You’ve got to start with something to get you up – important when you’ve got a banging headache and a 9 o’clock lecture – something with a slower beat is always good. I would recommend song’s like ‘Heaven knows I’m miserable now’ by The Smiths or ‘The Funeral’ by Band of Horses or, ‘Sober’ by Demi Lovato, etc to get you started; it also helps if the feeling of dread you will probably be feeling is reflected in your choice of song.
You've got to start with something to get you up - important when you've got a banging headache and a 9 o'clock lecture
Once you’re awake and inevitably considering just flunking off your lecture as you lay in bed and think about how stupid past you was, next should be something to get you up and out. This is the kind of song that will be playing as you try and eat something and put on the same pair of jeans you’ve been wearing for the past 4 days. My Chemical Romance’s ‘Teenager’ is a great addition here as well as some fast classics like Eminem or ACDC – something that will get you up and ready – but something you know well enough that it won’t break your brain.
The next thing you have to tackle is the walk to your lecture hall, whether it’s 5 minutes or 30, this is the most important part of the playlist – this will set the mood of the day. This is when you pull out ‘I Can See You’ by Taylor Swift or ‘Zombies’ by the Cranberries, something that you know will get you pumped up for your lecture on a very niche subject at 9 o’clock in the morning.
Alternatively, you could just hit shuffle and still be debating staying in bed as you walk through the door of your building, a favoured pastime of many students, past and present. This is all also totally dependent on your musical style and what you’re like after a hangover. I, for instance, can’t listen to anything with too many words or I lose track of any thoughts I have managed to collect.
All I can say is Good luck to all of you over the next year, you can do this, and remember to drink lots of water.