Making the Most of 8 Ams

It's safe to say that the average college student would say that they hate having 8 Am classes.  I mean nobody likes to wake up and go to class when they could sleep in and take that same class later on in the day. Unfortunately, the chances that you will encounter at least one 8am class during college is pretty high.  I think your perspective definitely determines if these early morning classes are a good thing or not. Believe it or not there are some people out there who actually enjoy waking up early and getting their classes done with earlier in the day. During college I had several early morning classes. I liked 9am classes better than 8 ams.  The hour makes a big difference! Since it's the beginning of the semester, I thought I would share some tips and tricks for making the most of these early morning classes.

Prepare the night before
Take ten minutes the night before to pick out your outfit, pack your bag, and make sure you have all of your assignments done. The more you do the night before, the less time you'll need to spend getting ready in the morning. You might even want to consider showering the night before, so that you can sleep in a little bit later.

Set your alarms
Yes, I meant to say alarms as in multiple ones. If you're like me, then you understand why I'm saying this. I have a fear of sleeping through my alarm, so I always like to set two or three alarms.

Get a good night's rest
Don't stay up incredibly late the night before an early morning class. It will make it even more difficult to wake up, and chances are you will be groggy during class. Try to plan to get 7-9 hours of sleep.

Eat something
Be sure to eat something before you get to class. This will give you energy. The last thing you want is to get hungry mid way through class and be distracted by your stomach growling. If you don't have time to hit the dining hall, then grab a piece of fruit or granola bar and eat them as you walk to class.

Reward yourself
During college, most of the campus is asleep while you're in this early morning class. Once you get to the real world this own't be the case, so reward yourself now. Treat yourself on these days.  After class, stop at your favorite coffee shop for a latte and your favorite pastry.

Wear your gym clothes to class
If you don't have a break in your schedule after this class, then plan to hit the gym afterwards.  You will already be up and out of your room, so why not take advantage of the day? Go to class dressed in your clothes for the gym, so then you can just head straight there.

Walk to class
If you are able to, then choose to walk to class. The early morning walk will help wake you up and prepare you to learn.  Studies have proven that doing physical activity prior to studying will help you learn better.

Be engaged during class
Try to hand write your notes rather than type them. This will force you to pay attention during class rather than mindlessly typing. It will also prevent you from browsing the internet.  It's also good to sit up front, so that you are not tempted to doze off during those boring lectures.  Lastly, ask questions during class. This will help you stay on task with what you are learning, and it will help you better understand the material.

Review your notes
After class, take some time to review the notes you took. This will help reinforce the content and ensure that you completely comprehended the lecture. This is also a great time to re-write or type any part of the notes that you took that were unclear.

I do have to say taking early morning classes definitely made me drink more coffee during college. Taking early morning classes might not be ideal, but waking up early and being disciplined will help make your transition from college to the real world much easier.  Most jobs require you to wake up and early and be productive. If you start forming good habits now, then they will follow you throughout life.  This semester I can definitely attest to this.  Waking up at 5am makes taking 8am classes seem like nothing.


XOXO