The requirements that come from being a full-time student-athlete, such as traveling for away games and daily practices, call for practical ways to maximize time.

Whether by filling a planner to the brim with notes and reminders, taking advantage of multiple online classes, or employing other methods, student-athletes have found techniques to make the most of their limited schedules.

Sofia Olsson, senior defender on the soccer team, advocates for organization.

“Every student-athlete receives a planner from the athletic department, and it is a life saver for us all,” stated Olsson. “It allows us to plan ahead and to see when all the games, drop dates and breaks are.”

Besides using a planner, Nadine Maher, a junior goalkeeper on the soccer team, frequently turns to other methods to optimize her time.

“I usually meal prep, so that helps a lot ‘cause like, our schedules are very, very, very busy,” said Maher. “There’s always somewhere to be, but meal prepping is key for sure.”

Maher found that enrolling in online courses also helped.

“I personally take online classes to free up a little more time during the day,” shared Maher. “I’d highly recommend it, and I know a couple of the other girls also take online classes too because of that.”

Grant O’Callaghan, junior cross country distance runner, explained how online classes positively impacted his schedule.

“You don’t have to worry about going to lecture, and you have that time freed up, or if you can get your work done in an online class really quickly, it just frees up a lot more time than if you took it in class,” shared O’Callaghan.

For Jaclyn Scholvin, senior guard on the women’s basketball team, experience is key to learning how to cope with a busy schedule.

“You learn to just kind of find the loopholes on when you can do certain things,” explained Scholvin. “With this being my senior year, I don’t want to say that it’s easy, but it’s definitely a lot more manageable because I’ve learned how to handle my time.”

Scholvin’s experience taught her to prioritize sleep.

Scholvin said, “Sleep and rest are probably one of the most important things that we can do to prepare yourself to last a six-month season because we need to be the best we can be on the court and off the court, and if we don’t do what we need to do in the classroom, we can’t even step foot on the court anyway.”

Managing academics and athletics describes the daily life for a student-athlete. For O’Callaghan, the best way to maximize his time is by keeping a routine.

“I try to stick to the same schedule,” shared O’Callaghan. “I feel like consistency is important. You can kind of get out of whack if you have a different schedule every day, and then you’re sleeping in this day, and then you have to wake up earlier the next day, and your body just doesn’t like that kind of thing I feel like. So, I feel like you have to get a consistent schedule and just keep to it.”