With scheduling for the fall semester creeping up on some of us and already here for others, there’s no doubt many students are stressing to make the perfect schedule for fall 2011.
Some schedule early classes so they can leave campus before noon, and others schedule so they don’t have to wake up before noon.
While many blindly enroll in any section that fits their schedule, others are sure to spend hours scouring websites like Rate My Professors and University Tools to find the easiest professor — or the one who doesn’t record attendance.
And students will inevitably take these classes at any time they’re scheduled simply because they may be less demanding than later sections.
But what happens when these classes are scheduled for 7:30 a.m.? Do you still take them?
While you may get an easier teacher, some studies show that holding off on that early class for more sleep equals a more active brain, which could lead to better grades.
One study, conducted by Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research, analyzed the sleep-wake pattern of medical students based on class starting time.
The study focused on 27 medical students. Some scheduled early classes while others scheduled late sessions.
The researchers classified early classes as starting at 7 a.m. on Tuesday and Thursday and 8 a.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Late classes began at 10 a.m. every day.
“University students are submitted to a lot of pressure due to academic demands. Moreover, the sleep-wake cycle of the students is characterized by insufficient sleep duration,” the study says.
The study found that students with early classes slept for about 6 hours, 37 minutes, and students with late classes slept for about 7 hours, 17 minutes.
Overall, the study found later classes mean more sleep, which can be beneficial because “a high percentage of errors during work is due to partial sleep deprivation.”
If that wasn’t convincing, another study from September 2010 further proves the point.
Judith Owens, associate professor of pediatrics at the Alpert Medical School, did a study on St. George’s School in Newport, R.I.
Until the 2009-10 academic year, St. George’s classes began at 8 a.m. Owens convinced the schools to change their starting time to 8:30 a.m. and began to monitor the students’ academic performances, according to the Brown Daily Herald.
Students received 45 extra minutes of sleep and felt more motivated and less depressed, according to The Providence Journal.
Owens said the study achieved significant results.
“Academic performance, their health, their mood — all of these things are intricately tied to getting enough sleep,” she said. She told the Daily Herald nobody wanted to switch back to the 8 a.m. starting time.
In this example, even a simple 30-minute class delay can make a difference.
Students often get stuck taking early classes because of conflicts with other classes.
One solution to this problem: Schedulizer.
Schedulizer is a website that accesses the University’s Course Catalog and will build a schedule for you.
Enter the classes you need to take into Schedulizer, and it builds numerous variations of possible schedules for you. It can also be modified for days off, lunch times — and later classes.
In the end, using Rate My Professors and University Tools to find the easiest or best teachers is not a bad idea. I’ve found great professors through the sites, and I know many people who have, too. But if that teacher is the only teacher before sunrise, it can pose problems.
With research that says getting anything from an extra 30 minutes of sleep or two extra hours can be beneficial, I think it’s safe to say scheduling late classes can prove beneficial for both grades and well-being.
And more sleep and better grades both sound pretty nice.
Chris Grillot is a 20-year-old English and mass communication sophomore from New Orleans. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_cgrillot.
 
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Contact Chris Grillot at [email protected]