Night classes take place outside of regular business hours, opening up student schedules.
We’ve all been there: the perfect class that you’ve been wanting to take is only offered when you’re at work, in club meetings or have to take a different, high-priority class. It’s tragic. It’s frustrating. Worse, sometimes that perfect class isn’t just perfect — it’s something you really need to take but won’t fit into your schedule.
On top of that, there’s so much that can only be done during business hours. It’s when you need to make and go to doctor’s appointments. It’s when you’ve got to pay bills and interview for jobs. It’s when the mechanic is available, or your professor can talk to you about a class.
Unfortunately, an overwhelming majority of classes are only offered during business hours. Night classes can be tough to get into. Even when they’re available and spots are open, there’s often only one or two options.
Night classes free up daytime hours for students to participate in internships or other work. It also makes time for students to study during the day, if that’s when they focus best. And plenty of people, myself included, work and learn best at night.
Additionally, it’s easier to go to a class just once a week and then portion out the necessary homework and study time as best fits your schedule. It’s one less thing to plan around during the week because the class is consolidated into a single night instead of being spread throughout the week.
I’ve needed to take more night classes as my schedule has filled up with jobs, career searching and extracurriculars. The relief that comes with knowing my schedule isn’t going to make me pass out from sleep exhaustion or stress is indescribable. It’s worth it for that alone to increase the number of night classes we offer.
It might be difficult to find professors that get excited about night classes. However, some adjuncts find that night classes fit their schedules better. Other professors also might just enjoy having more time during the day. It’s not an impossible issue to overcome, and it will improve the lives of many students.
Think about the opportunities of night classes: people can focus on topics for longer, if there are topics that just can’t be sectioned into one-hour chunks. There’s more time for nuanced class discussions that everyone can participate in. Presentations are easier because they take up fewer classes and are easier to schedule. And best yet, students with difficult schedules can take all of the classes they need.
