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TCU | Culture

The 5 Stages of Writing a Paper the Night Before It’s Due

MeLina Toppi-DeLeo Student Contributor, Texas Christian University
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at TCU chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

It’s universal: we all say we’re going to start early. We swear this time will be different. But here we are at 10:30 p.m. desperately trying to turn a blank page into a masterpiece by 11:59 p.m.

stressed student
Photo by Elisa Ventur from Unsplash
  1. Denial

“I have plenty of time, I’ll start tomorrow.” 

This is the moment of blissful ignorance when you’ve convinced yourself that a few hours of focused writing will be enough. Maybe you even open the doc and start to write your thesis, congratulating yourself on being productive. 

  1. Panic Mode

“WHY did I do this to myself again?!”

It’s now 10:00 p.m., two hours before the paper is due, and you’ve written one full sentence. Your heart begins to race, and you stare at the prompt like magically re-reading it for the 100th time will make you come up with a brilliant idea and you won’t be able to stop writing until you finish. You realize now that you are suffering the consequences of your past self’s blissfulness. 

  1. Productivity Peak

“Okay, everything’s fine, I just need to lock in.” 

Fueled by adrenaline and a few cups of coffee, you start typing. You enter a strange zone where time ceases to exist. Maybe you’re writing for 10 minutes, it could be an hour — no one knows. 

  1. The Existential Crisis

“What even IS a thesis statement? What am I even writing about? Should I start over? Should I drop out and move to Paris???”

This is when you begin to question everything: your topic ideas, your major, and your life choices. Every sentence you write begins to sound like complete and utter nonsense. This, in turn, leads you to consider giving up and accepting a life of failure. But you keep pushing. 

  1. The Grand Finale

“Not my best work, but it’s DONE!” 

You finally finish your last sentence, throw in some last-minute citations, and turn it in. There’s little pride, but lots of relief. You vow to never procrastinate again… but we all know that’s not the truth. 

So sure, writing a paper the night before it’s due isn’t the best strategy, but to those who have mastered it, congratulations! Now go catch up on some sleep, you deserve it.

MeLina Toppi-DeLeo

TCU '28

MeLina is a writer for Her Campus at the TCU chapter. She is a sophomore, majoring in Psychology, minoring in communications with a focus on the pre-law track. She is also an active member of the Pre-Law Society at TCU.

Outside of academics, MeLina is involved in Greek life and intramural sports. She enjoys reading, writing, and going on walks with her friends. Her favorite pastime is going to the beach.