Hi, ATA community and especially younger players,

I am Georgia Wright, a current freshman at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Va. After starting school at the very beginning of September, I have now gotten a feel of what college is like regarding both the academic but also athletic expectations. I personally love college here and know without a doubt I made the right decision. There is definitely a great sense of balance here and that is just what I wanted in my college experience.

In the classroom, the professors do expect diligence and dedication but I think it is important to remember that they are people as well. Washington and Lee is a smaller school with the classes being around 20 people so it is very easy to form a relationship with the professor, but I recommend no matter how big the class is to make an effort to talk to your professor because it can only help you in your class and grade. In classes, I recommend starting assignments as soon as possible to give yourself time and reduce stress.

Time can be a tricky thing as you think you have much more than you did in high school, which is true because you only go to class for 1-4 hours a day possibly, however, don’t let it get out of hand and just think you have an endless amount of time. Get your stuff done sooner than later and then you do have more time to do whatever you want without stress. Especially playing a college sport, DI, DII, or DIII, you have to do your work in a timely manner because no matter you are expected to perform and show up to every practice. As an athlete you do have less time than a non-athlete however, in my opinion, it really just helps you time manage more. I still have time to do other things that I want to do besides school and tennis in college for sure, just have to allow yourself enough time.

Regarding tennis, I do love my team and my coaches. We have very high goals for this year so the coaches are really expecting the freshman to make a major impact. I just finished my fall season which was around 5 weeks during which I played a grass court tournament in Rhode Island at the International Hall of Fame. I saw Annika and Wilson there so just know you can never “get rid” of your ATA people. Anyways, my team totally resembles my crew of ATA girls and I am so happy that is the case. The practices are different than ATA and I would say easier but I know I am still getting better, however, thank you ATA for preparing me for my college practices. My coaches do expect me to take care of myself, go to the trainer when I need to, and focus while at practice, but meanwhile stay very on top of my work as they know school here is the most important thing. However, don’t let that scare you – all of those things are possible while in college, trust me.

Something that I have noticed while here is that it can be very hard to stay in touch with people outside of your school just because you become so preoccupied with your new life here, as you should be. However, it is still important to make an effort to communicate with your best friends even if that is just once a week or two weeks because they are still important. Also with your family, just text them with some updates because as you make all your own decisions now and are living more your own life, they still want to know generally how you are doing.

In retrospect of my ATA career and if I wished I did anything differently, I think I am overall pretty happy with how I both balanced school and tennis but I think the key thing in all of this is: balance. Train hard at practice, work hard at school, but also allow yourself to do things you love while you are home because in college you aren’t there anymore. Also, as I said earlier, balance is very important in college as you now have new classes, new people, new coaches/ team, and new social opportunities.

Current rising juniors and seniors, my advice to you is: do what you love, have fun, and it will all work out. Your hard work will pay off. I hope everyone is well at home!

Sincerely, Georgia Wright