Home > Resources > Study > Skills > Sport

Attending college alone is challenging, but attending college and getting involved in sport is twice as tough. Successfully juggling the two seems hard; however, according to the NCAA, students who take part in sports have a higher probability of graduating than their peers who don’t take part in sport. However, to make it to college graduation, you must have time to study and maintain your grades up there. To succeed, time management is crucial. On top of your academic responsibilities, you’ll be juggling hours of travel, games and rehearsals.

To help you manage a complex schedule as a student-athlete, we have tips to help you organize your time;

---

---

Prioritize What’s Important

On top of your course load, you are adding in a demanding activity; hence you might have to sacrifice other things that may need your attention. This might mean missing a social event with your peers in exchange for extra time to study or practice. However, if you schedule a day with a tutor at Paperleaf in advance, you can happily organize a weekend with friends and have no worry about your school assignments. It’s essential for you to have a balanced lifestyle. The key is planning. Enjoy free time with friends to maintain a balanced healthy lifestyle.

Ask For Help

Sometimes you may feel overwhelmed with all you have to accomplish within a short time. Don’t hesitate to ask your friends, classmates, family and even academic counsellors for help.

Your classmate will help with class information and notes to keep you on track. You can have discussion and study sessions together. Furthermore, you can get an online assignment help service by just enquiring, “who can do my homework for me?” and with that one click, you will find help to relieve your heavy workload. With so much pressure to perform on both worlds, an academic counsellor will help you balance both.

Dedicate Time To Study

You don’t have the power to control your classes and sports schedules. Once the time is set, you must be present to do what is required of you. However, you have control of every minute of your free time. Prioritize your studies ahead of time. Don’t entertain the mentality of “I will get it done later”; you will always get something getting in your way. Devote at least two hours every day to study and stick to it; it will astonish you how productive you will become.

Use time wisely. Bring a book with you and read during those chunks of time available as you wait on an aeroplane, train or tournament.

Plan Ahead

Check the school syllabus calendar and compare it with your sports schedule. Check when the test and projects are due and when practices and games are scheduled. See whether there will be any collision in the timelines. If there will be an exam before a big game, prepare in advance and get your assignments done before the day. You can also carry your books and read during the bus trip instead of sleeping or logging in to your social media accounts. You can also get one of those online tutors who will help you with your homework. You only need to search for “who can help me do my homework”. This will be an efficient way if you have a busy and overloaded schedule. 

Avoid Time Wasting

Due to your demanding schedule, your time is already at a premium. So say no to any distraction. When it's time to study, put your phone far away so you won’t be tempted to check in your social media sites. The last thing you need to do with your busy schedule is scrolling endlessly, retweeting or liking pictures.

If your roommate is a source of distraction, get a cool place you can focus, such as the library.  Also, try as much as possible to stay in or close to school so you can cut transportation time.

Balancing studies and sports isn't a problem if you can identify what is taking up your time and manage distractions. As a student-athlete, balancing between social life, sports and studies can be challenging but not impossible. You only need to create a schedule that balances all aspects of your college life.

---

---

Related Pages

• Combining Sport and Study — Incorporating sports into your life can also make study less stressful.
• Sports as Therapy — Physical and emotional health are intertwined. When your body is kept healthy, it can help maintain emotional health.
• Fields of Study — the large range of areas of study within the field of sports and sport sciences
• Study skills and resources for students
• Country list for courses
• Jobs in sport
• Tips to finding the right job in sports