As I wake up to the triggering sound of my alarm at 6:15 a.m. and begin to get ready for school, the one thought I can not keep from lingering in the back of my mind is, “I hope I am not late.”

This statement may sound underwhelming and emotionless, but the stress and anxiety that immediately sets in as I put my clothes on, eat breakfast and go about my morning routine have become a staple of my high school experience. 

Why is it so stressful to be a minute or two late to school? Well, if you have been late before, you understand the pain of the 7:20 a.m. late line. It feels like you have missed the first hour of your class waiting in the dense humidity of the morning, while in actuality, it has only been five minutes. 

However, within my three years of attending Miami Palmetto Senior High, I have almost mastered the seemingly impossible: beating the bell. 

The first tip: do not press the snooze button for those extra five minutes. I promise they do not make you feel more awake, rather it does the opposite, and these five minutes are vital for a 7:20 a.m. arrival. 

Next, make sure to have a set time to leave your house; this all depends on how long it will take you to get to school, as well as the mode of transportation. One of the biggest factors in beating the daunting 7:20 a.m. bell is figuring out the best place to be dropped off, or where to park if you are a student driver.

As a junior, I have experienced both methods, being dropped off and parking in the student lot, and the two scenarios usually lead to different outcomes. If you aim to beat the rush of the 7:20 a.m. bell while being dropped off, the best thing is to get there at 7:10 a.m., so you have the time to walk from the drop-off point to your class – as the peers who walk in front of you are likely half-asleep and may walk at speeds that could annoy your impatient and tired self at seven in the morning. 

If you drive yourself to school, aim to be in the lot by 7:00 a.m., as the line to get in the lot itself may take a few minutes. Besides, nothing is worse than rushing to park which then leads to an embarrassing parking job.

Once you have attempted to park with what feels like a Jeopardy timer blasting in your ear, the last thing one wants to do as an upperclassman is to awkwardly speed-walk from one gate to another.

So, if you want to beat the rush and crowd of students scuttling their way to the gate, keep these tips in mind and remember that the “Olympic race” to the gate is not worth it.