Let’s all be honest with ourselves: morning classes are a struggle. Most of us are up to all hours of the night studying, playing video games, or doing pretty much anything. That means that those morning classes are a real struggle to get around for. If you are one of those lucky people who somehow managed to not have any classes before noon…well, you have to be one of the luckiest people ever and we are all jealous of you. Here are some tips for those of us who are stuck with having morning classes.

1. Grab coffee!

This one is kind a no-brainer. Both Starbucks on campus open up at 7:30 AM during the week. While there may be a line, at least you can get some caffeine into your system.

2. Eat breakfast!

It may seem like a hard thing to do when you have those 8 AM classes, but eating breakfast starts to get your body woken up, even if it’s just a granola bar. (Chances of pancakes though are definitely slim, sadly.)

3. Go for a run!

Ok, for this one, I will warn you, you need to wake up extra early. Going for a run around campus or town before class can definitely get you woken up, but you should probably take a shower before class.

4. Take interesting classes!

When you’re doing your scheduling and have a choice between a jujitsu class and Calc 4 at 8 AM, which one do you think would keep you more awake?

5. Know your professors!

Use the wonderful resource of Rate My Professors and check out which professors are fun and exciting…as well as which ones are dull as a board. If you have a choice between exciting at 8 AM and boring at 8 AM and hard at 8 AM, always pick exciting. It makes a level of difference.

6. Drink energy drinks!

Not a personal recommendation, just an option. One of my professors drank Monster every morning during our 8 AM and it was probably one of the most interesting classes I’ve taken. He was also so energetic and hyper when the rest of us just wanted to sleep.

7. Go to sleep at a reasonable hour!

I know, it seems baffling to even be capable of going to bed before midnight, but it’s possible! If you have an 8 AM, don’t be afraid to go to bed at 10 PM. Just hope you don’t have a noisy roommate.

8. Take a nap after class!

I’ve done this more times than I can remember. After your class is done, if you have a couple hours free, just go right back to your dorm and take a nap. Keep thinking about how wonderful your nap will be once you get back and that will help keep you awake!

9. Don't schedule morning classes!

If you are far from a morning person and have the option of not taking morning classes…don’t take morning classes. Sleep until noon! (Although night classes aren’t much better…) Just be warned, college scheduling is literally the real world equivalent to the Hunger Games.