It’s 7 a.m. on a Monday, an alarm blaring in your ears. The last thing you want to do is get out of bed and hit the books. You refrain from slapping the snooze button and quietly start your morning routine so as not to wake your roommate, who was smart enough to not choose any 8 a.m. classes. Nothing but regret floods your mind as you think back to course registration last semester, when you thought, “This won’t be too bad.”
Some people enjoy getting a jumpstart on their day with an early bird class, but most students are just trying to survive these early mornings.
And I get it. Every morning, I sit in my dorm room bed debating whether I go back to dreaming about whatever cute moviestar I’m loving that week or roll out of bed to get to my calculus lecture. But because I’ve had early morning classes every day this semester, I began to learn the tips and tricks as well as the benefits to an early schedule.
For starters, be realistic and know yourself when selecting your course schedule. Not every student is cut out for 8 a.m. classes and that’s okay. The beauty of college is that you get to choose your course load and schedule.
- Set your alarms earlier than you wish
I’m usually up for an hour or so before my first class of the day begins. This provides time to sip on coffee, scroll through TikTok, eat a bagel and get ready. If you wake up at 7:50 a.m. expecting to make it to class by 8, you’re setting yourself up for failure from the start. Giving yourself that time is vital to being attentive during a morning class.
- Give that low energy a boost
Along with giving yourself time, give yourself an energy boost. Whether that be a cup of coffee, tea, cold water, a Celsius or even maybe some endorphins at the Nick if you’re feeling optimistic, having a pick-me-up before an early morning class is necessary to make it up Bascom Hill for your lectures while most of Madison is still snoozing.
- Reward yourself
Early classes are tough, especially with the college lifestyle we’re all living. Leave some days in your schedule to sleep in — maybe go get a fun breakfast every so often after an early class, and remember that while early mornings may feel impossible, they’ll probably help you in the long run.
So, with Fall 2023 course registration right around the corner in April, keep in mind how early you can realistically wake up, and maybe challenge yourself to start your day with an early class while others sleep their mornings away.
