In this episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast, I talk with Sarah Cowart, academic coach for athletes. This is an incredibly timely episode with the Fall semester just beginning for most high schools and colleges. Sarah helps parents and student-athletes navigate the academic process to play sports in college, teaching them strategies for a successful transition. Sarah dives deep into the college recruiting process from the academic side, explaining the requirements student-athletes must meet in order to be eligible to compete in college athletics. She outlines the recruiting process timeline for high school athletes, the importance of maintaining a strong GPA in core classes, and fully understanding what classes the NCAA counts: check, a lot of classes don’t! Sarah and I discuss the ways our personal experiences as collegiate athletes have shaped our futures, teaching us skills non-athletes miss out on, without underestimating the challenge. We talk about the importance, or lack thereof, of choosing your perfect major; Sarah’s advice is to pick something you’re truly interested in and worry less about future career implications. No matter your sport or current GPA, this episode will focus you in on the necessary steps to be prepared, achieve your dream of collegiate sports, and thrive as a student-athlete!  The NCAA eligibility website that Sarah mentions can be found here: https://web3.ncaa.org/ecwr3/  Check out Sarah’s website https://sarahlcowart.com/  Follow Sarah on Instagram and Facebook @sarah.l.cowart and me, your host Lindsey Cortes, on Instagram @female.athlete.nutrition  If you find value in this podcast and would like to support the show, join our patreon community! Become part of our Fiercely Fit and Fueled community today, and receive bonus episodes, merch, monthly recipes, access to an exclusive community message board, and have the chance to ask Lindsey your questions and get a podcast shoutout, and more! Head to patreon today patreon.com/femaleathletenutrition Your support means a lot! Need help with your fueling? Want to get in touch with Lindsey? Interested in the Female Athlete System of Transformation?  Head to www.RiseUpNutritionRUN.com to learn more & book a call! THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS: Previnex: https://www.previnex.com/ use code RISEUP for 15% off at checkout InsideTracker: www.insidetracker.com/riseup for 20% off the entire store for a limited time only! THIS PODCAST IS ALSO SUPPORTED BY: Orgain, head to www.orgain.com and use the code RISEUP30 for 30% off your first order. Repeat customers can use the code OA2203 for 25% off future orders. Practice Better Click the link below to view plans and get a 14-day free trial. Then use the code RISEUP20 for 20% off your first 4 months: https://practicebetter.grsm.io/runp  Jen & Keri: https://jenandkeri.com/ use code RISEUP10 for $10 off your order In this episode we talk about: 2:00 Sarah’s work helping student-athletes and parents understand the academic side of college sports  4:40 Academic requirements for student-athletes 7:00 From high school to college athletics  12:30 The college recruitment process: considerations for high school athletes  19:30 Preparing for college academics  21:30 Challenges and success strategies for student-athletes 29:00 Sarah’s student-athlete experience and career path  31:00 How to choose a major and/or career field 36:00 Social media for student-athletes  38:40 End of the podcast questions