THE ROAD TO SUCCESS FOR STEM STUDENT-ATHLETES

Varsity athletics and university science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs are both extremely time intensive commitments. Each requires a considerable amount of discipline and self-motivation on the part of the student. Initially, it would seem that combining these two commitments would be a recipe for disaster, leading to an exhausted, time-crunched student and yield poor performances both in the classroom and on the field. Many students however, continue to prove that concurrent success is possible in both demanding disciplines. At the University of Waterloo, in Ontario, Canada, student-athletes make up approximately 2% of the full-time student population, with approximately 40% of these students enrolled in full-time STEM programs. In this work, 16 members of the university's track and field and cross country teams majoring in STEM programs have been interviewed to discuss their motivation, time management, and coping strategies for successfully navigating life as a STEM student-athlete. Their responses have been applied against Eccles' expectancy-value theory as a motivational framework for the students' continued success. Students discuss lessons they have learned, and how they have successfully been able to apply concepts from their studies to athletics, and vice-versa. These teams were chosen because they each contained the most recent (2010-2011) male and female recipients of the university's award for the varsity student-athlete with the highest academic average during a competitive season. Further, both of these students were majoring in STEM programs. Interviews were conducted with students ranging from freshman through senior undergraduate, and Master's and Ph.D. graduate programs as well. The interviews highlight a series of commonalities and differences across the students, including many of them prioritizing school and athletics above their other life commitments, and each of them possessing a variety of different time scheduling and study habits. From these personal accounts and interviews, a series of best practices for success as either a student-athlete or a regular student involved in other high time commitment co-curricular activities are developed. It also becomes clear that there are many paths leading to success as a student. This work can be used by educators to gain insight into the STEM student-athlete perspective, and by students and coaches alike as they each continue to strive for success.