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Entity has proof that you aren't ready for a three hour 8am lecture.

BEEP BEEP BEEP! Curled up on your chemistry textbook, you hear the faint buzzing of your alarm hidden under piles of paper. Light seeps through the window and forces your crusty, sleepy eyes open. As you reach for your phone (eight percent battery, oops) panic takes over – there’s only two minutes until your 8 a.m. lecture.

You snap your head up from your makeshift pillow and jump out of your desk chair. Cramming unfinished homework into your backpack, you throw an oversized sweatshirt over your pajamas and race out the door.

Then halfway down the hall, you realize you forgot to put on deodorant … something you know that cute boy sitting next to you won’t find charming. So you sprint up the stairs and dig into your pocket for your keys – before realizing you left them on your desk, next to your dignity.

Sound like you? If you plan ahead this semester, it doesn’t have to be.

When back to school time or the next semester hits, scheduling classes can induce a wave of excitement, anxiety and frustration. Unfortunately, sometimes our minds are overly optimistic about the semester ahead, which gets us into some sticky situations. While an early morning lecture may look tempting on paper, it’ll likely lose its appeal midway through the semester if you aren’t a natural early bird. (But let’s be real: How “natural” are those morning people, anyway?)

What’s a girl dedicated to straight As and sleep supposed to do? Here are ENTITY’s tips for making the best class schedule for you!

Before signing up for classes, USA Today College suggests crafting a schedule that aligns with your personality. Ask yourself a few questions before you get started. Do you consider yourself a pedal to the metal type or the expert procrastinator? Do you identify as either a multi-task queen or slow and steady princess? Do you always sleep through your alarm or do you crash halfway through the day? Are you a morning master or a late night genius?

Evaluate yourself and be honest with your judgment – it’ll pay off in the long haul. These classes mean early alarms … and staying alert for three back-to-back hours. If you’re an insomniac who loves to burn the midnight oil, waking up at dawn may not be the brightest idea. Similarly, if your attention span crumbles after an hour of class, sitting still studying a single subject for 120 minutes will be absolute hell.

Sure, these classes aren’t all bad. MTV points out that early morning classes come with a few perks, like breakfast food and smaller class sizes. The best advantage? Getting done with classes early gives you more time during the afternoon for assignments or socializing.

So what’s the problem? Once a week classes often hurt students, according to Inside Higher Ed. If you’re the type to stay up until 3 a.m. anyway, you’ll probably be productive … napping. And when that class lasts three full hours, naptime is likely to happen inside the classroom. In addition, the long format makes it hard for students to pay attention and stay engaged. Plus, since the class only takes up one day of a busy student’s week, the subject often gets put on the backburner.

Despite your best intentions during registration, signing up for these lectures has the power to hurt you.

So when you’re campus-bound and that registration time slot hits, pause before you click confirm on that schedule. Ignore any back-to-school or new semester enthusiasm or academic optimism for a sec and ask: Are you ready to deal with the reality of that three-hour 8 a.m. lecture?

(And if you absolutely HAVE to take that dreadful class, study up and prep yourself. With a lot of sleep and a little caffeine, you can get through it. After all, you are one of the #WomenThatDo.)

Edited by Ellena Kilgallon
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