Tips to Being a Successful Naz PT Student Athlete

Tips for Being a Successful Naz PT Student-Athlete  By Kelsey Milligan '19, '21G

Like all students in college, student-athletes must learn to manage their time, and use it wisely, to be successful. To get the most out of the PT program and be a thriving team member, student-athletes need to balance their schedule and make time for relaxation, assignments, attending classes, going to practices and games, meets or matches.

Kelsey celebrating a win

Kelsey Milligan, a 4-year starter for the Nazareth College Women’s Volleyball team that earned Honorable Mention All-American accolades and helped her team win the Empire 8 Championship during her senior year, has the following tips for academic and athlete success:

• Introduce yourself to your professors day one, talk to them about being on an athletic team, and let them know when any conflicts with the class may occur. They are very understanding about missing classes as long as you let them know ahead of time! I also think they really like student-athletes, because we are often the ones who know how to manage our time well. Plus, a lot of them will try to make it to a game or two, which always feels great!

• Take advantage of long bus rides! I would always get a lot of homework and studying done on the quiet bus while everyone else was taking a nap! The volleyball team also had team study halls at least once or twice a week, so being around others trying to get work done as well as a great motivator to completely focus for those few hours.

Kelsey and her classmates collaborated with Speech-Language
Pathology Students to provide an interprofessional  movement
experience for children at the Rochester Public Library

• Don’t be afraid to talk to your coaches if you are struggling to keep up with your work or just think you need extra help. They will help you find additional resources or better strategies for studying. They really care about your academics, so that is always the first priority!

What is it like being a student-athlete in the PT program?  

• Being a student-athlete is difficult and time-consuming, IT’S SO WORTH IT! I definitely pulled a lot of my knowledge as an athlete into my coursework and my interventions during clinics. Being an athlete allowed me to be more confident in the clinic!

• Being on a team gave me a great support system that helped me be more successful on the court and in the classroom because I had others to talk to when I was frustrated or stressed. The other great thing about being on a team is that there will more than likely be an upperclassman who is in the program as well. This is great because they will be able to give you tips and background on what to expect going into your classes!

Kelsey in action at the net

• Playing a collegiate sport is so much fun! It’s a great stress reliever and will really help you take your mind off of classes and the stresses that come with being in the PT program. Having that time each day to just play the sport I loved with my friends, not only gave me a much-needed break from my studies but also energized me enough to be able to finish my work afterward.