I know this question has been asked plenty of times before but I just cannot fathom the large hate against morning classes? I don’t plan on coming to college for the social life, nothing against those who do, so I won’t be up all night attending parties at all. As far as noisy dorms go, I will be living in an off campus apartment so I’m not too worried about being kept up. Right now I have morning classes from 8-10/11 on MWF and am deciding whether or not to take a T&Th at either 8-11 or 1-2:30 (such a random time…). I figured since I can’t avoid the morning classes on MWF that I just take them on T&Th so I don’t screw up my sleeping schedule?
It really depends on you and whether you’re an early bird or a night owl. I don’t stay out partying or anything but I tend to work better at night, so I try to schedule my classes for later in the day so I can do that and still get enough sleep. I know people who schedule late classes so that they can workout before they start their day. Also, unlike in high school, in college clubs and intramurals tend to be scheduled for the nighttime when no one has classes, so for some people that keeps them from going to bed on the early side. Make your schedule around when you work best and how you want your day to go, and after the first semester you should fully figure out what your preferences are.
I would take the 8:00 on T/Th also. Starting your day at the same time, or even close to the same time, every day really helps your body maintain a regular schedule. Waiting until 1:00 for a class doesn’t make much sense. Even if you tell yourself you will get up at the same time every day, it’s easy to sleep late when you don’t have to be up, especially after a long day and late night. You may not party, but you could be up late studying or could occasionally decide to go see a movie or hang out with friends.
It depends a lot on the type of person. I was never a morning person, and even if I went to sleep early the previous night, I’ll always sleep in if I don’t have a reason to be up. I can get up when I need to, but otherwise, I’m perfectly content to keep sleeping. I have a friend that is completely the opposite. She’ll wake up early regularly (even if she went to be late the previous night) and will often wake up before her alarm. People are just different. Some people hate morning classes, some people love them, and some people don’t care.
If you don’t mind morning classes, then go ahead and take the 8AM class on Tues/Thurs. There’s nothing wrong with that.
The demand of college might be a little too much for some to handle at certain points. Rather, sometimes life gets in the way of school and you may have to pull an all-nighter in order to complete that paper/assignment/project you had due the next day. Not necessarily procrastination on your part. Maybe your job had you work back-to-back 16 hour shifts for Black Friday. In cases like this, that 8 AM becomes nasty (though you probably won’t have school immediately after Black Friday).
Take it with a grain of salt. Have some discipline. Get one of those smart wristbands that vibrates to help you wake up in the morning. Make sure you have coffee or some other stimulant to help you wake up in the morning.
Some people would rather do their work in the morning and take classes in the afternoon and some would rather do it the other way around. Personally, if I didn’t have classes in the morning I would sleep until like 2 in the afternoon, so last year I tried to pack all my classes in the morning and have the afternoons/evenings for my job, schoolwork, clubs, food, and Netflix.
I would recommend taking your T/Th classes in the morning too so as not to mess up your sleep schedule. Next semester my schedule is pretty inconvenient; I’ll have class at 8:40 on MW and the other days not until 11 or 12. So I’ll probably either schedule work or go to the gym during those morning hours to keep myself on a regular schedule.
It’s up to you. In high school I woke up at 6 am every day with no problems, but college is different. Even if you don’t do anything at night, it just feels so much more difficult to wake up early.
I have a lot less willpower when I first wake up compared to other times, which means I’m more susceptible to skipping early classes. I wouldn’t avoid an early class just because it was early, but otherwise I don’t see a need to create unnecessary difficulties. (For what it’s worth, I’m a commuter with no social life.)
If you’re already taking an 8 AM, I’d choose another 8 AM on T/Th just to make your schedule more consistent. It cold leave your afternoons open for a consistent club/part-time job/volunteering.
As for the hate, most college students simply aren’t morning people between partying, studying, and/or binge watching Netflix all night. Several of my peers chose 8 AM classes freshman year because they did it in high school every day, how could it be so bad?!.. and they didn’t like it at all. That being said, I know a significant group (a minority, but a strong contingent) of people who always choose morning classes (8-11 AM) because it makes them feel accomplished so early and gives them the rest of the day free. Like you know how when you have at work at 2 or 3, it feels like you have to waste your whole day because you just spent the morning kind of waiting for work? That’s why some prefer earlier classes. But to each his own.
You can’t fathom it because you’re probably a morning person. To a night owl like me, it is very easy to sympathize with wanting to avoid morning classes. If the thought of 8 am classes sounds fine to you, then take them. There’s nothing inherently ‘bad’ about 8 am classes. It’s the simple fact that many college students aren’t used to getting up early.
I took an 8 a.m. class on MWF during my first semester. I really didn’t mind it because when I was in high school, I had to catch the bus at 6:50 every morning, and my school started at 7:30. Starting class at 8 a.m. didn’t seem like such a big deal to me. In fact, I really liked the early start because I was able to knock out three classes before noon, and my day was done. It was nice to leave school by noon every Friday.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I started classes at 9:30. Some people might say that it’s better to start classes at the same time everyday, but I liked starting later on Tuesdays and Thursdays because it prevented me from getting bored with my schedule. It wasn’t the same everyday. Also, 9:30 isn’t too far away from 8:00, so I was able to sleep in just a little bit more without screwing up my sleeping patterns.
If you want to start your day a little later on Tuesdays and Thursdays, then do it. You have the rest of your life to live a monotonous Monday-Friday 9-5 schedule.
I think 8am’s are a necessary evil- at least freshmen year. After sophomore year, however, I never had to take another one. Think long term and just get it over with!
What time would be recommended to sleep and wake up for 8AM classes?
^That’s entirely up to you. Some people need 7-8 hours of sleep. Others less.
There were times that I went to sleep at 2-3 am and woke up at 7-7:30 for 8 am classes. However, I tend to do better on less sleep than many people do. Other people will be in bed by 10-11 at the latest.