As I am going to college this year I am planning out my schedule. The way my schedule works out is that I either have the option of the 9 AM class everyday or one late night class from 7-10 on Wednesday (non-going out night). I am not a morning person, but I am not a crazy night owl. In between I would say. If I have the late night class, classes would start at 11 three days a week and 10 2 days a week.
My thoughts are that I am leaning towards the late night class because it is only one night and I have heard people generally stay up later in college so waking up later would be good for sleep. However, I feel like the late night class would be dreadful and a 9 am class may actually be beneficial in that it will get me up and about early to get my day started and become more productive. Also, I am worried about lost social opportunities (like studying with friends or just hanging out) with the late night class which is particularly important because it is freshman fall semester for me.
In high school you probably woke up much earlier, but in college it’s rough for most students to wake up for a 9am class. Honestly a lot of people just skip 9ams after the first few weeks. It’s a nice thought that having a 9am will get your day started nice and early (I think we’ve all made that mistake before!) but really it’s just dragging yourself out of bed and being way too tired to focus for a lot of people. The general shift in college is sleeping in later and staying up later. Quiet hours usually don’t even start until 11pm and if you have a roommate they would most likely not be asleep until 11 or later - they may potentially be keeping you up anyways. It’s also nice to have a class on one day instead of every day.
On the off chance that there are parties or social events on Wednesdays, those will usually not start until after 10pm so you could still attend parties.
I always aim for early classes for this reason, and I am by no means a morning person. Unless it’s 8AM, which is just too early for me lol. 9AM seems very reasonable.
The later class won’t be bad, but I think the earlier class will in general give you more time and help in other areas of your schedule.
This is not true at all in my experience. I know a few people who would skip 8AM’s, but 9AM is very reasonable…
Well to each their own. My school doesn’t even offer 8am classes partially because of sleep deprivation concerns. There’s a good chance you just wont get enough sleep if you take early classes and that can be detrimental to your academics. As an incoming freshman maybe a 9am wont be too bad compared to several years into college, but almost everyone I know would take the one later class instead of every day of 9am.
I’ve taken a 9am every day under the impression it would get my day started but I found that I was so tired I retained less information in that class than if it were later - a problem I wasn’t used to since in high school waking up at 6am for “zero periods” was no problem. You’ll change in college. Most of my friends in majors where attendance isn’t part of the grade end up skipping more classes at 9am than later.
One semester I had M W F classes 8-9-10 so by 11 done for those days. Tues and Thurs longer with labs. That was good for me but I was up at 7:20 dressed by 7:45 and out on time. Then Nap after lunch. But I’m old now. 48 years
My son never wanted 5 day a week classes and never wanted early classes his classes were late afternoon and night and never on Monday if he could avoid it. Several semesters only Tues- Thursday. He spent a lot of time planning but I think it depends when you think you’ll be able to pay attention better to lecturer
For me, 8am calculus classes were great for starting my day. Did that for 3 semesters. Night classes always made a day incredibly long except for one semester when that was my only class of the day which allowed me to work an 8 hour shift at McDonalds. You just have to figure out what works for you. I was low maintenance as far as morning prep though- short hair with a quick blow dry and maybe a swish of mascara. I could get up at 7:30, shower, and get to class by 8:00.
I am also a night person, but keep in mind that the night class would mean you would be sitting through the class for 3 hours and it eliminates many possibilities for extracurriculars for that day. It would give me anxiety if I had to worry about a examination all the way at the end of the day. Another thing to consider: memory retention may be better if you have it spread out rather than in one session a week and missing out on a class (ex: skipping, getting sick, etc) won’t be as harmful if you just miss one hour instead of three. 9 am is also not thaatt early.
As a counterpoint to Lagging’s comment, most of the extracurriculars and campus events at my school is in the sweet spot from 5-10 in the evening, which that spot would take up. I mean, it’s only one night, but there’s pretty much going to be no campus events happening at 9 am in the morning, but there may be some you are interested in going to that happens to take place on Wednesday evening
I much prefer morning classes - being done with all of your courses early on in the day means you have the entire afternoon and evening to yourself. I’ve taken 8AM classes and I’ve taken evening/one night a week classes and I’ve always found 8AM classes far more tolerable.
Also, going off of what @shawnspencer said - a lot of extracurriculars are in the late afternoon and evening. At my school, most club meetings are usually on either M, T, W since fewer students are likely to show up on a Thursday or Friday night. My two biggest extracurricular commitments this coming semester, my internship and my clubs, both happen to fall on a Wednesday (late afternoon and evening respectively.)
By taking a class offered every day, you will have smaller homework assignments for each class period and you will likely learn the material well due to the daily repetition/review of material. Taking a night class means you will get the same amount of homework, but you only need to get it done once a week. For many students, this means doing nothing for most of the week and then freaking out the night before or day of the night class (and likely not getting everything done or not doing your best job). From the research I’ve read on learning, spaced practice results in better learning (and better test performance) than massed practice. Remember that being able to wake up later in the day doesn’t guarantee a good night’s sleep–knowing you don’t need to get up until 9 or 10 might make you more likely to stay up really late, so you could end up with the same amount of sleep as if you had a 9 am class. Given that it sounds like you are a first year student, I would recommend holding off on night classes until you have had a chance to adjust to college life. Good luck!
I am sorry, i was not clear. The two classes are actually different classes. The 9 am class would just be moved to the middle of the day but would still occur everyday. However, to everyone, I think the extracurricular comment is swaying me to the 9 am class. Especially in the beginning where I am just exploring what exactly I want to do, being able to go to these types of events will be important.
However, I am interested in any counterpoints to that if possible.
Personally I’d go with morning classes. As an engineering major in community college, most of the courses I need only have one or two available sections each semester, so I was forced to take some night classes along with my morning classes. Since I commute to school, going home and returning later on would have been a waste of time that I could have spent studying. If you dislike staying at school for long periods of time a day or plan on working, I’d recommend morning classes.
Also a side note, have you checked ratemyprofessor? Reviews from students who have taken the classes you’re considering may help influence your decision.