Dan Onorato - Life As A Student Athlete

As I am now almost a month into classes it is an extremely hectic time to be a student athlete. This week I have an exam in every class which means that I have four exams. At times like these certain people may feel more stressed out about balancing academics and athletics but I find that it is at these times that I am happiest to be a student athlete as basketball gives me an avenue to release a lot of stress that I have built up! Many professors have offered to come in at night a couple of days before the test and go over any last minute questions we as a class have about the upcoming exam. I have always found these sessions to be helpful and are no doubt a perk of going to a college with a great professor to student ratio. Students at Coe choose to study in a variety of places, but for me the library is always the place where I get the most work done. The Stewart Memorial Library is a place big enough where you can find a space all your own, and I am always motivated when I see a teammate or fellow athlete studying hard alongside me. During these busy times as a student I have found that it is best to take everything day by day and to try to manage my time efficiently. When I am at basketball or basketball workouts my focus is completely on basketball but when in the library or in the classroom my focus has to be 100 percent on academics. The exams here usually take place during the normal scheduled class time however in certain upper level courses the tests are arranged at an alternative time to give ample time to complete the test. For example in my business finance class we usually meet Tuesday and Thursdays but our test this week is Wednesday night. In exchange for coming in and taking the test at night class on Thursday is cancelled so it isn’t a bad deal. The amount of time that I study for each subject varies drastically depending on the class and the material that the exam covers. Usually professors put together a very general study guide which can be really helpful. This week is definitely going to be a challenge, but one that will soon be over!