My story: 'Finding the right balance between sport, study and life'

John Smith is one of Dublin Institute of Technology's (DIT) elite Sport Scholars.

The accomplished archer did not apply for DIT purely on the basis of the valuable support offered by the scholarship; it was the reputation of the School of Engineering that caught his attention.

Ever since he worked in his father's engineering firm, he knew what he wanted to do, and was emphatic that DIT's Engineering (Building Services) was the course for him.

"As I didn't take honours maths for my Leaving Certificate, I had to do one year of the Level 7 degree before I was accepted for Level 8, but it doesn't make much difference because the course has exactly the same title."

Since starting in DIT, John has excelled in archery, and this week is representing Ireland at the World Student Games in China.

Last September he was among the top eight competitors in the World University Student Archery Championship.

"DIT has been incredibly supportive of me as a sports scholar. Not only did they help fund the trip to China, but they organised a variety of workshops for the scholars, which were extremely beneficial."

From sports psychology to time management, the workshops covered a wide range of subjects and made a big difference to the aspiring archer.

One piece of advice that John would give to aspiring sports scholars is to "find the right balance between sport, study and life -- and always have a training partner. It can become too difficult trying to do it all on your own".


- Conor Gannon

Supplements