Every student athlete has the invariable task to study and compete, it's like having two daytime job according to life Fitness magazine. Princeton University has plenty of student athletes , nearly 20% of undergraduates are athlete. At Princeton “being a student athlete is both a challenge and an opportunity” to develop one’s leadership and organization skills.

Organize 

 Balance is crucial for any student athlete because competitive sports and academics work side by side the life of a student athlete. Balance is a real challenge because education is crucial to a young athlete's’ life. However one has to organize and prioritize objectives correctly. The most important for a student is to figure out when his exams and midterms will be. For an athlete the most important is to find out when competitions are. The most efficient method is to firstly go at tackling the calendar.

 When you tackle your academic calendar the timetable of exams has to be known in advance. A student has to simply ask a teacher,professor or teaching assistant for more information on that end. You can plan ahead and revise ahead of time for the best score possible. It is crucial that a student gives their best effort in exams just like an athlete would give their best during a competition. But for the best to come out preparation is key.

Prioritize

 Once you have your schedule sorted out it is important to prioritize your time. If you have an exam coming up and a competition further away then obviously you would have to study first. You have to plan a study schedule which will help you optimize your exam score. The mindset of an exam like a competition has to be about perform to the very best of your ability, anything below is not acceptable. Once your exam is over then you can start to focus on competition but not before. When a competition is coming up build your training schedule and your routine to best prepare for it. It is important you don’t forget your academic work as well. Just because your sport schedule is intensifying it does not mean academic work should be left behind. It is important to plan your homework around the training schedule.

Remember to have balance

 A student’s social life is also very important to their well being and it helps them relax. If a student athlete only had sports and academics in their life then a mental and physical burnout would become very probably. From time to time a student athlete should meet up with friends, go to the movies , go for a nice meal or whatever relaxes the mind. This reduces stress and relaxes the athlete both physically and mentally.  Also, be mindful and don’t go overboard with food and alcohol.

 Time Management is another focal point of a student athlete. This provides organization and discipline to a student athlete’s life. How long one does a certain task or assignment allows the days to be organized in a certain way. Sports plays its time during the day and academics plays its role as well. Its part of the balance of a daily schedule.

 To conclude, the success of a student athlete comes down to one’s ability to manage one’s time efficiently with social life, academics and sports. A student athlete has to be always attentive to not overwork himself beyond certain limits so as to reduce the potential for mental and physical damage. Balance, discipline and organization are the pillars for a student athlete and optimises one’s success.

Sources:

https://www.lifefitness.com/blog/posts/balancing-act-being-a-student-and-an-athlete.html

http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S31/42/85O51/index.xml?section=featured