But the incalculable experience of testing oneself mentally and physically to the very limit of one's ability, individually or in concert with others, is also recognized as a vital part of growth. To be a member of a Dickinson varsity sports team is one way to achieve this. The rewards are legion but so are the challenges. The athletic program is designed to help students fulfill all their goals. No practice ever is allowed to interfere with any class, academic field trips take precedence over sporting contests, encouragement is given for student-athletes to participate in Dickinson's famous overseas programs, and the opinion of the academic instructor concerning conflicts is the final arbiter.
Practices are usually one to two hours in duration, after normal class hours.
In some cases, night practices are arranged to protect further the academic schedule. The towering advantage of Dickinson as a small liberal arts institution is that the community is small enough for coaches to know professors, for students to be able to talk often and at length with their instructors, and for all to be able to work towards an understanding of what is best. There is no special status or academic help afforded student-athletes as this is not the way of the small, intimate, individual world of the liberal arts college. But, in the overwhelming number of cases, professors understand and cater to the special requirement of the varsity student-athlete, except of course when, in his or her judgement, the primary goal of intellectual advance is put at risk. Research at Dickinson has shown that the discipline required as a member of a sports team assists in academic performance during the participant's season.