Think. Swim. College.

Club team is focused more on best times whereas college is focused on scoring well which doesn't necessarily mean a best time every meet. The goal for a college team is to win dual meets during the season to have a high score. The key is a consistent time, not a personal best. After shave and taper, during championships, you want to go best times and set some records.

There are 168 hours in one week. I practice about twenty hours a week. A meet usually take about five hours. On average I take 17 credits a semester, which means 17 hours of lecture per week. You should sleep on average 8 hours a night, so 56 hours a week. Those three things already take up 98 hours a week, which doesn't include studying or eating. How will you manage the remaining 70 hours (ten hours per day)?

It's very demanding. You feel tired all the time. The food is okay but questionable compared to your mom's cooking. However, you have an amazing support group that no one else has: your team. Those forty people going through the same struggles as you are your family. The athletic department is also on your side. They will help you with financial, academic or personal issues. Read this article for more. 

Since you are reading this, your sport is important to you. That, along with academics should be top two on your list. What else is important to you? What do you want to get out of your college experience? Here are a list of things to consider: - Social life, Partying, Relationship - Internships, Work-Study, Networking - Job - Vacations Keep in mind that you can be AMAZING at two or three things. 

If a coach asks you for something, make sure to respond with the information in a timely manner. For example, if you have a week to sign your NLI don't wait until the very last day to sign and fax it to your future coach. During signing week you should already know what school you are attending. By waiting until the last minute, you are running an unnecessary risk. Another Example:   Your coach asks for your physical paperwork to be faxed to him by June 1st. You have had over a month to schedule a doctor's visit and inform the doctor of the tests/vaccinations you need. You wait last minute and your doctor visit is on May 30th and you don't get your lab results until June 3rd. The paperwork gets sent to coach by June 5th. Now, your paperwork is almost a week behind every other student-athlete who submitted it on time. Then in August, you find out you're missing an official stamp or signature on your paperwork for one vaccination and you can't practice with the team...