In my heart of hearts, I will always be a night owl. Naturally, I have an aversion to morning activities. 

I have made it to the second semester of my junior year without having taken an 8 a.m. When I saw one of my criminal justice courses was offered as a 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., I thought I was getting a sweet deal, but I was so naive. 

I had to trade extra sleep for my sanity, which is a tough lesson I learned after the census date. I never thought I would say I prefer dragging myself out of bed at 6 a.m. to get out of the house for a morning class, but here I am. 

Since an 8 a.m. is the first thing I have to check off my daily to-do list, the weight of the day and the exhaustion of it hasn’t hit me yet, making it feel a little less daunting. 

Having the chance to stay home all day on Monday makes finding the motivation to commute 30 minutes to campus at 6:30 p.m. a major problem. I won’t leave the house for something until I absolutely have to, and my evening courses aren’t an exception to this. 

Sure — when I took early classes, I found myself snoozing my alarm while coming up with excuses to miss class, but having eight hours to ponder if going to class is worth it gives me way more time to genuinely rationalize skipping it. 

Having to block out your entire evening when there’s still light out is unreasonably soul crushing. Knowing you could be enjoying your evening at home or with friends has devastating impacts on my will to attend class. 

My crime theory and causes class ends at 10 p.m., which makes for a jumpy walk back to my car, especially as a young woman. However, even without the unsettling nature of the course material I feel like I would still find myself struggling with a late-night drive. 

4:45 p.m. to 7:20 p.m. courses don’t get a pass, either. Sitting in a classroom and listening to a lecture through dinnertime has always been a miserable experience. 

Yes, waking up to the morning birds is a little miserable at first, especially when you know you have to sit in a classroom for over an hour. However, being able to wake up before the rest of the world wakes up is more peaceful than we allow. 

Besides, you’re more of a sponge for knowledge earlier in the day! It’s easier to find your flow and get the toughest tasks out of the way at the top of the day. The early bird education special is the superior schedule. 

Centennial Hall. Photo by Anysia Hovel.