One of the great things about college is that there are so many classes available. You can enrich your mind in different areas, but the level of retention determines greatly on when the class takes place. Some are three days a week, two days, or you are faced with the dreaded one day a week class. This extended period of time will begin to weigh on you so here are some tips to survive long classes.
Food is a great way to survive a long class because it will calm your stomach, give you energy, and the noise will wake you up. For those classes that don’t allow food, I recommend taking full advantage of your designated break time. Make a dash for your campus cafe or see if a kind classmate has some snacks to spare in the hall. Having your stomach growl in discomfort is guaranteed to make the long class seem even longer!
This is a helpful tip for long classes that are in an independent or workshop type environment. When you get to a higher class level in college, a lot of the time you are left to work on solo projects and listening to music will get you in the zone. As with most things, music just seems to make everything more manageable. It will wake you up from the silence around you and you can curate playlists to keep you motivated. Jam out like Lisa Simpson during those long classes when you can’t even!
When you are in a seminar type class, it is easier to let the tiredness take over. You can sit in your chair not contributing at all and you will feel your eyelids begin to drop. It is almost as if you are sitting stationary staring at a wall and that is no way to get through anything. In order to combat this feeling, engage in the class discussion! Talking gets your endorphins going and if you happen to be on a roll, your professor will take notice! This tip will benefit you in the long run because you will get the most out of the class even when they are three hours long.
Classrooms are often tremendously stuffy even with a few windows cracked. This creates a stale environment, literally, that you may need to break away from during your long classes. There are most likely various outdoor areas at your college campus and take advantage of that fresh air during break. Even something as simple as sitting on a bench outside for 15 minutes then returning to class that seems to give you a second wind.
Okay so I am not recommending you take a bathroom break every ten minutes or something suspicious like that. I am suggesting that if you feel like you are losing focus or falling asleep, take a bathroom break to splash some water on your face. You need a pick me up and splashing water on your face is not something you should do in the middle of the classroom!
It seems kind of funny that we are conditioned to not have gum in class but then you get to college and it seems like that’s the only thing that will keep you awake. When you are in those long classes, consider a stick of gum as a pick me up. There is something about the mint flavor that wakes you up and even calms your hunger pains. Just remember no bubble gum popping!
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