As finals week approaches for Brandeisians, schedules become more hectic with extracurriculars, jobs, and the need to find time to get work done. For student-athletes, it can be stressful as they have practices, matches, and a lot of traveling while preparing for the last week of the semester.  We asked a couple of members of the men's fencing team, Matthew Chaves '27 and Lev BenAvram '26, both CSC Academic All-District team members, how they feel going into finals.

Q: How has the school-sports life balance changed since the winter sports began matches and tournaments?  
Lev BenAvram '26: It certainly has gotten a lot harder. Once the season starts, I really have to make sure to stay on top of my work so that I can afford to miss days for tournaments. I personally have Brandeis tournaments, national competitions, and international competitions for Team USA, so balancing all of that with school can be a daunting task. 

Matthew Chaves '27: The biggest change in the school-sports life balance since the season began has been balancing coursework while having to either miss class for tournaments or spend a significant part of the weekend at a tournament. It just significantly cuts down the amount of free time you have and, therefore, the amount of time you have to do work. You have to pay particular attention to time-management because it can be easy to fall behind in one or the other, school or sports, if you spend too much time on one. 

Q: How are you handling studying for finals while playing sports right now? 
BenAvram: It's my senior year, so I am pretty used to finals week at this point. That being said I have more work than I have time this week, so it is hard to focus on sports or anything other than my school work. My sport will always be a top priority to me, but my grades always come first. So I make sure to section time to do my work and study so that I can still practice and compete.  

Chaves: I am handling it the same way I handle playing a sport during the regular semester. It's all about balance. During finals, I do not dedicate too much time outside of designated practice times to my sport in order to have adequate time to study and finish the semester strong. Our coaches have also significantly cut back on the amount of practice during these weeks to ensure we are focused on our finals. 

Q: What are your go-to strategies for rest/relaxation in your free time? 
BenAvram: Watching Star Wars is always my go-to, but also hanging out with friends and cooking. I think that it is super important to have balance and not be thinking about fencing 24/7. 

Chaves: My number one go-to strategy for rest in my free time is napping. Besides that, I like to just spend time with friends, shoot some hoops, or go eat; just something to take my mind off school.  

Q: What does a daily schedule look like for you right now, with finals around the corner and athletics?  
BenAvram: I am recovering from a tournament this week, so it's really just wake up, homework all day, and then stretch before bed, and do some mobility and rolling out, and maybe hang out with friends for a bit.

Chaves: A daily schedule may look like this: 7 AM-9 AM: practice, 10:10 AM-11 AM: class, 11:15 AM-12:05 PM: class, 4:05 PM-5:25 PM: class, 6 PM-8 PM: work. All the other free time not filled by school or work is used for studying, doing homework, and eating. 

Q: What communities/relationships help you through this busy time of the year?  
BenAvram: The fencing team is a really strong community that always looks out for each other and makes sure to get together and have fun and study together this time of the year. 

Chaves: My teammates are a great resource during finals season. Everyone is going through the same stress, so we can lean on each other to hold one another accountable and make sure everyone is doing what they need to do. We often will hold team study sessions in the library as well. My girlfriend, who is also a winter student-athlete, is another great resource to help get me through this time of year because we can go through it together and help each other study.  

Q: How does traveling for away games impact how you study for exams or write papers?
BenAvram: It makes a big difference. I don't like to focus on homework when at an away tournament. I want to be focusing on the tournament. Additionally, travel and the tournament take away a lot of work time. 

Chaves: The greatest impact is the time you have to allocate to write the paper or study for the exam. A few weeks ago, we had a meet in Colorado at the Air Force Academy, for which we flew out on Friday morning and flew back Sunday night, arriving back on campus at 7 AM on Monday morning. This was tough in many ways, one being that I had two papers due that weekend. What I ended up having to do was very intentionally block out my time for writing and time for being present with the team and doing my job as an athlete. I ended up having to work on the papers for the entire flight there, and then was able to find a good chunk of time at the airport on the way home. I had to recognize beforehand that these blocks of time would be free in an otherwise completely booked weekend and commit myself to working on my papers.  

Q: Has there been a difference in how you've prepared for finals over the years while playing for Brandeis? 
BenAvram: As a freshman, I definitely was just going with the flow and was not sure how to best prepare, but now I've got my system, and I create a schedule of what work I have to do each day, leading up to exams and project due dates. 

Chaves: I think the biggest change since Freshman year has just been starting things earlier and managing my time better. At the end of the day, everything comes down to time management, and if you do it right, there is enough time to get everything done while still having time for sports and friends. I certainly spend more time in the library as well because I have realized that doing work in my room is not efficient for me. 

Q: What is one thing you feel would make finals less stressful for student-athletes who have commitments?
BenAvram: I have been very lucky to have professors who have supported me and my athletic goals to the fullest. That being said, I have teammates with professors who won't give them extensions for tournaments, so I think getting those extensions would make a huge difference for many student-athletes. 

Chaves: It would be cool to have student-athlete study groups. Maybe every student-athlete gets assigned to a group of five other student-athletes, and that becomes your study group for finals, and you can help hold each other accountable. It would also help bring the student-athlete body closer together across teams.