One of the many perks of being a college student is the luxury of picking your own class schedule. The ability to choose the most interesting course and the professor is all up to you, but one of the most imperative elements to choosing a class is what time it begins.
The morning class vs. night class debate is one that I have contemplated since my freshman year. After an entire fall semester of 8:15 a.m. classes, four out of five days a week, I couldn’t wait to choose my classes for the spring semester. I made sure that I didn’t have any classes before 11 a.m., but had most of my classes after 4 p.m. As a commuter, I tried to plan my schedule around rush hour, so I would never encounter severe traffic on the way to school.
After a semester of mostly night classes, I found myself missing those 8:15 a.m.’s. Shocking, right? I missed setting my 6:30 a.m. alarm and drinking my coffee on the car ride to school. While I did not have to get up early for my night classes, I still had to wait around all day until class began. When classed finished, the day was basically over. Attending 8:15 a.m. classes made me feel like I had more time during the day. I could catch up on homework, workout or run errands all before noon, then have the rest of the day to do what I pleased.
There are many factors that play into what the best time for class is. Along with personal preference of what time you like waking up in the morning, other activities can clash with late classes. Sports teams often have practices and games in the late afternoon during the week. This causes a student to miss classes for games and well as missing practices for classes. Nothing is worse than getting behind on class work, so having an early class can erase that possibility.
Now, of course, there is the possibility that the class you are registering for is only offered at one time, or all the sections are only in the morning or only at night. There is no guarantee that you will get the perfect time for each class, but 8:15 a.m.’s aren’t as bad as they are made out to be. You start your day early and have more time to fulfill the duties of the day. Take the 8:15 a.m. class.
