May 7, 2008
The spring semester academic report had just come in and Vanderbilt bowling Coach John Williamson was quickly scanning the bottom line.
“3.2, 3.65, 3.4, 3.45, 3.6…wow! Everybody is over a 3-point this spring!”
The news of superior academic accomplishment, which produced a team 3.371 grade point average for the year, made Williamson’s day, just as it has every semester since the program began back in 2004.
Success is important to these 10 Commodores and academics are just as important as last month’s NCAA Championship, where they were semi-finalists. Winners enjoy winning.
“We take a lot of pride in being winners on the lanes and in the classroom,” says sophomore All-American Josie Earnest. “We talk about it. We know when we are competing that nobody has outworked us either as bowlers or as students. We want that to translate.”
Tara Kane, who has twice earned All-America acclaim while making Vanderbilt’s coveted Dean’s List five of her six semesters in crafting a 3.507 cumulative g.p.a., agrees with Earnest.
“We are a strongly bonded team,” the sociology and psychology major says. “We have group study sessions even when we are in different classes and sometimes we strategize so that we take a class together. That gives us a good study partner for that class. We help each other, especially when upperclassmen have already taken a particular class.”
Vanderbilt’s No. 19 national ranking in U.S. News & World Report’s annual report strikes fear with some prospective students, concerned they might not have the academic tools to compete. The Commodores say not to worry, as Kane explains.
“You don’t have to be an Einstein,” she says. “I didn’t think of myself as that before I came to Vanderbilt. Resources are available and you just have to take advantage of them. Much of that is by simply managing your time well.
“I have found most professors are extremely willing to help on a one-on-one basis. They maintain office hours and are very approachable if you want to discuss something about their class.
“There is a very strong academic support system in the athletic department. There are tutors and quiet rooms to study almost 24/7. With a brief phone call or email you can arrange for a tutor. I’ve used many of these resources, including the Writing Studio which has also been very helpful for me.”
Brittany Garcia, who made the 2008 NCAA Championship All-Tournament team, seeks a career in medicine. She transferred this past year from Connecticut College, a leading liberal arts institution.
“I was not concerned about my ability to handle Vanderbilt academics,” says the Medicine, Health and Society major. “I don’t consider myself to be naturally smart but I have developed a good work ethic. I knew I could succeed through hard work.”
Like Kane, Garcia credits an outstanding academic support staff for some of her success. While outsiders may incorrectly assume tutors exist to help weak students squeak out passing marks, top scholars also derive considerable benefit.
“Our tutors are a tremendous resource,” Garcia notes. “I was tutored in a chemistry class twice a week last semester and I would not have done as well without the assistance. Tutors are not allowed to help us with anything that is graded but what they do is clarify any material that is unclear.”
Garcia ended the year with a 3.686 cumulative and notes the Vanderbilt standards – “expectations” – are higher than at most universities but welcomes the environment.
Earnest, who carries a 3.147 cumulative g.p.a. in Human and Organizational Development into her junior year, looks at it another way.
“I’ve always been someone who likes a challenge,” says the Vandalia, Ill. product. “Before I came to Vanderbilt I knew the academics would be tough but I was confident they wouldn’t be anything I couldn’t handle.
“We all know what we are here to do – win as bowlers and succeed in academics – but we also have very good resources to help us along that path and we take advantage of them to make these good grades.”