VESTAL, N.Y. – Each semester, the Binghamton Athletic Department holds a breakfast for its student-athletes who attained a perfect 4.0 GPA during the previous semester. Although the breakfasts have been virtual events this year, the athletic department was able to take time out to honor the 45 student-athletes who reached the 4.0 mark in the fall.

On Feb. 22, President Harvey Stenger, Athletic Director Patrick Elliott and Faculty Athletics Representative Nadine Mastroleo held a Zoom event for the 45 honorees. That number represents 10 percent of the entire student-athlete population. Eighteen of the 19 teams at Binghamton had at least one of their student-athletes earn a perfect 4.0 GPA.

 It was after that event that the student-athletes talked about their favorite tips on earning the grades that they did.

Here are some of the responses:

SARAH BENN - SOFTBALL
Some tips I feel helped me be successful last semester in the virtual learning environment:
·       Keeping a schedule of all my classes on Google calendar (class times, important due dates, location: in-person/online)
·       Keeping a To-Do list specific for each class
·       Attending my asynchronous classes at the time they are scheduled to ensure I am keeping up with class content
·       Downloading my Power Points into Microsoft and taking notes in the speaker box below while the professor is teaching
·       Finding friends in my classes to ensure I am always up to date on what is happening/what is due" –

HUNTER GRECO – MEN'S LACROSSE
 "My tip that I have always given regardless of COVID times is simply this: go to every class and pay attention in class. It seems simple, but committing yourself to learning something or hearing it explained the first time will help that knowledge stick in your head for when you are studying later on. Especially now when classes are sometimes asynchronous, staying on top of your classes and actually paying attention to your posted lectures helps a lot in the long run. Additionally, being a huge procrastinator myself, make time to watch a class and then take a break before watching the next one or doing work. It will help you maintain focus rather than trying to grind for multiple hours straight."

EMILY RAIL - VOLLEYBALL
"I can think of two tips that helped me to be successful last semester. One was only using my desk for homework and only doing homework at my desk. This allowed me to have a designated spot solely for schoolwork and class and minimized distractions or me falling asleep. Also, I find it really helpful that I am able to go back and watch lectures since they are all recorded. This helps me take in information that I maybe didn't catch the first time around."
 
PAIGE VOLKMANN – WOMEN'S LACROSSE
 "My tip would be: Try and create a relationship with your professor even though we are online. It is so important to attend office hours and show them that you really are trying your hardest to understand the material in an online setting."
 
KAYLEE WASCO – WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
 "First off, I live by my planners, and yes I mean plural. I don't think it's good enough to think just one day at a time, there's too much going on in your academic life to only think about one day. So every Sunday I would write out what I needed done on what days for the next week. Then I would evaluate when I could spread out the work to meet those deadlines. I would make a supplimentary list for each day and of course it would change as the week goes on but a general outline went a long way for me. It keeps you accountable. Plus there's no better feeling then crossing off items on a to-do list.

Secondly, as I shared at the breakfast, I've been dabbling with classic conditioning. I light a candle every time I'm in class or doing homework to train my brain into recognizing the times I need to focus. Aroma therapy is really powerful and it definitely homes me in to the present tasks in front of me. So that is something specific I added in this transition to the online work from home environment."
 
TYRA WILSON - VOLLEYBALL
 "Some habits I found helpful included:
-Participating in class discussion and asking professors questions when I was confused
-Putting all major assignments in my calendar so I was aware of them ahead of time and could plan my time accordingly
-Making it brighter in my room during class, and also when I did homework, to change up my environment just a little and put myself in a work-oriented environment
-If I was concerned about my grade in a class or certain assignments, I made sure to attend office hours to get one-on-one help from the professor and get better guidance on the material."