Rachel Weisel | The night time is the right time...for class

As I flipped through Penn's enormous course guide, I found myself overwhelmed at the wide variety of choices available. Many intriguing course titles, such as "Terrorism," caught my eye.

But did I take them? No.

Upon closer examination, I noticed many met late at night or lasted for three hours at a time. That was enough for me to eliminate those courses, without so much as a second thought.

In fact, I was so put off by the idea of being in class until 5 p.m., a fate I endured last semester, that I vowed never to let it happen again. This semester, I finish class by 2 p.m. nearly every day.

Looking back, though, I'm starting to wonder whether that was a mistake. Are we limiting ourselves by making time the deciding factor when it comes to choosing our courses?

My first semester at Penn taught me a few lessons in the art of schedule design. Class size, difficulty level, sector requirements and professors are some factors that crossed my mind when I chose courses.

However, I must admit, the time of day the course was offered probably played too much of a role in my decisions and, I suspect, in the decisions of other Penn students as well.

Evidence of this trend is best illustrated through the popular goal of avoiding class altogether on Fridays. I am honored to be the hallmate of several students who have actually achieved this coveted feat. They cleverly concocted schedules that give them three-day weekends and the chance to go out on Thursday nights each week.

According to Diane Frey, director of academic services for the College, the lengths and meeting times of classes are the result of a combined effort between the registrar and various academic departments. They often depend on logistics such as room availability.

Certain classes are offered only at night, leaving students with no other choice but to spend part of their beloved evenings in the classroom. For example, tucked away at the end of an otherwise-deserted hallway on the seventh floor of Willliams Hall, Spanish 125 - "Spanish For Medical Professions" - takes place from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Monday and Wednesday nights.

College junior Tyler Morris doesn't seem to mind being there this late. "It frees up otherwise-busy hours," Morris said.

As I observed these students leaving room 723 with their classmates, I could tell a bond existed between them - one advantage of taking a small, intimate class, which tends to be characteristic of many late-night classes offered through the College of General Studies.

CGS mainly offers classes to part-time and post-bachelor's students. However, according to Nora Lewis, the director of enrollment management for CGS, after the first few days of classes, many CGS courses open registration to full-time undergraduate students. In fact, these undergraduate students take around 1,300 total credit units in CGS, Lewis said.

I began to realize that maybe this class at night thing really wasn't so bad - at least not bad enough to rule out a course I really wanted to take. Plus, during the evenings I wouldn't have to worry about getting bombarded with flyers or getting hit by a bike on Locust Walk!

Class length is another issue. Sitting in the same room for three hours can become an "endurance test," Frey said. Still, some students opt to do so, in order to have more free time during the week.

College junior Kate Davis chose to take three three-hour seminars this semester. "I prefer it. It's an easier schedule that gives me a lot more time to study on my own, which is more valuable time to me, since I work," she said.

Arthur Casciato, director of the Center for Undergraduate Research, teaches a writing seminar called "Something About a Horse," from 7-8:30 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. He has no trouble getting enough students to enroll in the course, which is full, with additional students trying to get a seat. "I'm very comfortable with longer classes, and I think the students eventually grow to like them better," he said.

Casciato added that his students have a variety of reasons for taking his course, some more academically based than others.

With add period ending today, and drop period Feb. 9, it is not too late to make adjustments. If you're still shopping for classes, don't be too quick to rule out the late ones or long ones like I did.

Something is wrong when we choose lifestyle over course content. Let's face it. We all like to sleep in and stay up late. But we're supposed to be adults now. We can't have the best of both worlds, because sooner or later, we have to go to class.

Rachel Weisel is a College freshman from Chesterfield, Missouri. Her e-mail address is weisel@dailypennsylvanian.com. Writes of Passage appears on Fridays.

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