Written by Sarah Bergstrom, USC blog contributor
USC athletes are more than just champions on the field, court, diamond, and pool, they're champions in the classroom as well. Each week, we will get to know one of these scholarly Trojans a little better in our student-athlete spotlight.
Name: Greg Zebrack
Year: Redshirt Senior
Sport: Baseball
Position: Outfield
Major: Masters of Business Administration
GPA: 3.4
(Zebrack graduated from Penn with a 3.4 GPA and a degree in Commerce and Communication in 2012. With one remaining year of eligibility, he decided to enroll in the master's program at USC this year and has maintained his 3.4 GPA.)
(Zebrack graduated from Penn with a 3.4 GPA and a degree in Commerce and Communication in 2012. With one remaining year of eligibility, he decided to enroll in the master's program at USC this year and has maintained his 3.4 GPA.)
Sarah Bergstrom (SB): What's the biggest change coming from an Ivy League school to USC?
Greg Zebrack (GZ): It was pretty different because I went from undergrad to grad school, so the biggest difference is probably only having class two nights a week and being in class with 28 to 30 year-olds. That was the weirdest thing because you go from being in class with young kids to being in class with people who have kids themselves.
SB: How does being in class with older people make a classroom setting different?
GZ: It was an adjustment at first. I had to sort of prove myself since I'm the youngest one in the program by far. I had to show that I am smart enough to be in the program with them. The other weird part is then going to practice on a team with 17 freshmen who are 17 and 18 years old. It's a strange transition.
SB: Do you think that has made you more mature?
GZ: Absolutely. It's so different from an undergrad class. You can't have a bad answer and still be okay. You need to sound like you know what you're talking about and you need to go to class prepared. You really have to do your readings. There are a lot of times where the teachers just call on you at random and you better know the answer.
SB: What made you want to do the master's program here?
GZ: Andrew Triggs did the program. He graduated last year after doing the MBA program and coming back for his fifth year. I've always wanted to go to business school but I didn't know when. When I needed to find a place to play this season, I talked to Andrew a lot about it and knew he really liked the program here. It was between this or the Annenberg graduate program. I studied communications at Penn and I knew the MBA program would be more challenging but I've always wanted to do it. My dad and grandpa are involved in business so I wanted to take that path as well.
SB: What do you ultimately want to do with your master's?
GZ: I'm not sure. I want to stay involved in baseball in someway but I do like finance, so somehow I want to combine the two. Whether that means working for a team or working for an agency, I can see myself doing either. It changes every day but I do know that I want to stay involved in baseball.
SB: What has made you a successful student-athlete at both an Ivy League school and here at USC?
GZ: I learned the time management thing really fast. At Penn, they don't give you tutors and study time like they do here. You're on your own and the course load is way more difficult. You kind of understand that if you don't set aside time to study, you're going to fall behind. Sometimes you have to set aside your social life and spend some time at the library. I learned to schedule my time efficiently and that's what made me become a better student overall.
SB: What's been your role as an older member of this predominantly young team?
GZ: I've been in their shoes. I see them do things that I realize I shouldn't have done when I was younger and I try to steer them away from that. I've noticed that a lot of them come up to me for advice, not just for baseball stuff, so I try to help them out.
SB: What's the best piece of advice you've given to some of the younger guys?
GZ: Well the best piece of advice I've ever received is to do whatever you need to do to prepare to play. So that's what I've told a lot of the guys, that they need to be able to do their best when their best is needed.
SB: How does it feel to be able to finish your career where you started?
GZ: It's really nice. I always wanted to go to 'SC and it was a dream of mine growing up. It was pretty bittersweet when I left after my freshman year because I had always wanted to play here and I never really got to play a full season. After Penn, I was obviously devastated when I didn't get drafted and had to go back to school. It turns out that it was probably the best decision I've ever made and it's nice to be able to come back and finish where I started.
SB: How has being a master's student here made you a better baseball player?
GZ: It puts things in perspective. Everyone in the program is always asking how our games are and how our season is going. It makes me realize that I'm really lucky to still be able to play the game. They are all working nine to five jobs every day and I think they are a little jealous that what I do every day is more fun than what they're doing. They have families to deal with, they have a lot more stress to deal with and I'm lucky that I have baseball.
SB: What's been the best moment of this season for you?
GZ: Opening day was fun. So much has happened in the past year, even the past four years of college, and it was nice to be able to be here, at 'SC, as a starter on the team, and know that this is what I've been working so hard to do for so long. Just playing on a Friday night with 3,000 people there was fun. It really sank in that playing baseball every day is as good as it gets.
