This semester, I have the absolute displeasure of taking my first 8 a.m. class in college.
For the past two years, I have been able to schedule later classes in order to avoid the daunting and miserable task of getting up early, which is something I haven’t had to do consistently since high school.
Unfortunately, this 8 a.m. has been on the horizon for a few semesters now, as it is a requirement for my minor, and it is the only section of the class that’s available.
And that is where my true complaint arises.
It is common knowledge that different people function better at different times of the day. I’d argue only a small percentage of people are able to happily get up at 6:45 in the morning and make it to their 8 a.m., let alone be able to function properly once they’re there.
However, there are of course people who are early birds who enjoy scheduling their classes early. Because of this fact, I’m not claiming that 8 a.m. classes should be eradicated entirely. But, people who know they don’t work well early in the morning should not be forced to schedule classes that are at the ungodly hour of 8 a.m. like I was.
It is entirely unjust, and frankly criminal, for administrators to schedule a class that not only has just one section available, but is also a requirement for certain majors and minors, to be at 8 a.m. This gives people, like me, literally no wiggle room when I know I can’t operate early in the morning.
Some of you may be reading this thinking that people like me are just lazy college students who would prefer to sleep in until noon every day for the rest of our lives, but this is not just a complaint by students. My professor, and other professors with 8 a.m. classes, have the same issue.
Most professors are passionate about what they teach, and even if they are morning people themselves, it is frustrating and disappointing for them to see their students either falling asleep or completely zoned out because they had no choice but to schedule an 8 am.
My professor has constantly tried to convince administrators that the class he is teaching at 8 a.m. isn’t really working for his students at that time, but they refuse to make any changes.
I completely understand that some classes have to be scheduled earlier in the day in order to fit all the classes that exist at a school within the parameters of a day, but at least put classes with multiple sections in the 8 a.m. slots. Making a class with only one section at 8 a.m. doesn’t make any sense.
I’m sure there’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes when it comes to deciding the timing of classes that I don’t understand. And maybe there’s a good reason to schedule a required class in the earliest possible time slot.
As someone who pays to come to college and learn, it’s unfortunate that I feel like I’m missing out on absorbing the information taught in my 8 a.m. simply because I’m not a morning person. In order to accommodate all students, there needs to be flexibility in when classes are offered.