Why Am I Always Late for Class?

Nobody likes being perpetually late. And college classrooms are the worst place to be tardy. You might get a stern look of disapproval from your professor while the students who managed to get there on time silently scoff at your irresponsibility.

You might wonder, “Why is it that everybody else can show up on time, but I can’t?” There are a lot of different reasons why people are late. See if you can identify what type of late person you are and how you can fix it:

You Hit Snooze

If you have a tendency to set your alarm earlier than you need to, factoring in the possibility of hitting snooze and still getting to class on time, then there’s your problem. Face it: you don’t have the discipline to hit snooze once or twice. Instead, you just keep hitting it until panic sets in when you realize class has already started.

• The solution: If your regular alarm has a snooze option built in, then try downloading a snooze-less alarm app like The Rock Clock which features the voice of The Rock telling you to get moving.

You Don’t Wake Up

There are some extreme cases where people fall so deeply to sleep that they don’t even hear the alarm, let alone have the chance to hit snooze.

• The solution: You need an app that plays hideous sounding alarm tones, like the one on Alarmy, that even the deepest sleeper can’t ignore. It’s not the most pleasant way to wake up, but it’s better than flunking out of college because you missed all your morning classes.

You Have Insomnia

Sometimes the problem isn’t that you sleep too much but that you can’t get to sleep at all and by the time morning rolls around and you’ve finally dropped off, the last thing you want to do is rouse yourself out of your restfulness and head to class.

• The solution: If you have insomnia, the best thing to do is to consult a sleep specialist to see what the right solution for you is. In the meantime, you can try to train yourself to sleep more easily by adopting a ritual before going to bed such as reading for an hour before going to sleep, playing soft music, having a bath or drinking a cup of herbal tea.

You’re Disorganized

This can mean anything from you can’t find your socks because your room is too messy to you don’t even know when your classes are.

• The solution:
  If the problem is messiness, then the solution is to clean up and get organized. Make a conscious effort to keep your physical space more tidy so you don’t spend half an hour searching for your keys when you’re supposed to be learning advanced French.

If the problem is that you can’t keep track of your commitments, then it’s time to start using a day planner or calendar. Google Calendar is a simple and easy system to use. It can sync with your phone and send you alerts before an event so you don’t have to miss classes, meetings and appointments anymore.

You’re Overcommitted

Are you the class president, captain of the cross-country team, in the chess club and work a part time job? Your problem definitely isn’t laziness – it’s that you have too much going on.

• The solution: Painful as it may be for someone who enjoys being involved in so many different things, it’s probably time for you to sit down and look over your schedule to see what needs to be scaled back. Remember, it’s better for you to be able to give your all to a few things rather than only be able to give half your effort to a lot of things.

Use these tips to avoid being late for class. And if you still can’t do anything to get up on time, at least, try these believable excuses for being late so that you professor trusts you.