College can be, in some ways, much different than high school, one of which being that you can choose when you have class… Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work out that way. Almost every college student at some point will have to suffer through an early class. That said, after having 8:30’s every day of my freshman year, I think that I know a thing or two about surviving those early morning classes.
First things first, 8:30’s are only terrible if you make them terrible. To some extent, I actually enjoyed waking up early; I felt like my day was longer and I found that I was able to be productive and get all of my work done by 6 pm on most days. The down side? My friends got to stay up late and wake up late, whereas I needed to go to bed early to wake up early. There are, of course, ways around this. One word: naps. Since I had so much extra time on my hands during the day, I was able to fit in a good hour-and-a-half to two hour-long nap almost every day. I still had plenty of time to finish all of my homework, and it allowed me to stay up later and socialize with my friends (and by socialize, I mean make midnight Cook Out runs).
8:30’s are also not as terrible if you shower at night and lay out your clothes the night before. Mornings can be stressful, and the less you have to do in the morning, the less flustered you will be. Also, you will be less likely to be late! I know that this isn’t necessarily recommended, but I often skip breakfast and opt for a granola bar and a cup of coffee (made by the keurig in my dorm room) instead in order to save time. All of that said, however, you will more than likely be late at least once during your college experience… and it is OK! As long as it isn’t a recurring problem, your professors will forgive you.
Still not convinced that 8:30’s aren’t awful? That’s fine! Your first semester at Furman may include an 8:30, but- for the most part- you will have control over your schedule thereafter. I did my time last year, and now all of my earliest classes this semester start at 9:30 or 10:30, which means that I need to decide how I should re-allocate my time; however, if I ever need to sign up for another 8:30, I will definitely do so, fearlessly! 8:30’s can be your friends if you let them!