Surviving the Dreaded 8 a.m. Classes

Is there anything worse for a college student than an 8 a.m. class? Upperclassmen can generally avoid them because they have earlier access to registration than underclassmen. Freshmen and sophomores, on the other hand, usually get the short end of the stick and have to take a few early bird classes in order to have a full course load. It may be a bum deal, but you’re not destined to drool on your desk through every class. Here are some ideas to help you make it to that crack-of-dawn class and actually stay awake.

The night before an 8 a.m. class, make sure you don’t stay up too late. Save your goof-off nights with your roommates for another night. Next, be sure to set two alarms. Your clock and your cell phone alarm is a good combination. Move your clock across the room from you if you are prone to hitting the snooze button. Make sure it’s a really annoying alarm too — something you can’t easily sleep through (although please have pity on your roommate and don’t let it go off over and over). Next, get all your books and supplies together in your bag the night before and lay out your clothes so all you have to do is grab these and go. You may look like a scrub when you drag yourself into class, but at least you made it and got every last ounce of sleep you could before going to class.

If you have time to brush your teeth and take a shower, by all means do it, but at the very least splash cold water on your face and swoosh with some mouthwash. This is often just the invigorating zap you’ll need to wake up. If this doesn’t work, there’s always coffee and energy drinks, but you may regret the mid-afternoon crash that accompanies long-term caffeine use.

Leaving enough time for breakfast is also a good idea. Good breakfast foods to boost your energy in the morning include: granola, bananas, breakfast tacos, or even a protein/energy shake. If you don’t have time for a full-out breakfast, have something quickly grab-able on hand — like a cereal bar, an apple, some yogurt or something else you can run out the door with.

Finally, try to sit near the front of your 8 a.m. class. With your professor so close, you won’t be as tempted to nod off and you’ll find it easier to pay attention.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 15th, 2010 at 11:48 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.