Supporting high-level athletes: Interview with Sandra Le Jan

At EDHEC Business School, student high-level athletes enrolled on the EDHEC International BBA Online enjoy individual support from a tutor. This is designed to help them set realistic objectives for progress in their studies and avoid feelings of isolation.

Sandra Le Jan has been a course teacher (Human Resources Management, Entrepreneurship) at EDHEC for some 15 years. As a tutor on the EDHEC International BBA Online, she supports a number of student high-level athletes (Chiara Pogneaux, skier, Océane Sercien-Ugolin, handballer, and Zoé Richard, tennis player, as well as Mathéo Martins de Melo, entrepreneur). The programme also welcomes musicians, models and entrepreneurs, and is adapted to the constraints and demands related to their extra-curricular activities. In this interview, Sandra tells us about her role as tutor and the specific support provided to student high-level athletes.

What is your role as tutor at EDHEC?

I’m responsible for accompanying students throughout their studies. My remit is to take them through to graduation.  

The particular feature of this support is that it’s provided at distance and destined for youngsters who have outsized lives, with very busy timetables. Apart from ensuring they can progress to the next year in their studies, my main goal is to make sure they don’t fall behind or drop out. I often feel these athletes are under pressure from their sporting constraints in the medium and short terms.  

As a tutor and with the support of the rest of the School (professors, administrative staff), I ensure they’re able to look ahead over the longer term. Before the end of their second year, they notably need to decide between the Finance and Marketing tracks, and it’s a subject I talk to them about in advance. 

I also make sure they have a good grasp of the expectations and demands of higher education. If they want me to, I can help them with questions of methodology or concerning how online learning works. I also remind them of all the human and material resources EDHEC puts at their disposal, so they can work without stress.    

Lastly, my role involves refocusing them on their learning objectives. Given the sometimes highly strict environment they experience in sport, this refocusing must be done without upbraiding or punishing them. My legitimacy as an advisor is not based on authority, but on my total commitment to helping them succeed academically. Talking about other subjects of life is also a good way to take the stress out of certain situations!

How is support provided to student-high level athletes in specific terms?  

It’s customized and structured support. I reach an agreement with each student. We define objectives together, depending on their schedule – high-level athletes are travelling all the time to take part in competitions - and the workload they can handle.

But I don’t talk to them about performance or excelling themselves. I’m not a sports coach! However, I do ensure regularity in terms of their work and our exchanges, and in terms of their academic progress.  

How do student athletes at EDHEC engage in their studies? What’s your impression of them? 

Athletes find it easy to combine their sporting activities with the continuation of their studies, given that discipline is already an essential part of their daily lives. Physical tiredness can sometimes impact their motivation – when learning a new subject, for example – but they have a great ability to concentrate and to engage in their studies. Their capacity to bounce back after lows and manage their sporting life and exams on campus never ceases to impress me.   

Read the first two interviews in the "Sports Sequence" series:

Doing sport at EDHEC: Interview with Stéphane Planque, Head of Sport
Supporting high-level athletes: Interview with Bernard Curzi, Director of the EDHEC International BBA Online