WESTWOOD—Freshman year of college is always a bittersweet time for any student because they have to leave everything they know behind, but on the other hand they are excited about all the new experiences they will encounter.

For athletes it’s a bit of the same except they not only have to deal with the pressure of coming from a high school to a college academic field, they must deal with a transition in the athletic field also.

In high school every athlete was the biggest thing on campus. Everyone knew their name, the teachers gave them breaks in class, and the future wasn’t in question because a scholarship already let people know your destination. Coming into college a lot of athletes experience uncertainty for the first time and start to worry about whether things will pan out just like they did in high school.

“My freshman year was definitely a learning experience. Athletically I had to adjust to new coaches, a new training environment, decreased training hours, and a new team oriented aspect of competing. Academically I entered college after having taken a year of school off to focus on my athletic goals. Classes were definitely challenging and provided a much different learning environment,” said junior gymnast Marcy Burnholtz.

At UCLA, the athletic department has been making sure the athletes are able to get a better grasp on the academic side of things for years. Every summer the freshman athletes come in and are given a tour of the Rose Gilbert Learning Center, where all athletes go to get their work done. They are also given mentors and academic counselors to meet with in order to give them somebody to turn too if they are having trouble adjusting.

“The academic services and support staff were very helpful in guiding me and helping me achieve my goals,” said Burnholtz.

Athletes have a lot on their plate coming into college, but UCLA has done a good job to make sure the plate doesn’t get to full. Helping athletes balance their college life has been a big factor in the success of UCLA athletics.

The 106 national championships accumulated by UCLA throughout its history is a great testament to the focus of their athletes.

College is supposed to be some of the best years of a person’s life, but it only takes a few mistakes to turn those years into forgettable ones. Being a part of a team and sharing memories that will last a lifetime is another big part of the college experience, but if the academic part is not going well, then the athletic part will never happen. UCLA has done everything it can to make sure those memories remain positive, and its student-athletes make the most of their college experience.

-