I asked college coaches what is the most critical skill they want from an incoming student-athlete; their answer most typically isn't passing, kicking, or running skills. It's TIME MANAGEMENT.
Yup - you read that right. The most prominent issue college coaches have with students transitioning to the college game has less to do with what they do on the field and more with prioritizing and managing their time.
Many college students arrive not knowing how to organize their classes (which now aren't on a "regular" daily schedule but may look something like classes on Mon, Wed, and Fri from 9-12p, and then Tues and Thurs from 2-6p), rugby practices at odd hours, other meetings and some even have work schedules on top of it. Things can quickly go wrong if students aren't used to using a planner or scheduler. The best way to handle this is to start practicing NOW while you are in high school.
Think about how you organize yourself daily, weekly, monthly - even yearly. If you don't and someone else (a parent?) does this for you, now is the time to start taking responsibility and handling more of this on your own. Here are some great tips to start this amazing habit this school year: