The Worst Week Ever

This is "the pile". All of the work I had to do on Sunday even though I had been doing homework all weekend. It amounted up to 11 hours of homework and studying total.

The Worst Week Ever

This week has been the worst week of schoolwork yet. On top of the mountain of work I have had to do for class this week, I have had to do a lot of the assignments for the class I am missing next week. Next week, I leave Tuesday morning and don’t get back until Sunday night. The reason for my absence is swimming, the conference meet to be exact. This is the biggest meet of the year and I can’t wait until it comes. It is getting a little tough to get excited when I have so much work to think about doing. So far, I have managed my time well and done my work and gotten to bed at a decent hour, but on Wednesday and Thursday, my professors loaded me down with work for the weekend. Plus I have to turn in my application for the business fraternity, Alpha Kappa Psi, by tonight. I am planning on doing homework Friday, all day Saturday, and then all day Sunday when I am not at swim practice. Right now is the hardest time I have had time managing and swimming at Trinity. I have to think to myself that I am almost done with swimming and after I am done, I will have more free time to do my homework.

Just Keep Swimming 'Cause You're Almost There

The usual state of my desk on any given weeknight from homework.

Just Keep Swimming 'Cause You're Almost There

I looked through my planner today and realized that I only have two weeks left until conference. As I was flipping through the planner, I also remembered that I have an economics exam, relaciones fronterizas take home test, and a blog post due all that week, plus the additional homework that I have every week. I am dreading how I am going to get everything done, swim, and do well. I am already tired from practice because I am not doing a short taper like the other sprinters. I get to do the sprint work out, and usually an additional 2000 yards most days. This wouldn’t be so bad if I were able to go to the early practice because then, I would have more time to do my homework and study, but I have late class on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, so I have to go to the 5:30 P.M. practice, which means I don’t finish practice until 7:30 or 7:45 P.M. After that, I have to go, eat, and then I can start homework at about 8:45 or 9:00 P.M. By that time, I am so tired from going all day that it is a chore to finish homework and crawl in to bed. I just have to remember that swimming will be over in three weeks. I am almost there!

An Introduction to My Life as A Student Athlete

Some of my friends can count the number of times on their hands that they have had more than an hour of homework and studying, while I can count the number of times on my hand I have only had an hour of homework or studying. Homework isn’t the problem, because I could do it if that were the only thing I had to do. The problem is that I am also a student athlete, a swimmer to be exact. I have practice six days a week for at least two and a half hours a day. This isn’t including the time it takes for me to go to the Bell Center, go to the trainer, get dressed after practice, or go to meets. All in all, I would say I spend a good three and a half to four hours a day on swimming. I’m not trying to complain, I love swimming, and I wouldn’t swim if I knew I couldn’t do it and school. It is just challenging to find enough time to do what I love and to do homework and study. I know I will learn more about time management than many students will learn in their whole time at Trinity. I also know that I will have to sacrifice things such as sleep and other extracurricular activities in order to swim and get good grades. This semester is going to be a challenge, but it is a challenge I am willing and able to face.
Today was too bad in terms of homework. I have only had to read and do some other work. I’m trying to get ahead though in anticipation for the long absence I will have because of conference. I am going to miss a total of four days of class because of it. I haven’t told my professors yet because I know they might forget, but I think I am going to email the ones that don’t have anything major due on those days, and go to office hours for my professors that have something major, such as exams and papers, due on those days. Practice so far hasn’t really interfered this semester in my homework and studying, but I am starting to get worried about the next couple of weeks and how they will play out. I really don’t want to have to start staying up late but if that is what I am going to have to do, then so be it. I will just have to wait and see.