Many professional athletes have busy schedules of practicing, personal training and traveling, but imagine doing all these things on top of being a full-time student. Student athletes have to live this balancing act every day.

"The schedule was I think about 20 hours a week, so a part-time job if you think about it that way," says Alexa DiPeso, freshman lacrosse goalie, of her lacrosse schedule.

DiPeso may be just starting her career as a college lacrosse player, but she already finds it tough to balance school and sports.

"It has been a little bit difficult trying to manage everything, kind of making sure all the stuff is done on time," she says.

She says that this schedule applies to those who are hurt as well, as she was with a concussion the first half of the year.

"Even when I was out for a little bit, I would still come to practices, I would still come to games, and you know still be there for my team because you're still there, you're still committed to the team," she says. "Even if you're injured, you're still very much a part of everything."

DiPeso may have a passion for lacrosse but says she feels like she's missing out on getting more involved in her exercise science major and other clubs.

"I'm not disappointed that I can't do those clubs, is what I'm trying to say," DiPeso says, "But at the same time it would've been nice to at least try them a little bit, but my commitment is to the team. I knew what I was getting into, so the disappointment really isn't that big."

While some student-athletes will not go pro, senior basketball guard Sebastian Koch plans to.

He says after the season is over, he will be in talks with agents about playing overseas or in the United States.

"Growing up, every little kid as a basketball player wants to make it to the NBA or be a professional athlete, and I guess once you get older and realize you have a chance at doing that, that's something that I was chasing," Koch says.

Working towards a pro career comes at a price, however.

"We're gone a lot at practices and workouts, plus school-wise it's just a big load and I couldn't handle all of it, so I just had to settle for basketball and school," he says.

According to Koch, a communication major, he tries to begin projects ahead of time and to get them done before he leaves for road trips, spending a lot of late nights in McEwen School of Communications. Coordinating group projects is a little more difficult.

"I had to work with my project-mates and work around my schedule because mine's a little more difficult than theirs," he says.

Despite the sacrifices, Koch says that all of the late nights of work were "definitely worth it."

DiPeso adds that being a student-athlete is just another part of her education.

"It really helps you move through life with a well-rounded perspective and understanding that this is how life is," she says. "You need to communicate and to be able to talk to people and it's really great that being a part of sports kind of forces that into you. You really don't have a choice to not gain those values."

Koch and DiPeso agree, whether they go pro or not, their roles as student-athletes have provided time management skills and made college more enjoyable.

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