Our Story
Understand the motivation behind our dream of improving the lives of collegiate student athletes.
Hi Everyone! I’m Tom Scott, a recent college athlete who started my college career with a poor academic record—a GPA of 2.8—but turned it around after my freshman year to graduate Summa Cum Laude. My main problem was that I didn’t take my academics as seriously as I should have; I didn’t dedicate the time or effort necessary to succeed in my studies. After a disappointing first semester, I dedicated time to finding study techniques and habits that worked for me. When I graduated, I was proud, but I did ponder the question- What if I found these sooner? How much more successful and stress-free my college experience could have been. I am now on a mission to help students who struggle academically, help create lasting change, and find balance in the mess that is college.
I loved my college experience and am an advocate for others to explore college pursuits and see the opportunities for academic, social, mental, and physical development. It is a time for independence and to learn about yourself in a relatively safe environment, which becomes even more special when you find balance.
When I started college I struggled to balance my school, sport, and personal life. I realized that sport was on another level, the time commitment, pressure and physical demands drastically increasing from high school. This left me spending even less time on my studies and as a result my grades stayed stagnant despite increased efforts. I was motivated to do better in college than high school, but struggles as the difficulty of everything increased.
I didn’t know how to manage my time effectively, as a heavy procrastinator maintaining focus was a struggle so I had to build effective study habits that worked for me. It took me the best part of high school and early college years to realize what techniques worked well for me. Once developed, I was able to make dramatic changes in my academics and personal life.
As a captain of a D1 rugby program I had the privilege of helping and encouraging my teammates on and off the field. I was able to provide assist through their experience whether that was through sport specific feedback, or teaching from my mistakes to help navigate them through their college experiences. It was something that I had initially seen as my responsibility as leader but turned into a passion. I felt inspired myself which was shared with those around me, creating a group of people dedicated to improvement.
This experience showed me how important it is to support the growth of students and provide them with the resources for progression. It highlighted how I could make a difference to other students who were struggling in the same ways I was.
Where It Began
My college experience highlighted to me that students are given the resources but may need some extra guidance to realise how to best to utilise them for their own needs. Students are often misguided when it comes to how to study and what kinds of techniques will work for them. I have been studying the behaviours of successful student athletes and how their behaviours differed between people, sports, and areas of study. Understanding how different factors impact how student athletes effectively function, whilst maintaining a positive mental health. I want to use what I have gathered to help the current and future generations of students reach their potential.
High school athlete often misjudge what it takes to become a successful student athlete at college. The added intensity, pressure, and time commitments can be enough to tip the balance and negatively affect both their mental health and academic success. This can create an imbalance for many as they aren’t sure how to balance their life to maximise their success in studies, sports and lifestyle. The teachings I took away from these experiences is that in order to succeed you must understand what the successful people do and apply it to your own style and habits.
Here at AcaAthlete Advantage we appreciate that college is a juggling act. We help provide the insights and personalized the plans to encourage the right behaviors and routines for the results to follow.
