Pros and Cons of Morning and Afternoon Classes

Some people find that early afternoon is their sleepiest time. If that applies to you, you may want to avoid classes that meet at that time if you have a choice.

I took an 8AM math course my first semester, and I liked it. By taking the 8AM section, I was done with classes by noon on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I was also done by noon on Tuesday and Thursday. I loved that schedule because I got all my stuff out of the way and was able to do other things for the rest of the day.

This past semester, I had classes at 10AM, 1PM, and 2PM on MWF, so my day was over by 3. I honestly disliked that schedule because I had to wait for my last two classes, and I was always so unfocused by the time my last class rolled around. Overall, I enjoy morning classes a whole lot more.

If you are still unsure, I would suggest you experiment with the morning class for your first semester. If it turns out to be too difficult and unmanageable, change it up for your second semester.

I personally am doing all morning classes. It forces me to get up early in the morning and allows me to have the whole afternoon free to work part-time and then the night to hang out/study. I think if you have afternoon classes, you may end up sleeping late and waking up late (or having a hard time waking up early) the next day to get anything done. Unless you like going to sleep late and waking up early, you’ll probably end up wasting time and will end up feeling tired. Plus, most extracurriculars are in the afternoon/evening.

I’ve either taken an 8am or worked at 8am practically every semester because it’s more productive. One semester my day didn’t start until 11am, and all I did was sit around and waste my mornings!!

However, there are times when you might have to suck it up and take late afternoon classes because of scheduling. That happened to me 3 times - twice with a MWF 2:40-3:47 class (who wants to be in class until almost 4pm on a Friday?!) and once with a 3-4:47 T/R class. I made the 3 pm class feasible by working from 5-9:30 afterwards and so forcing myself to get homework done beforehand, but the 2:40 ones were trickier. Sometimes (er, a lot of times) I’d end up doing the homework the morning of simply because I had a lot of time, and that worked out well for me.

Another part of college is learning how to use your time wisely and figuring out when you get stuff done the best (for me, it’s always early morning). I’m actually in a similar boat now (I’m going to grad school and while I’m stuck taking afternoon courses, I may be able to choose what time I can teach), so it’s always good to weigh the pros and cons and think about what would practically work best for you. I’m going to try and get a morning class to teach since I’m fresher in the mornings and don’t want to have it looming over me all day, and maybe you’ll find that could be the case for you in taking your courses.

Personally, I absolutely hated super early morning classes. 930am was the earliest that I could really handle. I’m not necessarily not a morning person, but 8am in university feels way different than in high school.

I am not a morning person at all, I would have to chose afternoon classes.

This is all going to be personal preference. I’ve never taken a class that started before 10, and even that’s too early for me. I find it much easier to work at night as well, as opposed to waking up in the morning and doing it, or doing it in the afternoon. One of my issues with high school was actually how prescriptive it was and how much control they have over your time, so I definitely took advantage of being able to sleep in. It’s all up to you and how you function best.

Take the early morning class. Make a point to wake up at least two hours before class so that you aren’t still sleepy when you reach the class. Waking up early morning boosts your productivity level and you would grasp the lessons well in class.And as you said, your afternoon’s will be free to pursue your interests, doing part time jobs etc. https://www.google.com/#q=studymode.com+%2B+benefits+of+waking+up+early+morning I have been following the healthy routine of early to bed early to rise. You should too!