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The Phases of Pulling an All-Nighter

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at CNU chapter.

So you have a big test tomorrow. You wake up planning the hours you will study for it, when suddenly the sun has set and it’s way past 10 o’clock. You realize you’ve wasted the whole day doing who knows what and now you have no choice but to stay up all night and study.

So you pack up every single thing you might need (literally everything) for your night in the library and head off.

Goodbye, bed… I’ll miss you.

You find a nice spot in the Trible to hunker down and broadcast through all forms of communication that you’ll be there all night so that maybe someone will join you in your miserable studies.

As it turns out, everyone else has “studying” to do, too… so you continue to get no work done and socialize instead.

Around midnight your friends start to go home (to sleep like normal people) and you load up on Starbucks Doubleshot espressos from Einstein’s because they close in an hour and you do not want to be left without coffee.

2 a.m. rolls around, you’ve got your review sheet about halfway completed, and the library is starting to empty out; you snag a study room for yourself and get down to business.

By 4 a.m. it hits you: there is no way you are going to pass your test because it is only five hours away and you still know nothing.

So through the tears and desperation, you contemplate dropping out of college.

Once you’ve come to terms with the fact that you really shouldn’t drop out, you figure you may as well try (begrudgingly).

You read through your study guide a million times and decide showing up to take the test counts as passing in your book.

After what seems like a lifetime, you emerge from your study room looking like a zombie to find there are people in the library again and the sun has come back up.

You go to class, take your test, and then you’re finally done. Does it matter how you did? Nope, because you studied hard. The biggest lesson learned is to manage your time better… until you have to pull another all-nighter. Happy midterms!

In a nutshell: ~I'm an art history major and dual minor in Medieval Renaissance Studies & Communication, and I'm graduating in 2016 (one year left)! -I'm an active member of CNU's Green Team, Rock Climbing Club, and WCNU Radio. ~I never wear shoes on campus if it's warm outside. -I sing and play guitar, bass, piano, ukulele, and melodica. ~Interests: Music, art, the earth, dancing, raves, yoga, food, adventure, and sleep.
Lee Martin is a 20-year-old junior at Christopher Newport University majoring in Communication Studies with minors in Leadership and Women's & Gender Studies. She co-founded CNU's chapter of Her Campus and currently serves as Co-Campus Correspondent/Editor-in Chief, as well as a Chapter Advisor to five other campuses. As a journalist, she has written for The Oyster Pointer, The Winchester Star, and worked with National Student Leadership Conference's Journalism, Film & Media Arts program. When not writing, you can find her binging on chocolate and coffee while laughing at Parks and Rec or The Office. If you must read her silly musings, follow her on Twitter at @loveleeforlife