Jan. 12, 2010

University of Pittsburgh tennis players Elizabeth Adams and Minh Evans share their class schedules, talk about balancing studying and matches while on the road and blog about their first days of the new semester below. The tennis team opens the 2010 portion of their schedule at Maryland on Feb. 6 at 11 a.m.

What is one thing you do that helps you balance practices/matches and your class work?
[Minh] One thing I do to balance tennis commitments and schoolwork is plan in advance. If I know that I have a weekend full of matches then I try and get most of my studying and homework for the next week completed in advance.
[Elizabeth] I try to get a head start on my classes and not procrastinate. For me the more I have to do the better my time management skills become. To do that I write out in my planner my assignments and my activities to see how to balance them. Stay organized!

What advice would you give to freshman student-athletes to maintain good grades, especially in-season?
[Minh] I would tell my fellow student-athletes to use every bit of free time they have to complete some studying since we don't have much during the season.
[Elizabeth] I would advise them to find a good balance between school, sports, and social activities. It is important to have all three but you have to prioritize, especially in season when time is limited.

On the road how do you find time to study? Where do you study?
[Minh] When we have away matches I usually study at night after our matches are over. Most hotels have lounges which are usually quiet and therefore a great place to study.
[Elizabeth] I get most of my work done on the bus. When we are actually competing my focus goes entirely to the match (es). But I can read or write papers on the bus, so that’s the work I try to accomplish on the road. I also will study in the lobby of hotels after competition for the day is done.

What is the hardest class you're taking right now?
[Minh] The hardest class I am taking this semester is probably Organic Chemistry 2.
[Elizabeth] My hardest class right now is Investment Management.

How important do you think a good relationship with your professor is?
[Minh] I think it is extremely important to have a good relationship with your professor. When you have a good relationship, professors can help explain to you concepts that you don't fully comprehend after lecture.
[Elizabeth] I think a good relationship is key in any class you are taking. I have met a lot of great professors which will be beneficial for me in the future when I need recommendations. It also helps with your grade. Getting to know your professor on a personal level pays off, if the teacher knows you on a personal level and sees that you are putting forth effort and want to do well, this will be reflected in your grade.

What is your favorite on-campus resource for academics?
[Minh] The academic center for athletes.
[Elizabeth] My favorite on campus resource is the Peterson Events Center, the tutors are very helpful when completing homework and preparing for exams.

Do you utilize study groups?
[Minh] Yes, I think study groups are a great way to get help if you need it and to help others in your class if your already comfortable with the subject matter.
[Elizabeth] I utilize study groups on an occasion; I don’t usually find them beneficial.

How do you stay organized?
[Minh] My planner helps me organized. It helps me to keep track of assignments, exams and other commitments.
[Elizabeth] I have many means of staying organized. I use Microsoft Outlook, which has a calendar of my schedule and meetings, it’s linked with my email, and it has a to do list of my assignments and other important things that I need to accomplish. I sync this with my phone, so I have everything at all times. And then I also use a planner which I put everything in.

What type of a studier are you?
[Minh] Although sometimes I like to study in groups, I am typically an independent studier.
[Elizabeth] I am an independent studier. I get very distracted by working with others. I only like to work with others when I don’t have a good grasp on the concepts.

Where's your favorite place to study?
[Minh] My favorite place to study that most people don't know about is the 6th floor of the William Pitt Union.
[Elizabeth] My favorite place to study, when its warm outside, is between Chevron and Eberly hall, because it is completely deserted and has a very beautiful view. Otherwise I do my work in my room.

Blogs from the first days of the new semester...

Minh Evans 
1/06/10
To me the first day of class is always exciting. Academically, my day started with Indo-European folktales which is an elective that I decided to take in order to fill my literature requirement. I’m looking to the class because we get to compare old folklore with Disney movies. Afterwards I went up to the field house and ran a couple miles. On most days, in between my classes I try to get a good hour of some form of cardio in to stay in shape during the off season. Later that night I had my Organic Chemistry 2 class which is required for my major. I’m actually a little nervous about the course, but I think having a different professor this semester will help me succeed. Although I did not have any work to do the first day, I’m sure that will change soon. I look forward to a fresh start and I hope everyone else is too!

1/07/10
My second day of classes was slightly busier than the first. My day began with my American History class. After class I went back up to my room and had about an hour of free time so I started to read my first assignment for my Indo-European folktales class. I think as an athlete it is always important to use small amounts of free time to get some work done. Today was also our first day back to our strength and conditioning sessions with Ted Dworek, our trainer. It was great to see all my teammates again and get back into the swing of things. Coach George gave us our travel letters to give to our professors which explains which days we will absent for matches this semester. Afterwards, I had food with some of my teammates and then went to my two night classes.

1/08/10
Today I only had one recitation. My class was let out early because there wasn’t that much material to go over yet. I went up to the field house to do our mandatory half an hour of cardio on Fridays. Afterwards, I went to talk to our academic counselor, Matt Dudek. On of my professors had an issue with me missing a few classes because of tennis and Matt helped me work out a compromise with her. I think that the academic center for athletes provides a great place to study as well. Later that day, I went to play some tennis with a few of my teammates. I think it’s important to hit during the off season to maintain your skill level.

Elizabeth Adams
1/06-07/10
The semester started yesterday, Wednesday January 6th and I have four classes this week. I started my semester off with Russian Fairytales, which will fulfill my literature requirement. I think the class will be very interesting since it will consist of reading and analyzing short folktales. I also had recitation for Russian Fairytales, which was a more interactive class than the lecture. We break up into small groups and discuss the different literary aspects of each fairytale. The second class that I have had so far is Intro to Development Economics. I am taking this class as an elective to fulfill an arts and science requirement as well as to fulfill my Economics minor requirements. I think this will end up being one of my favorite classes the semester because the topic is about developing countries and why they are stuck in poverty. Then the last class that I had was Investment management, which is a requirement for my Finance major. We haven’t really covered much in our first class but it will be a challenging but practical class as a Finance major. It was hard scheduling my classes because of our tennis schedule but I did the best I could. In order to make everything fit I would pick out my required courses and then schedule electives around the necessary classes and practice.

1/08/10
Since we have a very busy schedule in the spring and we spend most of our weekends traveling, I scheduled no classes for Fridays. Therefore I used my day to organize everything from the first couple of days of classes. I organized out all of my assignments in my daily planner and sorted all of my papers into appropriate binders. We have individual cardio on Fridays so I went into the gym at 11:00 am and got a work out in before I grabbed lunch and had an unofficial practice with a couple of girls on the team. So even though I didn’t have class today there are always responsibilities that I have to complete throughout the day.