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Many schools have widely-varying academic programs, and some of these programs are more demanding than others. A good example of a "tough" program is architecture; architecture programs usually require more course hours and, in some cases, more years of study.

We have heard reports of coaches who have made interesting - and distressing - comments to players during the recruiting process:

• "That degree is far too hard to manage with college tennis."

• "You should choose between college tennis and that academic program."

• "That academic program sounds difficult - you had better know how to manage your time."

We decided to put the question to our panel of experts. We asked a number of former college coaches about the balance between academics and athletics:

Q) Is it possible to play college tennis while pursuing a "challenging major," or do you discourage certain courses of study? How does this all fit in with the spirit of the scholar-athlete?