Training BJJ as a College Student

Hey there everyone! I'm finally back writing a new blog post- Training BJJ as a College Student. Things have been SO crazy the past month. I've started back to school at my university, had my first ever super fight (upcoming blog post), and adopted a new kitten! I'm so excited to be back writing and I can't wait to share my tips on how I train BJJ and made it through college.

Over the past 2 years I have been training jiu jitsu, I have also been a full-time college student at West Virginia University. My career path when I first began college was completely different than where I'm at now with my future plans, but regardless of what profession you are interested in- college is challenging!

I have always enjoyed school because I fell in love with learning; which is one of the reasons I love jiu jitsu... I get to learn something new everyday! Along with loving school, it was rewarding to get good grades because it showed that my hard work was paying off. My first year training, I was not deep into the core classes of my major, so I was able to attend jiu jitsu classes regularly. I didn't have to worry about major exams or homework assignments because the class material came naturally to me. But as I progressed through more challenging classes throughout my undergrad, I had to sacrifice mat time for studying and maintaining good grades. Finally, I am about to graduate with a B.A in Psychology with a minor in Communication Studies and Spanish!

Trust me, I hated sacrificing mat time to study, but for a while I wasn't able to juggle BJJ and college like I used to. I thought I would be able to continue my routine of going to lecture, then going to jiu jitsu, staying for open-mat, and then working on homework until I was falling asleep. But as my undergrad progressed, so did the difficulty of my courses. As I would be forcing myself to stay awake to complete my homework, I realized I wasn't giving myself ample time to complete my assignments. I was rushing through them just to get them completed without really understanding the concept behind the assignment. Then, I was beginning to become lost in lecture material and exams because I wasn't spending enough time studying and trying to understand the material. I used to be able to get excellent grades on exams without studying- but that was my first year of college.

My grades quickly began to fall. I've learned that once your grades drop it's even more exhausting to try to bring them back up; when all along you could have maintained good grades with more effort. I quickly learned that in order to do well in my classes throughout the rest of my undergrad, I had to put forth more effort outside the classroom. I needed to study, take my time to complete the homework, attend office hours, and ask questions if I was unsure. I needed to apply myself more to receive the outcome I wanted. With the choice of either sacrificing time at jiu jitsu or sacrificing my future, I decided to study more and train less when necessary. Don't get me wrong, I didn't quit training. But I did begin to prioritize more. I had to examine what assignments I had to complete, how long each assignment would take, and if I could get it done in time after jiu jitsu. There are several nights where I am able to get all my homework completed after BJJ, but there are other times I have to skip a class to study for an exam or write an important research paper.

My advice for you fellow college students out there is to make school your priority. You may be thinking "Duh Amber," but it's easy to get our priorities out of line when it comes to doing something we love. It's easy to sacrifice homework to go to jiu jitsu because we're in the here and now- but if you continue down that dangerous path, you may regret it later down the road. It's a slippery slope. Grades may start to slip, you may have to retake classes to recover the disastrous semester of bad grades, and it may ruin your chances of achieving your future goals.

Some of you may be able to train every night that while continuing the streak of good grades, but not all of us have the same strengths and weaknesses when it comes to learning. Honestly, that's OK! If you are able to train every night and complete all your studying/assignments in the same night, more power to you. But only you know what you are capable of. Be realistic with yourself and what you can achieve within the time frame you have. If you are someone who requires more effort outside the classroom to achieve the grades you want, here's some tips I found helpful to be able to juggle my training and class load better:

1. Examine the difficulty of your classes and the class load.

-If you're lost in lecture, you'll probably need more time outside of class to study the material or attend tutoring.

2. Keep a calendar!

-This has been the most helpful to me during my undergrad. It helped me keep track of everything going on in my life. Write down your homework assignments and exam dates, then you can work your training schedule around your classes!

3. Utilize time in-between classes to work on assignments/study.

-If you jump on the homework and studying early, you will be ahead of schedule. Getting things done early could give you more time to train because you won't have to stress about getting an assignment done.

4. When to train/stay home to study:

-If you've been working on homework all day BUT it's not due until a later date, take a break and go train! Your assignment will be there for you after BJJ.

-If you have a lot of homework due that night or the next day, try to knock out most of it first...

-- If you need all the time you can get to complete the assignments, you should consider staying home to finish them.

-- If you get most of your assignments completed and think you can finish them after training, then get on those mats girl!

5. BJJ Competitors in college:

-Use the same tips above and plan ahead- Prepare for your assignments and exams in advance so you don't have excess stress during your competition prep.

I hope this advice was helpful! I wish you luck in your college and jiu jitsu journey!

Oss!