Colette Potter ‘26
Opinions Editor
Early risers get the kudos and night owls suffer shame. It is a deeply frustrating phenomenon – and one that just won’t stop. The barrage of videos about people’s early morning routines is constant across many social media forms. For those who run early in the morning, is there any difference for running that same distance miles at night? I would argue there is a difference in the credit given, as there is often admiration for the motivation of those early morning runners. The people who wake up and work are seen as productive and go-getters, and those who work at night are considered dysfunctional or procrastinators. All you have to do is think about your perception of someone who emails you at 7 a.m. versus 7 p.m. If someone completes work early in the morning versus at night, it is the same amount of hours of work, yet radically different perspectives. Furthermore, true night owls may concentrate better or create higher quality work late at night. Yet their accomplishments are undermined by this permeating sense of early riser superiority.
Additionally, Holy Cross perpetuates this. Why is there no late night library? Many other colleges have 24 hour libraries. Or at least allow students to officially access Fenwick/O’Kane/Smith 24 hours. The College should also consider keeping Hogan open for an hour or two later each night. Furthermore, the lack of late night food options is a major complaint for many on campus. I would argue many more students care about Kimball being open for an hour later rather than opening at 7 a.m. If the College cannot staff later closing, there should at least be more of an effort to redo the dorm common spaces, especially for traditional style halls.
Perhaps I am biased, but I think we should all be a little less judgemental of the night owls. I do my best work at night and so do many I know. I’m not sure where the sense of early morning admiration came from, but I think we do our best when we can work on our individual maximally functional schedules. It might be that some work best in the early morning (though I personally cannot imagine that). However, often creatives are the ones who may produce their finest work while burning the midnight oil. I’m not arguing that nearly nocturnal habits are best, but rather that our current world idolizes those who are up early. I even doubt the “healthy” interpretation of those up early, as they might be sacrificing extra sleep to do so. I would also say, even just personally, this sense of early superiority is often internal, as we inevitably compare ourselves to others, including those who seem to have it more “together.” The time you complete your to-do list does not determine the value of the tasks accomplished.
Many college students are notorious for their night owl tendencies, and Holy Cross should work with student schedules – not against them. The quality of our education is not determined by what time of day we did our readings or studied for our exams. Holy Cross should provide a few more late night spots to provide a location for all students to study when they study best.
Featured image courtesy of Medium
Copy Edited by Annamaria DeCamp ’27
Leave a Reply