Breaking The Curve – Ohio State Buckeyes
9/3/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 3, 2005
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Believe it or not, earning a 4.0 grade point average is not really that difficult; it simply goes with the territory of being an Ohio State football student-athlete. For junior flanker Anthony Gonzalez, senior fullback Brandon Schnittker and junior fullback Stan White Jr., accomplishing the holy grail of collegiate academics this past spring quarter is a feat they shrug off as the standard at Ohio State.
“Academics have always been important to me,” Schnittker said. “When I was growing up, my mom was very strict about academics and I had to come home and do my homework before I went out to play. Now, it is the same thing: I come home, do work and then enjoy other things.”
For most people who wish there were more hours in the day to complete their usual chores and more, Schnittker, who boasts a cumulative 3.8 GPA, relishes the limited free time in his schedule. The Sandusky, Ohio, native usually executes his finest achievements in academia when his agenda is restricted to the classroom and the football field.
On a routine day Schnittker wakes up at 9 a.m., grabs breakfast and heads to his classes before proceeding to the Woody Hayes Athletics Complex for a 3-5:30 p.m. practice. After enduring nearly four hours of drills and team meetings, the marketing major finally walks into the front door of his apartment around 8 p.m., only to continue his day by hitting the books.
“When I come home I try to sit down for an hour and just relax and try not to think too much about anything else,” Schnittker said. “But if I have work to do, I sit down and do it and that usually takes about half an hour to 45 minutes and then I’m back at it the next day. I try to find some time during the day to do work and try to keep up on things. It’s easier than waiting toward the end of the quarter right before an exam to load up.”
Gonzalez takes a similar approach to ensure he does not fall prey to mid-term and end of the quarter cram sessions. The philosophy and pre-law major sets aside 10 minutes each night to look over his lecture notes from the day. Committing 10 to 30 minutes an evening is not too time consuming, Gonzalez said, and occasionally he tries to offer some advice to those who wonder how he is able to earn top marks with such a hectic schedule.
“I put a lot of pressure on myself academically, so if people ask for advice, I try to drop little annoying nuggets of wisdom,” the St. Ignatius high school graduate said. “It wasn’t until recently I decided I wanted to study philosophy and pre-law. As a result I needed to raise my GPA quickly.”
When Gonzalez hangs up the pads and cleats for the last time, he would like to attend one of the Top 5 law schools in the country. In order to have a legitimate shot, Gonzalez needs to average a 3.775 GPA or better until he earns his bachelor’s degree from Ohio State. But the Cleveland, Ohio, native is not too concerned.
“I think maintaining a 3.775 grade point average is completely attainable,” Gonzalez said.
It comes as no surprise to Student Athlete Support Services Office (SASSO) advisors John Macko and Darin Meeker many of the student-athletes on the football team have managed to start off their academic careers with a bang and maintain the status quo for three, four and even five years.
“So many of the student-athletes do such a good job on the field they are self-motivated to take care of business in the classroom,” Macko said. “These guys are go-getters. They are self-starters and are very motivated, so what we do is very little. We maybe help them devise a schedule or simply act as a form of reinforcement.”
Despite all the modesty from Macko, Schnittker is quick to credit SASSO with much of his success, especially during his freshman year, a critical transitional period.
“When you come in as a freshman, they do a great job of getting you started on the right foot,” Schnittker said. “They provide so many resources like study table and tutoring. It really helps to have that kind of support system and I think their goal is to get us on the right track as soon as we get here.”
In fact, just as he did during the spring, Schnittker proved how seriously he took his commitment to being a student-athlete. His first quarter on campus, he delivered a 4.0 and has never looked back.
White is a strong advocate for SASSO as well, serving on the office’s student-athlete advisory board. Specifically, the Baltimore, Md., native is on the executive board as head of academic integrity. White, along with his fellow board members, act as the intermediary between the department of athletics and student-athletes, addressing any concerns student-athletes may have and vice versa.
“I’m a big believer in SASSO,” White said. “Throughout the process of being a student-athlete they have helped me and made sure I fulfilled all of my requirements. Student-athletes throughout this university definitely benefit from them. They go above and beyond what is required of them.”
Although he is not sure what his calling will be following his football career, White does plan on taking advantage of the master’s of business administration degree he is pursuing. The finance major started a joint degree program this summer, taking a class to get acclimated with the program, but when classes begin later this month he will forge ahead with a full credit schedule that will leave very little time for anything other than school and football.
“I think equally in all phases of life, academically, athletically and spiritually, it is important to do the best you can in all areas of your life and improve yourself,” White said.
Competitive by nature, the trio often smirks at being referred to as the smart ones out of their respective group of friends, but the references eventually grow on them.
“When I’m in class, it never fails, my classmates and friends will look over at me and say, `Oh ask Stan, he knows, he’s smart,’ White said.
