Earlier Classes Lead To Better Grades: St. Lawrence University Study

Good news for early risers -- students who take morning classes tend to get better grades, according to a new study out of St. Lawrence University.

Early classes aren't a magical solution, but a habitual one: a student's class schedule influences how much sleep one gets at night, among other things.

St. Lawrence has more:

The study, by psychology professors Serge Onyper and Pamela Thacher, found that students who had later class times generally got more sleep, but also had more time to go out with friends. On the other hand, it appears that when students know they have an early class, they may tend to avoid nights out on the town.

Thacher says that later class start times might factor into the choices students make. "Those who choose later classes also tend to sleep longer and consume more alcohol and other substances," she says, "while those who elect earlier classes may be more motivated to find ways to offset the early start time by making healthier choices about their daily living."

So, there you have it: the reward for that punishing 7 a.m. alarm. To get even better grades, U.S. News & World Report offers a fine list of tips here.

See the full report from St. Lawrence here.

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Comments

[Arrive2 net]

02:26 AM on 09/30/2011

Can this have something to do with the morning positive mood that was noticed in the mood research using Twitter? (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/29/twitter-mood-study_n_987569.html)

Bart Schuster
Arrive2.net
Twitter.com/arrive2_net

[genrel1248]

02:02 PM on 09/11/2011

Or...you could just steal the exam the night before.

[dior12]

10:20 AM on 09/10/2011

I believe this is true; however, i believe it's more related to consistency rather than "early classes". That is to say that if you wake up consistently at the same hour each day, then you are more likely to be alert for classes rather than if you had a sporadic schedule and you wake up only for that class, for example.

In my personal experience, having morning classes limits the amount of stuff you can do the night before (assuming of course that you go to class, and pay attention). It means I rarely go out late, even on weekends otherwise it will screw up my whole cycle. But, in turn, it has helped me to organize myself better.

With that being said, I do consider myself an early riser; So, even if you are not, consistency, rather than what time you go to bed, is the key. The body works like clockwork, when you try to recalibrate it sporadically, you are diminishing it's efficiency.

[Qjersey]

02:14 PM on 09/09/2011

1) Show up to class
2) Read the textbook and assigned materials
3) Study
4) Ask questions
5) Visit your professor during office hours

[Nic the wonder puppy]

10:37 AM on 09/09/2011

Do parties, drinking but only 3 at a time, and most important take the easy classes

[dior12]

10:23 AM on 09/10/2011

This is horrible advice. If your sole goal at university is to get good grades, then you won't.

The people who actually get consistently good grades are the ones who actually do classes that interest them and learn something.

[lovetoread 2000]

07:25 PM on 09/08/2011

I'm not buying that taking earlier classes causes students to consistently make better choices about not going out late or drinking as much. It's just as likely that the students who like to go out late and drink are intentionally selecting later classes when that's possible.

The sample of 253 students also seems small for generalizing this to all colleges.

[pleasantlyvague]

09:58 PM on 09/08/2011

Not to mention students.

[dior12]

10:25 AM on 09/10/2011

True; like I said before it's not about the time, but rather consistency that affects how well one does in a class. If you're consistently waking up at different hours, your body will never get used to it, and you are likely to feel fatigued and consequently pay less attention in class.