On a campus where stereotypes abound, student-athletes must constantly deal with the assumptions they feel many of their classmates and professors make about them every day.

"People think of athletes as different," said sophomore Tyler Matthews, a member of the men's golf team. "When you say you're an athlete, it has a different connotation than when you say you're a regular student. Different things pop into (people's) heads."

"I feel that a lot of student-athletes are perceived as not being as smart," Matthews said. "Professors think that I'm just here to play sports or that I might not work as hard, which isn't true."

Junior Sarah Dennis, a double major in English and studio art, and a Southeastern Conference Honor Roll recipient last season as a member of the soccer team, constantly finds herself combating the stereotypes of Vanderbilt athletes.

"(There is a perception that) we got in here only because of sports, or that we don't have to work as hard because of people helping us," Dennis said, outlining some common misconceptions about student-athletes. "That we get a free ride just for staying in shape, or (we) don't care about our education."

While most students at Vanderbilt certainly work hard on their studies, few put in the sheer number of hours that the student-athletes log between schoolwork, practices, games and traveling.

"I feel like most people don't really understand the time and dedication it takes to be a student-athlete," said sophomore Karen Grygiel, a member of the women's bowling team. "We're basically holding two full-time jobs."

Dennis echoed the sentiment.

"Between school, work and athletics, we work just as hard if not harder than most students," she said. "When it comes down to work ethic, we definitely fit in with the rest of campus. We choose to commit to our sports and to school, while other students might put energy into fraternities or other activities."

Since the dissolution of the athletic department in 2003, the administration has made it a point to emphasize the integration of student-athletes with the rest of the student body.

"One of the questions we've asked is, ‘Do you feel more connected to the rest of the students?'" said David Williams, vice chancellor for University Affairs. "We've been getting a resounding ‘yes' to that."

Vanderbilt athletes as a whole are not slouches in the classroom by any means. While the student-athlete grade point average of 2.93 is still lower than the overall student body average, last year 155 student-athletes earned GPAs of 3.0 or higher, and 88 student-athletes were named to the Dean's List.

"Academically, this last semester is the best semester anybody in our area can remember," Williams said. "The student-athletes understand that academics is really the most important. Sports are also important, but academics are what you're here for. "

Vanderbilt is in a unique position as it is the only private, and the most academically renowned, school in the SEC. The Commodores boast the top graduation rate in the SEC, and 164 student-athletes were named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll last year.

Vanderbilt's student-athletes must deal with the stereotypes athletes at other SEC schools have of them while also competing against those schools on their respective playing surfaces.

"I certainly think we benefit right now and later in life by attending Vanderbilt," Dennis said. "The soccer team can definitely compete with every team in the SEC, and it's only been a bonus being at an academic institution. Vanderbilt's extremely tough, and, from reputations alone, it seems that Vanderbilt surpasses the other SEC schools in workload, so we probably have more work than the other teams. Even so, I enjoy being challenged."

Vanderbilt is able to attract the caliber of student-athletes that compete here largely because of the school's academic prominence.

"I came to Vanderbilt because it obviously has both great academics and athletics," Matthews said. "I think most athletes at Vanderbilt really care about academics."

Another issue for student-athletes is feeling fully assimilated with the rest of the Vanderbilt community despite their busy schedules. Among other things, student-athletes cannot study abroad due to off-season practice commitments, and being active in additional organizations is difficult due to common meeting times.

"Athletes can be as connected as they want to be," Grygiel said. "I see a distinct separation, but it's understandable because they are the people they are with all the time. It's almost natural to tend to hang out with those people."

Dennis added that she appreciated being slightly different than the rest of the students on Vanderbilt's campus, but also valued integration.

"We definitely stick out on campus, but we pride ourselves on wearing our team gear or dressing comfortably," Dennis said. "I like being integrated with the rest of the student body. Obviously the separate cafeteria and study times separate us from the other students, but I like being able to know people outside of my athletic department friends."

Jarred Amato and Max Franklin co-wrote this story.