We’ve all done it at some point; staying up all night to finish assignments that probably could have been completed 3 weeks ago. When it comes to all nighters, us students pretty much think we’re invincible. I mean, we manage to stay awake (just about) on nights out so it’s only feasible that we apply this logic to long nights spent in the library.
Energy drinks in hand, snacks at the ready and computer fired up…you’re just about ready to power through your work. Here are the stages of an all nighter in the eyes of a student.
- Denial. Of course we are fiiiiine. This essay can be completed in a 12 hour time frame with a few 10 minute breaks. We don’t need sleep, we’re still young and can go long periods of time without crashing. There’s not that much work to do.
- Determination. We CAN get this work done! Earphones go in, music goes on, we’re ready to get to work. If we set our minds to it we can achieve anything – that’s what we like to tell ourselves anyway.
- Hunger. Possibly the most prominent stage. After 5 minutes we need food. After half an hour we simply deserve more snacks. The only real issue here is deciding when you can stop to grab some chocolate and not feel guilty about doing so. From personal experience, 2 minutes in is not ideal guys.
- Procrastination. Because you’ve stopped to eat, you’ve now ended up watching Coronation Street having completely forgetten about that 2000 word essay that’s just screaming to be finished.
- Realisation. You do in fact have to complete your work to pass your degree. This is enough to get you away from Corrie and you continue writing. You reach 100 words and it’s only 3am. Success.
- A 5 minute break turns into an hour’s snooze.
- You wake up and panic because you still have 1000 more words to go. Once you set your mind to it you manage the rest and it’s 7am. Just enough time to nap before you hand in your work.
- You crash and wake up and it’s 7.59. You have one minute to submit your work. After panic ensues you manage it within an inch of your life.
- Exhaustion. The final stage. You wish you could sleep but you have a 9am lecture. Maybe you could just sleep in those..
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