You’ve sworn off all high school vibes, seriously. You’re in college, now. You’ve moved all your crap in; you’ve given your mom the stink eye for over-packing some stuff; you’re acquainted with your roommate. And at last, you have your class schedule (aka, the list of requirements you need for the rest of your life). Everything seems to be going OK until you see it. The dreaded phrase that sends upperclassmen for the hills: 8 a.m. classes.
You’re probably cursing whatever god there is that you were stuck with the dreaded early class. Everyone has heard the horror stories: your internal clock shifts once you reach campus; teachers are meaner in the mornings; the dining hall doesn’t open in time for you to grab your three-course breakfast. Beyond the excuses, the denial begins to set in. High school started at 7:30 a.m., so this shouldn’t be such a big deal, right? You can manage this class as long as you get six hours of sleep. Waking up early will help jump start your day (hopefully).
Most of that thinking is cumbersome. Any way you view it, an 8 a.m. class is too early by college standards, so the stereotypes are rooted in some degree of truth. But beyond the BS, how are you, personally going to manage it? There are three fairly straightforward tips that will help you wake up and stay up.
Before you get into the swing of the semester, reevaluate your schedule one last time. If it’s not properly balanced (say you have an 8 a.m. class followed by a 6 p.m. lecture), you cannot achieve a steady pattern. The key to getting past early morning blues is to not suffocate your day with classes. Ironically, this mindset might have helped you get through high school. Starting early meant getting out early. College is no different. Spacing out classes encourages odd consumption of your day which means it might be difficult to plan going out as often as you’d like. Having several manageable classes in the morning will help you with the early class because at least you have the satisfaction of knowing your evening is free.
Waking up in time for class is a must. Participation is huge in college, so if you sleep through class, don’t be surprised when your grade takes a dive. Sleeping may be hard to come by with the partying and weird study hours contributing to a less than consistent sleep schedule, but one of the best ways you can ensure collegiate success is recognizing the power of cat naps. The Sleep Foundation recommends taking a 20 to 30-minute nap whenever you can pop them into your schedule. Because these cat naps do not encompass a full, deep-sleep cycle, when you wake up you’ll experience short-term alertness without the hindrance of grogginess. Thank yourself later when fitting in a 9+ hour night’s sleep becomes difficult.
Most importantly, attitude is everything when approaching your early class. Why is it that waking up to sit and learn is viewed negatively in comparison to waking up early for a grueling workout? If you find yourself still grumbling about waking up, shift your attitude. Try rewarding yourself or planning something to look forward to after class. Say you get out at 8:50, instead of agonizing over how slowly the big hand is moving on the clock, plan to get coffee with a friend after class. Further, still, if you stay on task, you’ll allow yourself to buy a snack to go with that coffee. With that in mind, you can shift how and what your mind will focus on. You’d be surprised by how quickly time flies when you’re on task.
Alternatively, you can take a more mature approach and wholeheartedly throw yourself into early mornings. Try waking up to run or workout before class. You’ll likely have the gym to yourself -- not to mention first pick in the dining hall breakfast rush. Working out before class has the added bonus of waking you up before the lecture, too! Either way, attitude is everything. Embracing your capabilities instead of believing the myths of unmanageable early courses can change everything about your college experience.
In the end, college is what you make of it. Classes are a small part of the greater picture. Now is the time you learn time management, critical knowledge for specific professions, how to interact with others and most importantly, how to manage your self-interests. Don’t let the time on a clock limit on how much you learn. Go forward confidently and the rest will follow.
