD attended KP spanning years from 2008 through 2021. They both needed extra help, asked for it, and received everything they needed from professors, teammates, and classmates. They also provided extra help to classmates and teammates when they were upperclassmen. Never any stigma. For example, my DD is currently engaged to her calculus tutor classmate. As an upperclassman, she prepared study guides and held tutoring sessions in Celestial Navigation for 30 of her classmates (all of whom passed the class on their first try.) No one gets through KP on their own. I think that is a big reason that KP alumni are so tight knit. Good luck to your DD.
 
@kpmom2013 Thank you for the added reinforcement regarding study groups! DD will be happy to hear this!! DD is so excited about her next chapter, but is so worried, too. I told her that was only natural and to set her own course to success, but to allow herself time to really enjoy her time at KP.
 
The entire organization is there to support your student in graduating and commissioning in 4 yrs. Which is different than a regular college. IMO it’s ‘easier’ for a student - athlete to succeed in such an environment.

BTW, everyone will need help, at some point. And that’s part of the training: learning to ask and and accept help when needed. And then offer it, as well. Similar to any sports team.

Has she visited? If not, reach out. She can get her concerns addressed first hand.
 
justdoit19 said:
Has she visited? If not, reach out. She can get her concerns addressed first hand.
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Yes, DD visited last summer. She really enjoyed it. She spent the night with a player and was able to participate in a "day in the life" of a player in the off season.

She is looking forward to the regimented lifestyle. She thinks it'll keep her grounded.
 
I will repeat what I've written before. DD is an athlete who finished graduated with a very high class ranking. I do not believe she is smarter than her classmates but that she was wiser. As mentioned above, the pace of play is the bogeyman. She never let herself fall behind. Help is multi-layered. Friends, company, tutors, professors, review sessions. She not only got help with what she didn't get, but made sure she truly got what she thought she knew. Very, very few make it at KP alone. Ask for help and pass it forward.
 
Mom_of_Alyssa_2024 said:
I've been reading threads about the "stigma" at KP if a student requires tutoring or asks for additional help. I'm not sure how much of this is just hearsay, or is truth; however, I'm leaning more towards "truth".

Anyway, DD has an offer to play a sport at KP and is seriously considering the offer. She is wondering if athletes do have a study time/assistance like at other schools, or is there a perceived stigma for students requiring additional help also within the athletic student body? DD was fortunate in HS to be in a school that encouraged students to have study groups, so "asking for help" (or providing help) was never a problem for her. As a Captain on her Varsity Team, she hosts study sessions for her players, as well as the general student body.

My general concern is ensuring she (and others) are successful at this level of academia and athletics. She's very headstrong and is willing to look past being teased for asking for help, but the concern is something she has recently brought up. (She said she was even willing to set-up study groups if there aren't any.)

She has a good academic foundation with having taken (or is currently enrolled in) AP Calc, AP Statistics, AP Physics, AP Chemistry.... She's just concerned about dedicating academics, regiment life, AND collegiate athletics.

Thanks in advance for any insight you might have.
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As a current dual-sport I will say that there is absolutely no stigma regarding looking for extra help if needed. Most of the MIDN participate in athletics and understand that balancing life on the field with life in the classroom is difficult. The team itself will most likely have study groups both officially and not.
 
Invinciblefan said:
As a current dual-sport I will say that there is absolutely no stigma regarding looking for extra help if needed. Most of the MIDN participate in athletics and understand that balancing life on the field with life in the classroom is difficult. The team itself will most likely have study groups both officially and not.
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Thank you so much for your reply! That's very reassuring! Good luck with the rest of semester!
 
The SAs spend lots of effort to bring in midshipmen and cadets. They want them to stay and thrive. When I was an USAFA instructor, my main focus was teaching and working with students. I was routinely available to my students weekdays and weekends, and my classes were small at about 20 to 25 students for the core physics courses that all cadets were required to take. My current student at USMMA has also taken advantage of the additional help available to him. I encourage all students to move quickly when they start to encounter academic issues. Do not wait and reach out it immediately.
 
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