A day in the life of a student-athlete

Being a student-athlete can seem exciting. People get to play the sport that they love while earning a college degree, however, people often forget that with being a student-athlete comes responsibility, discipline, mental toughness and good time management.

For every student-athlete, the key is finding the right balance between studying, training and free time in order to become successful overall. Especially on game days, student-athletes have to plan their whole day ahead, since the schedule can be completely out of the ordinary.

Here is an example of how a student-athlete’s schedule would look like on gameday.

7:30 a.m.:

I wake up and take a shower to get ready for class at 8:30 a.m. Since the match does not start until 1 p.m., I still have time to go to my first class period before resting and preparing at home.

Furthermore, I eat a big bowl of oatmeal with sliced bananas on top. This is a good combination of carbs and sugars that will create a good supplement of energy throughout the day.

Lastly, I pack my school bag and walk to class.

8:30 a.m.:

During class, I try to stay as focused as possible without thinking about the match. I try to take good notes as a technique to keep my mind off of the nerves and the excitement.

After class, I return back to my dorm, since I now have to start preparing and refocusing on the upcoming match. I pack my equipment, make sure that I am wearing the right game clothes and go over some tactics for the day.

In that way, I prepare myself mentally and make sure that I am as prepared as possible. Also, I make sure that I get myself a good meal that will help me stay full and energized throughout the match. The worst thing that could happen would be getting a low blood sugar level while playing in the match.

12:00 p.m.:

Match warmups with the team start an hour before the match. The team and I go through the match routines, consisting of a solid warmup, going through that day’s game plan and most importantly, having the right motivational speeches in order to inspire us to a level of 110% for the battle.

1 p.m.:

The battle is on.

Around 4 p.m.:

Hopefully, the match ends with a win.

Afterward, we will go over the details of the match and wrap up before returning home for a long shower and dinner.

Depending on my energy level, I will either heat up some leftovers or I will cook a meal with the appropriate amount of carbs and proteins. The post-match meal is vital for the necessary recovery since I have another practice the day after or maybe even another match.

7 p.m.:

This is the time to catch up with my studies. I reach out to my classmates to ask them to send me the notes that I missed, and I get homework done for the following day.

It is important to look ahead at my schedule to make sure that I will not have any conflicts with future matches and classes. In that case, I have to let my teachers know.

This is also the time to get practical stuff done, such as writing essential emails and cleaning. If you ever wondered, student-athletes have twice as much laundry to wash.

9 p.m.:

At this point, I try to have some time for myself. I can hang out with my friends, watch my favorite show on Netflix or just do whatever makes me feel relaxed.

Even though it can sound silly, having free time to do your own thing is important in order to not get choked from a busy schedule every day.

Despite student-athletes having their privileges, having an organized schedule and good time management skills are a necessity in order to get through the day, the week and the semester.

11 p.m.:

I set my alarm for 7:30 a.m. and fall asleep as soon as my head hits my pillow.