Having recently returned from the US where I am studying at Middle Tennessee State University, I am now spending the summer working in the marketing team at UWE’s Centre for Sport. As a student studying for a degree in Business and Marketing and an athlete on a football scholarship I thought I’d share with you a day in my life to see how it compares with university life back in the UK.
As a student athlete, I have to balance my university work with training and playing football every day. In the spring semester (January-May), our focus as a team and individually is to get fitter and stronger for the fall season (August-November). We do this predominantly through strength and conditioning work during the week.
A typical spring day will start at 6am. I will wake up, eat breakfast and head to training. The first hour and a half will consist of football training. After this, our strength and conditioning coach takes over and we then take part in conditioning, normally in the form of running. The running can vary by day but it is normally focused on speed endurance, such as shuttle runs and timed laps. Then it is straight from running to lifting weights and stretching. I will normally be out of the weight room by 10am, ready to start my day at university.
As well as playing football, I also have to complete my university classes and studies. Therefore, shortly after training, I am straight off to start my first class. On a normal day I have between one and three classes. As a first year I am required to take general classes before I can begin to work towards my chosen degree. After I have completed my classes for that day, I have a couple of hours to relax, face time my family at home and maybe even take a short nap!
In the evening, I go to the library for study hall. This is a requirement for first years. We have the opportunity to meet up with our tutors to go over homework and classes and make sure we are on track to achieve good results. Once I am done with study hall, I will go back to my apartment, cook myself tea, (watch Netflix) and finally sleep!