When many Hillsdale students walk out the door in the morning, they’ve done more than roll out of bed and brush their teeth. They’ve lived their morning routine: a set of practices intentionally designed to set the tone of the day to come.

Junior Joanna Leckband, head RA of McIntyre Residence, said she is a morning person. 

“I operate by the principle that a good morning routine depends on a good nighttime routine,” Leckband said. “Because I did all the things the night before, I have time to actually sit down and eat breakfast in my room, or in Saga depending on the day, and read the Bible, which is a great way to start your day.”

Leckband said she makes sure all her dishes are washed, her backpack is packed, and her clothing options for the day are all laid out the night before. 

“I like to be prepared,” Leckband said. “I’ll make my coffee, and then I’ll text my mom ‘good morning’ and walk out the door.”

Leckband said she doesn’t have a set time she wakes up at but rather focuses on getting seven to seven and half hours of sleep every night.

“I always make sure I get enough sleep because otherwise I actually have a really bad day,” Leckband said. “If I get up really early, then I have more time to maybe do homework or do some extra reading or listen to more of a podcast. But if I really need to sleep, then I’m just going to sleep in and be a little bit more rushed getting ready.”

Sophomore Charlie Cheng said his morning routine varies based on his class schedule. On the days he has 8 a.m. classes, he wakes up around seven, gets ready, and goes straight to class.  

“Obviously, it’s difficult to get away from my bed when it’s so cozy and warm,” Cheng said. “What I do is lay there for a few minutes, think of the possible things to look forward to: the people I’m going to meet, my classes I like — just the fun things I really look forward to that make me feel excited. And then oftentimes, I’d maybe say a small prayer to thank God for a good night’s sleep and pray for a good day ahead.”

Cheng said he uses his phone to expose his eyes to a stronger light in order to wake himself up more forcefully before heading to class, after which he eats breakfast. 

Cheng said he admires those with coordinated morning schedules. 

“I’m not a hugely organized person,” Cheng said. “It’s kind of like ‘Lord, why do I have to do this?’”

When Cheng first came to Hillsdale, he said the excitement of being at the college kept him up later than his current bedtime.

“Right now, I do feel like as it gets later in the night, I really cannot do anything efficiently,” Cheng said. “It forces me to pay more attention to my schedule so that I can finish stuff at some other time of the day.”

Freshman Rhys Woodard, who is a track and field athlete, said his morning routine hinges on whether he has morning practice that day. 

“Usually, when I’m running in the mornings, I like to be awake at least 45 minutes before my run,” Woodard said. “So I usually wake up around 6-6:15. I read my Bible, get ready for practice and get over to practice by about 6:55, and then practice will usually go until about 8:30 or 9:00.” 

Woodard said he normally returns to his dorm to shower and then eat breakfast. He goes straight to breakfast with his teammates if practice runs late. He said his 7:45 a.m. math class last semester — on the days he didn’t have morning practice — made his morning routine more hurried.

“I like that I’m able to take my mornings a little more on the leisurely side at Hillsdale except for morning practice days,” Woodard said. “They keep me disciplined, and they make sure I get to bed at a decent time.”

For senior Laura Rein, who lives off-campus with five housemates, her morning routine depends on when she wakes up, but a few things stay consistent. Rein uses an alarm clock (she keeps her phone downstairs), and right after she wakes up, before she opens her eyes, Rein says something she is grateful for.

“I definitely closely link gratitude and prayer,” Rein said. “Even if I’m not sitting down to read the Bible in the morning, I know I’m still doing stuff.”

Rein said she always brushes her teeth and makes her bed, and after changing out of her pajamas, she likes to sit still and read parts of the Bible, which she sometimes has to do while walking if she is running late. 

“Sometimes, if I’m really stressed, I wake up early,” Rein said. “And sometimes if I’m really stressed I wake up late. It totally depends.”

Rein reflected on changes she made to her morning routine over the years.

“Freshman year Laura did not actually have a routine,” Rein said. “The record for waking up and getting out of the dorm was probably two minutes and thirty seconds or something like that.”

Rein said her bedtime routine has gotten more consistent as well.

“This is literally the first year of routine because there’s a lot to learn in college outside the classroom,” Rein said. 

Rein says her routine establishes the right tone for the day ahead.

“That’s part of why it helps me set my thoughts straight before I face the day, regardless of whether I’m excited to do that,” Rein said.