hello i am a incoming freshmen at UMES and i signed up for 6 classes and i picked AM classes for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. i just wanted to know is 6 classes a lot for a freshmen or is that normal? and what was your experience like waking up for your classes? please share your opinion!
How many credit hours in total? Is one of the 6 classes a lower/reduced credit course (like a “First Year Experience” class)? Are most or all of these courses intro level? Any foreign language courses? Or STEM courses?
I wake up early every morning - I commute one hour to school. Fall '14 I had 9am classes 5 days a week - I’d have to be out of my house by 7:30 at the very latest (but usually I was out by 7) - so I’d wake up at 5:30am. Waking up wasn’t bad; staying awake was a little difficult. Especially in the winter months where it’s pitch black out in the morning, it can be really easy to doze off to the sound of the train rumbling on the tracks. But I usually pulled through it.
I recommend getting breakfast (a real breakfast - not a monster energy drink) - I usually got myself an egg white and spinach omelette with a side of turkey sausage at my school’s dining hall and had it with a glass of orange juice. Early morning classes were a lot more tolerable on a full stomach.
Make sure you go to sleep early most nights; manage your time effectively so you won’t have to pull multiple all nighters doing homework (sometimes they can’t be avoided but most of the time they can.) During the school year, I usually went to bed between 10:00 to 11:00 which allowed me 6-7 hours worth of sleep. (I also take afternoon naps every day - much like an elderly person/toddler/house cat/etc.)
Do not get into the habit of skipping your morning classes - once it becomes routine, that extra hour of sleep will look more and more appealing each and every time your alarm goes off to wake you up for your AM class meeting.
A lot of people take six classes as freshmen. I took five (15 credits) because that was how many I need to take per semester if I want to graduate on time. It honestly depends on what classes you are taking. Looking back at freshman year, I could’ve taken an extra class and had 18 credits; hindsight is 20/20.
I had an 8 AM class during my first semester, and I always made sure I went to bed early and tried to get as much sleep as possible. I think I only skipped that class once. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t ever skip class because it’s going to happen eventually; just don’t make it a habit.
Having early morning classes allowed me to finish my school day at noon everyday, which was awesome. I’m sure you’ll like your schedule.