If you don’t spend your day under a rock or in three-hour-long bio labs, you’ll know that most of the classes here at Clark are neatly divided into time blocks, each spanning an hour and 15 minutes. But while some blocks are nice and satisfying, others are met with groans and unease as you have to adjust your day around a less-than-favorable schedule. Here are the seven time blocks ranked, from worst to best.
- 6:00 to 7:15 p.m.
6 p.m. is the time when clubs start meeting, or when your friends get together after a long day to do something fun. Possibly the worst feeling is when you’re eating dinner with everyone, you’re all laughing and enjoying yourself, only to be hit by the brick wall that is having to learn about government or cells or something for the next hour.
(Or, you could be having so much fun you forget about the class and, next thing you know, you’re 20 minutes late – something my friend has almost done on multiple occasions.)
Bonus points to this block for starting squarely at the hour, but 6 p.m. is the time for fun and relaxation, NOT class. Last place!
- 9:00 to 10:15 a.m.
Clark’s earliest classes occupy a time when you feel groggy walking to class, and you probably will still be when you leave. You doze off while your professor is lecturing, reminiscing about that movie your friends watched last night that you missed out on because you “had a 9 a.m. tomorrow.” Somewhere in the distance, you hear a rooster shout its Cock-a-Doodle Do! to the world, waking everyone up and stirring the campus to life as the day begins. Finally, you walk out of class, somehow more sleepy than when you came in. “What? That’s right, I’m NOT a morning person! How could you tell?”
(Also, you have to eat breakfast after a class. Who does that?)
- 2:50 to 4:05 p.m.
Why do these times exist? Like, fine, I get why they exist, but… really? Starting and ending that close to the hour? If you’re gonna have a class from 3 to 4 p.m., just make it from 3 to 4 p.m. Don’t subject me to your weird numbers! Do you think I’m a math major?
In addition to the strangest, wonkiest times, the block sits kinda awkwardly within the day. You have a bit of time to do your homework or hang with friends after lunch, but not long enough to really get going. Then, when you’re done, you have those awkward couple of hours before dinner that, again, aren’t long enough to really get something done. This block isn’t horrible, but it’s certainly not enjoyable either, putting it at a rather disappointing 5th place.
- 1:25 to 2:40 p.m.
I kinda vibe with this block. I also really don’t have much to say about it. It’s nicely situated within the day, and you get that lunch energy boost as you sit down, but it just feels kinda weird. 1:25 p.m.? What kind of time is that? This block is solidly, amazingly, impressively mediocre. Average. Middle of the pile.
And, you know what, I am just fine with that.
- 12:00 to 1:15 p.m.
The only thing more satisfying than a class that starts on the hour is a class that starts on THE hour, the hour of all hours: The noon hour! 12 p.m. is a great time to do pretty much anything—so great, in fact, they made it into a word.
This time block is when the sun is highest in the sky (don’t mention daylight savings time), and so are you! The birds are chirping, Freud is looking happy, and it’s shaping up to be a lovely day. Plus, if you have a friend in the class, you can eat lunch afterwards. What’s not to love?
- 10:25 to 11:40 a.m.
You would think I would hate this time block, considering how early and how off the hour it is. But I don’t. Somehow, it crafts a strangely nice niche for itself within the rhythm of the morning. Not too early, as I have ample time to eat breakfast, but not too late either. I come out of class before noon, still with a full day ahead of me.
Part of me wants to mark this block down for its grotesque times so close to the half hour. Yet despite their dissonance, I find them surreally attractive, basking in the warm glow of the morning. Is this block using some sort of fairy magic on me? Perhaps. If it is, though, it’s doing a good job.
- 4:15 to 5:30 p.m.
In first place, the best of the best of the time blocks is one which, I fear, might stir up some controversy. Multiple people have told me they hate this block as it’s the time for naps, dinner or some other cozy activity. Yet I hold my head in defiance; There could be no better time to have a class, I say!
Indeed, what a nice way to end your day before settling in for the evening. Just after the day’s readings and homework take you to the precipice of scholarly magnificence, you’re finally ready to push your intellectual bounds to learn, discuss or practice skills while being the best self you can be. Then you settle into dinner, the academic day over, ready to mull over what you discussed in class or talk about it with your friends in a relaxing, low-stakes environment.
This block seems planned to the minute detail, working in and with the rhythm of the day to conduct the most rewarding class possible. If every class were from 4:15 to 5:30 p.m., I would be happy.
No matter what people say.
