“I'm not a typical student athlete,” said Lauramae Cocchi, a senior at the College of Mount Saint Vincent. During her first two years in college, she was a two-sport student-athlete, competing on the basketball and cross country teams. She decided to only run cross country during her last two years in order to better balance her athletics, academics, and many other clubs and activities.
Cocchi was senator for her class in the SGA (Student Government Association) President of the Student Nurses Association. Quite a full schedule! This schedule breaks down Lauramae's daily grind during her last year as a student-athlete.
Related school rating: College of Mount Saint Vincent
5:30am
On alternating weekdays, Lauramae *wakes up at 5:30am to get ready for her clinical rotation which starts at 6:00am. She starts her day with morning stretches and a bottle of water. Her daily breakfast consists of a cup of coffee and oatmeal with half of a banana, chia seeds, cinnamon, and peanut butter. A breakfast of champions!
*Pro tip: Before she gets out of bed, Lauramae figures out the most important task for the day so she knows what to focus on throughout the day.
6:00am
Lauramae arrives at the hospital to begin her clinical rotation for the day, usually an 8-hour shift.
Related: Daily Grind of a SUNY Volleyball Player
12:00pm
Lunch time! Some days Cocchi likes to mix it up – she'll either choose yogurt or tuna and veggies.
2:00pm – 4:00pm
Clinical rotations end and Lauramae takes this one- to two-hour period to get some homework done before practice.
4:00pm
Cross country practice begins. Before the run/workout, her team always starts with dynamic stretching. Some of her favorite stretches are B skips and alternate walking lunges bending down with your hand up. After her run or workout, she adds a core workout. She typically finishes practice between 5:30pm – 6:00pm.
6:00pm
Cocchi acts as a mentor for underclassmen nursing students. She goes to simulation labs and helps perform clinical scenarios on medical surge topics. She then teaches clinical signs and symptoms and walks students through the nursing process.
7:30pm
After finishing her mentorship duties, Lauramae makes her way back to the dorms where she is a Residential Advisor (RA) and walks the dorm halls, talks to the residents and makes sure all is in order. If she has a chance to get to the cafeteria, she scoops up dinner. She always tries to eat a salad for dinner.
8:00pm – 12:00am
When she has finished dinner and done her rounds, she will sit at the RA desk. It is here, during this time, she tries to get most of her studies done and hopes no issues arise with the residents or in the dorm.
Related: 4 Tips on Time Management for College Athletes
12am
Finally, the day is nearing an end. It's already been close to 18 hours, and after finishing her RA desk duty, she will make her way to her room where she will get to bed by 1:00am.
She will wake the next morning around 6:30am for her team lift at 7:00am and then start her routine all over again for that day.
It's a “chore of love” as Lauramae stated: “I love going to a division III school because I am able to participate in my interests while still playing a sport. Everyone is super supportive here.”
* Originally published on October 15, 2021, by Keri Caputo
