These are the classes that every college student tries their hardest to avoid. I actually find my daily (yes, Monday through Friday) 8 a.m. class to be a positive aspect of my schedule.

It forces me to get out of bed. Really. I can’t lay around for half of the morning, wasting time on my phone or dragging my feet getting myself out of the door. I HAVE to make myself get up in the morning (which is, admittedly, a harder task now that it’s getting colder).

I get a good start to my day. I start my morning with physical and mental stimulation. Physical, since I have to walk to class, and mental, because I have to pay attention once I actually get there. By the time the class is over, I’m fully awake and ready to conquer the rest of my day while the rest of campus is just waking up.

My biological clock isn’t screwed up, and I’m prepared for other mornings that I have to get up early. I’m at a very low risk of becoming a nocturnal college student; I wake up and go to sleep with the rest of the world since I can't be up at all hours of the night. I’m also not worried that I’ll miss an important event that’s taking place in the morning since I’m already accustomed to getting up early. I know several people who have slept through morning events because they’re used to getting out of bed at 10 a.m., and when they actually have to get up early than normal, they need A LOT of coffee before they can be productive.

It forces me to get my homework done during the day because I can’t be up half of the night doing it. I actually get my work and studying done early because I can’t stay up until three in the morning to finish it and still be on time for my early class later that morning. It’s really good motivation for prioritizing my work and managing my time effectively during the day so I don’t regret it the next.

There’s a sense of camaraderie with the rest of my class, who’s also up at the crack of dawn. Yes, there’s a lot of muttering and grumbling about how early we’re in school as we all find our seats every morning, but we are all in this together, and there’s a stronger sense of community amongst my classmates.

I get a class done and out of the way early. I am able to finish all of my classes by the early afternoon, leaving the entire rest of the day to myself and whatever else I need to accomplish. By finishing my classes earlier in the day, I can do my homework after lunch and have relaxing, stress-free evenings to go to club meetings, social events, or just decompress after a long day.

The library is empty at 9 a.m. It’s true. I can get a lot of work done, now that I’m up and functioning, in a nice, peaceful library while the rest of the student body is still in their dorms or in other morning classes. There’s no competition the best and most coveted comfy chairs!

Whether or not you’re a morning person, you should love your 8 a.m. because there are more benefits to your schedule, health, and life than initially appear on the surface.