As we get closer to the holiday season, college students will be making their way back home to the wonderful towns of Burlington and Harwinton. With new advice to pass on, we go to our Mills alum to hear about their new experience as college freshmen.

As we all may know, college is much more difficult than high school as you are preparing for your future career. Emily Nepomuceno, a pre-kinesiology major at the University of Connecticut, says that, “for each hour you spend in class, you should spend 3 hours outside of class working on that subject.” While this may seem very extensive, it is clear that college is much more aggressive academically. However, Lewis Mills High School has the courses to prepare you for college, such as the Advanced Placement courses. “I wish I had taken more AP classes in high school that would prepare me for the work load,” Emily states in hopes that others will take this word of advice.

Being a division athlete in college is a whole other story. You must have the ability to balance school, your sport, sleep and your social life. Alexis Vieth, a Mills alumni and Division I soccer player from the University of Rhode Island, says “I definitely struggled at times.” However, playing a sport in college also teaches skills for off of the field. “When you do something your whole life, it teaches you discipline and accountability and that just naturally carries over into your studies,” Vieth claims. As you can see, playing a sport could make your college career better than if you decided not to compete. You also have many people to guide you along the way, such as your teammates, coaches and those who help with the team. For example, Veith says, “I saw the sports psychologist when I was having issues with soccer,” indicating that people do want to help you if you are willing to ask for it.

After hearing the advice given by these two Mills alum, college-bound seniors should take note on preparing for the increased work-load. As for being a student-athlete, you should start learning how to balance your new busy lifestyle.