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How does one balance athlete and student life in college without falling behind in either of them?
I am a first year at UTEP, and I'm starting cross-country in the fall, however; I've joined a lot of organizations, and I wouldn't want to drop them when I start competing. My organizations include: Student Association of Social Work as historian, MGI Gardening as a crew member, Peer Leader as a work-study job, and National Society of Leadership and Success.
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Jean Noel’s Answer
Hi - Balancing Division I cross-country running, full-time academics, and four distinct organizational commitments during your first year at UTEP is an incredible goal—but it requires clear strategy.
Cross-country demands early morning practices, long runs, recovery, strength sessions, and travel for Conference USA meets. If you try to give 100% to all five areas simultaneously without a system, burnout or academic slip-ups are inevitable.
1. Audit Your Weekly Time Commitments
Before the season kicks into high gear, map out your fixed non-negotiables against your 168 available weekly hours:
Category Role / Activity Estimated Weekly Time
Athletics UTEP Cross-Country (Practices, meets, travel, recovery) 18–25 hours
Academics Class time + Studying (15 credit hours) 35–45 hours
Work Peer Leader (Work-Study job) 10–15 hours
Organizations SASW (Historian duties & meetings) 2–4 hours
Organizations MGI Gardening (Crew work) 2–3 hours
Organizations NSLS (Induction requirements/events) 1–2 hours
Essential Health Sleep (8 hrs/night), Meals, Hygiene 65–70 hours
2. Leverage UTEP-Specific Student-Athlete Resources
You do not have to manage this load completely alone. NCAA Division I student-athletes at UTEP have structural support designed to protect your GPA:
• MAC (Miner Athletic Center): Utilize dedicated student-athlete academic advisors and structured study halls. Schedule your study sessions directly around your practice and work hours.
• Travel Letters & Early Communication: Cross-country travel takes you away on weekends. On day one of the semester, present your official athletic travel schedule to your professors and work-study supervisor. Arrange assignment submittals or exam makeup dates weeks in advance.
• Work-Study Flexibility: Speak with your Peer Leader supervisor about your race schedule. Work-study jobs on campus are designed around student schedules and are generally very accommodating if given early notice.
3. Tier Your Organizational Roles (The "Active vs. Passive" Method)
You don't necessarily have to drop any organizations right away, but you must prioritize them by workload so they don't jeopardize your sport or academics:
1. Non-Negotiable (High Fixed Effort): Peer Leader Job (earns income/financial aid) and SASW Historian (holds explicit officer responsibilities like event documentation and social media management).
2. Flexible / High-Yield (Variable Effort): MGI Gardening. Being a crew member means you can participate actively during light training weeks and dial back during big travel weeks or midterms.
3. Milestone-Based (Low Maintenance): NSLS. NSLS primarily requires completing specific leadership modules, speaker broadcasts, and speaker events. Front-load these requirements early in the semester before cross-country postseason meets begin.
4. Master Practical Time Management Tactics
• Time-Block Every Hour: Use a digital calendar (Google Calendar/Outlook) color-coded by category (Blue = XC, Orange = Academics, Green = Work/Orgs). Treat your study blocks with the same non-negotiable status as a scheduled cross-country practice.
• Protect Your Recovery: For distance runners, fatigue kills both athletic performance and academic focus. If you cut into sleep to finish a SASW social media post, your performance at practice the next morning will suffer. Sleep is part of your training.
• The "Micro-Task" Strategy: Use the 20–30 minute gaps between classes, athletic treatment, or work-study shifts to knock out quick organizational tasks (like drafting a post for SASW or completing an NSLS module) so your evenings remain clear for deep studying and rest.
Cross-country demands early morning practices, long runs, recovery, strength sessions, and travel for Conference USA meets. If you try to give 100% to all five areas simultaneously without a system, burnout or academic slip-ups are inevitable.
1. Audit Your Weekly Time Commitments
Before the season kicks into high gear, map out your fixed non-negotiables against your 168 available weekly hours:
Category Role / Activity Estimated Weekly Time
Athletics UTEP Cross-Country (Practices, meets, travel, recovery) 18–25 hours
Academics Class time + Studying (15 credit hours) 35–45 hours
Work Peer Leader (Work-Study job) 10–15 hours
Organizations SASW (Historian duties & meetings) 2–4 hours
Organizations MGI Gardening (Crew work) 2–3 hours
Organizations NSLS (Induction requirements/events) 1–2 hours
Essential Health Sleep (8 hrs/night), Meals, Hygiene 65–70 hours
2. Leverage UTEP-Specific Student-Athlete Resources
You do not have to manage this load completely alone. NCAA Division I student-athletes at UTEP have structural support designed to protect your GPA:
• MAC (Miner Athletic Center): Utilize dedicated student-athlete academic advisors and structured study halls. Schedule your study sessions directly around your practice and work hours.
• Travel Letters & Early Communication: Cross-country travel takes you away on weekends. On day one of the semester, present your official athletic travel schedule to your professors and work-study supervisor. Arrange assignment submittals or exam makeup dates weeks in advance.
• Work-Study Flexibility: Speak with your Peer Leader supervisor about your race schedule. Work-study jobs on campus are designed around student schedules and are generally very accommodating if given early notice.
3. Tier Your Organizational Roles (The "Active vs. Passive" Method)
You don't necessarily have to drop any organizations right away, but you must prioritize them by workload so they don't jeopardize your sport or academics:
1. Non-Negotiable (High Fixed Effort): Peer Leader Job (earns income/financial aid) and SASW Historian (holds explicit officer responsibilities like event documentation and social media management).
2. Flexible / High-Yield (Variable Effort): MGI Gardening. Being a crew member means you can participate actively during light training weeks and dial back during big travel weeks or midterms.
3. Milestone-Based (Low Maintenance): NSLS. NSLS primarily requires completing specific leadership modules, speaker broadcasts, and speaker events. Front-load these requirements early in the semester before cross-country postseason meets begin.
4. Master Practical Time Management Tactics
• Time-Block Every Hour: Use a digital calendar (Google Calendar/Outlook) color-coded by category (Blue = XC, Orange = Academics, Green = Work/Orgs). Treat your study blocks with the same non-negotiable status as a scheduled cross-country practice.
• Protect Your Recovery: For distance runners, fatigue kills both athletic performance and academic focus. If you cut into sleep to finish a SASW social media post, your performance at practice the next morning will suffer. Sleep is part of your training.
• The "Micro-Task" Strategy: Use the 20–30 minute gaps between classes, athletic treatment, or work-study shifts to knock out quick organizational tasks (like drafting a post for SASW or completing an NSLS module) so your evenings remain clear for deep studying and rest.
Updated
Liam’s Answer
Hey there Keilah -- Really thoughtful question, and I love how deeply you plan to immerse yourself in student life!
I was a student athlete at Princeton a few years back while also being in a few clubs and working two work study jobs. At the time, I felt very similar to how it sounds you feel: deeply committed to carrying through on everything I'd signed up for. In retrospect, I do wish I had given myself just a bit of grace and been more comfortable stepping away from activities as/when it made sense. For instance, during a semester where I had a few intense classes, I probably would have benefited from taking a break from my dance group for a bit with the intention of jumping back in the following semester.
Your time is yours to spend as you see fit; so, I would encourage you to be honest with yourself every now and again, assessing what's truly filling up your cup versus what may feel like it's draining it (and draining you!) You can be incredibly organized and diligent, but still, there are only so many hours in a day! So, if you feel like you're juggling too much, give yourself grace and make sure the activities you pursue (and stick with) are those that you really enjoy.
There's no shame in stepping away from something if it's no longer serving you!
I was a student athlete at Princeton a few years back while also being in a few clubs and working two work study jobs. At the time, I felt very similar to how it sounds you feel: deeply committed to carrying through on everything I'd signed up for. In retrospect, I do wish I had given myself just a bit of grace and been more comfortable stepping away from activities as/when it made sense. For instance, during a semester where I had a few intense classes, I probably would have benefited from taking a break from my dance group for a bit with the intention of jumping back in the following semester.
Your time is yours to spend as you see fit; so, I would encourage you to be honest with yourself every now and again, assessing what's truly filling up your cup versus what may feel like it's draining it (and draining you!) You can be incredibly organized and diligent, but still, there are only so many hours in a day! So, if you feel like you're juggling too much, give yourself grace and make sure the activities you pursue (and stick with) are those that you really enjoy.
There's no shame in stepping away from something if it's no longer serving you!
Updated
Morgan’s Answer
Time management. If it's not on your calendar, it's not happening. Academically, make yourself appointments for homework and study groups. For athletic pursuits, make time for workouts, tryouts. Balance this by being intentional about making time to spend time with friends and family. Practice the polite "sorry I have plans" if you get asked to deviate from your calendar. Or, you can move an appointment but not cancel it.
Shawndra Winter
Content Strategist, Organizational Development
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Updated
Shawndra’s Answer
Hi - As a former two-sport athlete and Academic All-American, I can say that balancing athlete and student life is possible, but it takes discipline and strong time management. What helped me most was treating academics with the same level of commitment as athletics. I had to stay organized, plan ahead, and be realistic about how much I could take on at one time.
Being involved in organizations is valuable, and I would not say you have to give that up, but you may need to adjust your level of involvement once your season starts. The biggest lesson I learned was that balance does not mean doing everything at once with no stress. It means knowing your priorities, managing your time well, and communicating when you need support. Some of my greatest successes post college were because of the groups I was in! Since you are already involved and motivated, I think you are in a strong position to make it work. Good luck and hang in there !
Being involved in organizations is valuable, and I would not say you have to give that up, but you may need to adjust your level of involvement once your season starts. The biggest lesson I learned was that balance does not mean doing everything at once with no stress. It means knowing your priorities, managing your time well, and communicating when you need support. Some of my greatest successes post college were because of the groups I was in! Since you are already involved and motivated, I think you are in a strong position to make it work. Good luck and hang in there !
Updated
Navneet’s Answer
1) Accept the hard truth: not everything gets equal attention
During cross-country season, running is the priority. Period.
Everything else becomes:
primary (sport + academics)
secondary (orgs + jobs)
Trying to give 100% to everything = burnout.
2) Use a “season mindset”
Think in phases:
Competition season: sport + classes + minimum org involvement
Off-season: more org leadership + projects
You don’t quit organizations — you rotate intensity.
During cross-country season, running is the priority. Period.
Everything else becomes:
primary (sport + academics)
secondary (orgs + jobs)
Trying to give 100% to everything = burnout.
2) Use a “season mindset”
Think in phases:
Competition season: sport + classes + minimum org involvement
Off-season: more org leadership + projects
You don’t quit organizations — you rotate intensity.