During my very first semester of college, I had calculus. The catch? It was 7:30 in the morning. The worst part? It was on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. If I had to go through this now, there would be a chance I would have dropped out.
I have spent my final semester at Campbellsville University reflecting on my journey, from my first year spent at Lindsey Wilson College to now. I learned a lot, but there was one lesson I will never forget. Early morning classes are not good for anyone.
I honestly don’t know how everyone including me as a kid was able to make it to high school by eight in the morning. My guess is that we had more energy as teenagers. That and the fact that we had a uniform schedule every day. As chaotic as college life is, I expect other students and even faculty to understand the struggle to get up.
Sleep is a delicate yet precious thing to me. I am an incredibly light sleeper, and I try my absolute best to get eight straight hours of sleep. Obviously, this is not normally obtainable, so mornings can feel sluggish. Another issue is that I don’t consume energy drinks or any other type of caffeine. Having a class in this state can be detrimental to learning.
Trying to retain information is harder when tired. I would know because I barely passed that calculus class. Waking up around 6:45 every weekday just to catch breakfast before my class changed my day’s entire routine. There would be days when I would force myself to bed early just to get a few more hours of sleep. Sometimes I would sit there feeling my internal sleep timer get confused at how early I am resting. Many days started with sleep deprived mornings where I would walk to class in the freezing winter weather.
With mornings like these, it was harder to retain information. There was no energy to go around, and it honestly set a bad mood for the rest of the day. Social lives at our age thrive in the evening, so it would be best if I was not grumpy or straight up going to bed. The way I lived, I was simply not built for the early morning.
Thankfully, I never had a class that was as early as calculus for the rest of college. Whenever I took a new class early in the morning, it was never every weekday, so I had chances to sleep in.
One thing that could happen more often for early classes involves skipping. I have plenty of friends who have mentioned how they skipped a morning class just to get an extra hour of sleep. I should not admit it, but I have done it a few times, too. The second you wake up, it is hard to think about anything but going back to sleep. Sowhat if I miss one single class? It will be there tomorrow, so I should fix my sleep schedule now! Once you do it one time, it becomes a permanent option in your head, which can lead to even more absences.
Overall, early morning classes tend to have rooms full of tired people who aren’t able to give learning their all. With some not gaining anything from sitting there delirious, they might as well sleep in to save themselves. Performances can be stunted, so why not take the class at a later time if it is offered? Early morning classes are not worth it, and I learned that from the very beginning.
