From high school student-athlete to college student-athlete, Joey Wilson knows that college is a chance to do things differently. An English major and member of Olivet’s track and volleyball teams, Joey encouraged incoming students during the Transition Ceremony to leave behind their expectations of high school, get involved, try new things and—most importantly—allow themselves to change.
Here’s Joey’s advice for making the most of your college experience, in her own words.
Hi everyone! Welcome and congrats on making it through high school. My name is Joey. I’m an English major and a part of the track and volleyball teams here. That specific part of my college career is what I want to start with since a lot of our student body here is student-athletes, which I’m sure some of you can relate to.
My main piece of advice when it comes to actually being a student-athlete is to completely forget everything it was like as a high school student-athlete. In college, the relationship between the two changes. Here you probably won’t have 7 hours of school and then 2 hours of sports every day. You might have 2 classes, then batting practice and then another class, or a football lift early in the morning before your classes even start. The coaches here are very well acquainted with the student part of each of their athletes and want to work with you on what works best. There will never be a time when you are told to skip a lecture to lift or miss a presentation to test your vertical. All the teams and coaches hold athletes accountable. For sports, we all have GPA requirements to meet in order to participate, so even if you’ve come here primarily for your sport, you have to focus on your classes and grades.
Shifting more towards the social side of campus, there are so many new things to be a part of. Things like HASSA, Greek societies, clubs, radio broadcasting, and so much more. I cannot stress enough how important it is to explore these new things and get involved. I personally know how easy it is to fall into your own bubble. There is no harm in trying; put yourself out there and try something new. The worst that could happen is you realize it isn’t for you. If someone told me three years ago that I’d be willingly giving a speech to the incoming class two years in a row, I would have laughed in their face. Just like me, you are going to grow and change in so many ways if you allow it to happen.
There’s a saying I heard my freshman year that has stuck with me until now: “Nothing changes if nothing changes.”
It seems really simple and is so easy to let it in one ear and out the other. But sit with it, let it change your perspective and ideas about college. You can’t reach the best version of yourself if you don’t allow yourself to change in this new environment. I was terrified of moving on from the life I had in high school, but if I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have made it here in front of all of you.
The best way to succeed at Olivet is simple: listen to your professors and coaches, do your work, and have fun. If you’re skipping class and practice, missing assignments and workouts, you won’t get where you want to be. Set yourself up for success and bask in the opportunities that will come your way. I’m looking forward to seeing you all around campus.
Enjoy Olivet, I hope you all find your place.