Night classes may sound like something taken by part time students who work during the day, or like a last resort for students who would rather have their evenings free for activities, homework, or extracurriculars. At Grove City College, however, my experience with night classes has been excellent. This post will discuss the upsides of being in class from 6:30 to 9 p.m.
- Longer class period. You thought I said upside to night classes–I did. Having a 2.5 hour period one time per week can sometimes seem long, but the upside is that you get “into gear” before the class period is over. While a normal Monday/Wednesday/Friday class is only 50 minutes long and Tuesday/Thursday classes are 75 minutes long, a night class is 2.5 hours. While normal classes take 15 minutes just to get through assignments, upcoming homework, recap of last class, etc. leaving only a short part of class for subject matter, a night class does not have this problem. You can find yourself extremely engrossed in the material of the class, and for many people this improves retention. Brush up or study outside of class a few times per week, and you might find yourself learning more from that one block of time than from two or three of shorter duration.
- Professors get fun. If 2.5 hours seems like a long time to you, do not worry. It is a long time for your professor as well. I have had many experiences where a night class professor introduces activities, games, competitions, stories, media, etc. that help the time go by faster and keep students engaged. Often this does not happen as much in day classes because the window is shorter and because the professor does not personally feel the need to break up the “monotony.”
- Suggestion: take courses you care about. If you find yourself taking Calculus at 6:30 p.m. twice a week and you are not a math-brain, your professor is likely to become well acquainted with the outside of your eyelids while you stare at the insides. If you find yourself taking a course you are genuinely interested in or care about, the opposite will be the case. This will separate the class from normal school hours and allow you to look forward to the relaxed, engrossing, engaging environment of a night class you enjoy.
Night classes can be a great way to knock out some extra credits or take a course you wouldn’t be able to fit in your schedule otherwise. They are not a last resort or an act of desperation, but a unique learning environment I highly recommend anyone try.
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