Before I  get into this opinion, I’d like to make one thing clear: I’m not anything like your annoying co-worker who makes it a point to mention getting up at 6 a.m. (even on weekends) every sentence. That being said, I am a fan of 8 a.m. classes. They get you up and start your day with purpose, even if you’ll fall back asleep after them. 

Prior to my life at the ‘Rock, I got up at 6:30 for highschool and can no longer use the apple “twinkle” alarm because of it. Because I never woke up on my body’s terms, I sabotaged my body clock further by sleeping in until 12 on the weekends. 

Here enters my savior: the 8 a.m. 

My sleep schedule bff, aka the 8 a.m., gives me structure. I get to sleep in until 9:30 a.m. on my later class days, which makes it  easier to get up an extra hour and a half earlier on my 8 a.m. days. Whether I nap that day or not, a better sleeping regiment makes me less confused, and more alert for class.  

The 8 a.m. is just early enough to make you feel good for getting up at that time, but just late enough to prevent you from needing a nap. However, I’m not a saint, and my freshman year roommate can vouch that I “was always asleep” -aforementioned roommate, many times. 

If you finish class at 9:15 a.m., that practically gives you a 9-5 block to work a job. Personally, I like taking one 8 a.m. a semester, which gives me two days of perfect, uninterrupted availability at work, and two days to focus on out-of-class school work (sorry non-business school folks, my planner hasn’t seen friday class since high school). 

If you play your cards right, taking 8 a.m. classes frees up your schedule and gives you more productive time, and your body clock will thank you for it. Just make sure it’s a class that you’re interested in, because there is nothing worse than your professor waking you up mid-lecture. 

Edited by Emma Martinez