Completed Event: Field Hockey at App State on September 28, 2025 , Loss , 4, to, 5 , (OT)
FH
Final
James Madison
4
at App State
(OT)
5
James Madison University | Official Athletics Site
JMU Field Hockey Academic Spotlight: Aubrey Scott King
9/8/2021 4:00:00 PM | Field Hockey
A native of North Chesterfield, Va., Aubrey Scott King is a senior midfielder/forward on the JMU field hockey team. She has excelled in the classroom, recording a 4.0 cumulative grade-point average, while majoring in health sciences (pre-med).Â
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We caught up with Aubrey to dive into how she's been able to shine both athletically and academically.Â
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What attracted you to your major and where do you hope it will lead your career in the future?Â
I have always been interested in science more than any other subject in school. Growing up, science classes like chemistry and biology came very naturally to me. I took a particular interest in health sciences because I have wanted to become a physician for as long as I can remember. I thought about majoring in something like chemistry or biology, but I love how the Health Sciences department at JMU makes the classes much more centered around being a healthcare professional and taking scientific knowledge and applying it to help people. My goals are to apply to medical school this year to enter in the fall of 2023, and then eventually become a physician. As of now, I am extremely interested in either becoming an OB/GYN or a dermatologist!
What are the most important things that help you maintain your 4.0 GPA while competing as a Division 1 athlete?Â
This is an easy one!! Time management is by far the most important skill in helping me achieve academic success. I have never been able to be someone who succeeds when I cram or rush to get anything done. I work on projects/start studying for exams weeks in advance so that by the time the exam comes around I am really not stressed about it at all. My planner is definitely the most valuable item in my backpack.
What resources does JMU offer student athletes that you utilize to help maintain your GPA?Â
One of my favorite resources as a student-athlete at JMU is our access to free tutors. Often times people think you only need a tutor when you are doing poorly in a class, however, that could not be further from the truth. I have used tutors almost every single semester here at JMU. Having access to someone that has already taken a class you are in (sometimes even with the same teacher) is so invaluable. Usually, I just use the tutor to review and make sure I am on the right track in the class. I cannot emphasize enough how helpful this has been.Â
How do your coaches create an environment that supports a well-balanced student athlete?Â
Our coaches recognize that student comes first in "student-athlete" for a reason. They definitely want to emphasize that, although they are there to help us grow as hockey players, they also aim to help us grow as people too. With our busy schedules, there are often conflicts. Our coaches always encourage us to prioritize academics at all times. Whether that means leaving practice early to get to a class or giving us study time when we travel to away games, they always emphasize the importance of our studies. I think that really shows in the fact that our team had the highest GPA of all field hockey teams in the CAA. We aim to be high performance in every single aspect of our lives, and academics is certainly no exception.Â
What has made your experience at JMU special?Â
I could probably write a book on the answer to this question. There are not enough words to describe how special JMU is to me and how grateful I am to get to call this school my home. If I had to choose just one thing that has made my experience here, it would have to be the people. From my teammates to my classmates to my professors to my athletic support system, there is no greater community than the one that exists here at JMU. I have felt an immense amount of support in every single aspect of my life here. Growing up an athlete, I have been on countless teams. Until I reached JMU, I had never once been on a team where every single person is supported by the rest of their teammates. I think it says a lot about the culture of JMU field hockey that I can say that I whole-heartedly believe every single one of my teammates wants me to succeed on the field and in life. That type of support system is very rare to come by, and even on the hardest days I always have my teammates to lean on. The connections I have made with these people are ones that are going to last for my entire life, and that is the foundation of my experience here at JMU.Â
What advice would you give to a younger athlete that has interest in a similar career path as you?
To any athlete out there wondering if it is possible to be pre-med while managing the rigorous schedule of a Division I athlete: you can do it. Before I got to JMU, I received so much doubt from others about the possibility of balancing pre-med classes with field hockey. I cannot tell you the number of comments I got that sounded something like, "are you sure you want to do that" or "well good luck with that…" I truly believe that if you want something bad enough, you will find a way to make it happen. I am not going to sit here and say it has been easy, because it has not been. However, nothing motivates me more than a challenge (especially when I have doubters). To the younger pre-med athlete, I say: invite challenge into your life and get excited by it! This is how you are going to grow as a person, an athlete, and a physician. The pre-medicine pathway and being an athlete tie into each other in a really beautiful way that a lot of people do not recognize. As an athlete you will practice hard work, dedication, passion, drive, performance under pressure and so much more. Aren't those qualities everyone wants to see in their doctor as well? Use the skill sets and characteristics that you learn as an athlete and apply them to your career path and I bet that you will be much more prepared to be a doctor than 99% of medical school applicants.Â
Â
Â
We caught up with Aubrey to dive into how she's been able to shine both athletically and academically.Â
Â
What attracted you to your major and where do you hope it will lead your career in the future?Â
I have always been interested in science more than any other subject in school. Growing up, science classes like chemistry and biology came very naturally to me. I took a particular interest in health sciences because I have wanted to become a physician for as long as I can remember. I thought about majoring in something like chemistry or biology, but I love how the Health Sciences department at JMU makes the classes much more centered around being a healthcare professional and taking scientific knowledge and applying it to help people. My goals are to apply to medical school this year to enter in the fall of 2023, and then eventually become a physician. As of now, I am extremely interested in either becoming an OB/GYN or a dermatologist!
What are the most important things that help you maintain your 4.0 GPA while competing as a Division 1 athlete?Â
This is an easy one!! Time management is by far the most important skill in helping me achieve academic success. I have never been able to be someone who succeeds when I cram or rush to get anything done. I work on projects/start studying for exams weeks in advance so that by the time the exam comes around I am really not stressed about it at all. My planner is definitely the most valuable item in my backpack.
What resources does JMU offer student athletes that you utilize to help maintain your GPA?Â
One of my favorite resources as a student-athlete at JMU is our access to free tutors. Often times people think you only need a tutor when you are doing poorly in a class, however, that could not be further from the truth. I have used tutors almost every single semester here at JMU. Having access to someone that has already taken a class you are in (sometimes even with the same teacher) is so invaluable. Usually, I just use the tutor to review and make sure I am on the right track in the class. I cannot emphasize enough how helpful this has been.Â
How do your coaches create an environment that supports a well-balanced student athlete?Â
Our coaches recognize that student comes first in "student-athlete" for a reason. They definitely want to emphasize that, although they are there to help us grow as hockey players, they also aim to help us grow as people too. With our busy schedules, there are often conflicts. Our coaches always encourage us to prioritize academics at all times. Whether that means leaving practice early to get to a class or giving us study time when we travel to away games, they always emphasize the importance of our studies. I think that really shows in the fact that our team had the highest GPA of all field hockey teams in the CAA. We aim to be high performance in every single aspect of our lives, and academics is certainly no exception.Â
What has made your experience at JMU special?Â
I could probably write a book on the answer to this question. There are not enough words to describe how special JMU is to me and how grateful I am to get to call this school my home. If I had to choose just one thing that has made my experience here, it would have to be the people. From my teammates to my classmates to my professors to my athletic support system, there is no greater community than the one that exists here at JMU. I have felt an immense amount of support in every single aspect of my life here. Growing up an athlete, I have been on countless teams. Until I reached JMU, I had never once been on a team where every single person is supported by the rest of their teammates. I think it says a lot about the culture of JMU field hockey that I can say that I whole-heartedly believe every single one of my teammates wants me to succeed on the field and in life. That type of support system is very rare to come by, and even on the hardest days I always have my teammates to lean on. The connections I have made with these people are ones that are going to last for my entire life, and that is the foundation of my experience here at JMU.Â
What advice would you give to a younger athlete that has interest in a similar career path as you?
To any athlete out there wondering if it is possible to be pre-med while managing the rigorous schedule of a Division I athlete: you can do it. Before I got to JMU, I received so much doubt from others about the possibility of balancing pre-med classes with field hockey. I cannot tell you the number of comments I got that sounded something like, "are you sure you want to do that" or "well good luck with that…" I truly believe that if you want something bad enough, you will find a way to make it happen. I am not going to sit here and say it has been easy, because it has not been. However, nothing motivates me more than a challenge (especially when I have doubters). To the younger pre-med athlete, I say: invite challenge into your life and get excited by it! This is how you are going to grow as a person, an athlete, and a physician. The pre-medicine pathway and being an athlete tie into each other in a really beautiful way that a lot of people do not recognize. As an athlete you will practice hard work, dedication, passion, drive, performance under pressure and so much more. Aren't those qualities everyone wants to see in their doctor as well? Use the skill sets and characteristics that you learn as an athlete and apply them to your career path and I bet that you will be much more prepared to be a doctor than 99% of medical school applicants.Â
Â
Players Mentioned
Midfielder/Forward
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