Jordan Chiles Shares Her Best Advice for College Students and Athletes (Your Perfect Welcome Week Read!)
Whether you’re a freshman or a senior (or somewhere in between), those first days and weeks of moving onto campus are hectic. You have to make sure you have all of your dorm room essentials, figure out your schedule for the new semester, and somehow carve out time to hang with friends and meet new people on campus. There’s just so much to juggle, which is why we tapped Olympic gold medalist Jordan Chiles — known, quite literally, for her incredible ability to balance — for her best advice for college athletes and incoming freshmen.
I caught up with Chiles, who is set to graduate from UCLA in 2027, on the set of her recent video shoot with TilePix. (You can also check out more of the stunning dorm that home decor influencer Tay Nakamoto designed for her!) Here’s everything she had to say about her college experience, including the reality of being a celebrity on campus (She completed her collegiate gymnastics career at UCLA this past spring!), and how she slows down to soak in the moments as they happen.
Dorm Therapy: How has being a student and a public figure affected your experience on campus?
Jordan Chiles: My celebrity status plus being a student athlete going to a D1 school like UCLA at first was really hard. As a freshman coming in, I honestly thought I could be normal, but then I realized I wasn’t capable of doing that because obviously my face and everything is everywhere. But I just took everything that I could and understood that, yes, I am somebody, but that doesn’t change who I am. I was still a student athlete, still doing the exact same thing every other student was doing: going to school, going to practices, having to get lunches, and all those things.
DT: Between school, gymnastics, Dancing with the Stars, and so much more, you’ve balanced so many different pursuits at once. What are your best time management tips for students?
JC: The best time management [lesson] I’ve ever learned — whether it was at college, Dancing with the Stars, just being around people — is understanding that it’s real. And understanding that it’s okay to take time for yourself as well. I work, work, work, work, work — but then it’s like, okay, you can go on a vacation.
DT: What’s your favorite way to wind down or practice self-care during busy periods?
JC: Sitting on my couch, watching shows, and being with my dogs. The biggest thing is just finding my self-peace and just enjoying the moments I have with [myself] — and of course my puppies.
DT: If you could give one piece of advice to an incoming freshman college athlete, what would it be?
JC: Experience everything. Looking back on everything you’re going to go through in [those] four years, it’s going to go fast, but enjoy it. Especially the athletes. I already miss my sport, being a part of UCLA. Cherish it, have fun, and just be you.
DT: And what advice would you give to your 18-year-old self?
JC: My 18-year-old self was so in a world of “what’s next” within my sport. I wanted to really still enjoy the college experience, but I knew there was a different platform that was going to come with it. After my freshman year, that’s when I realized you can have fun, you can do all the things that I just said to every freshman coming in. So it took me a while, but [I’m] happy that I’m leaving a legacy for my sport — that’s definitely something I’ll cherish.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
