Picture this. In approximately 12 hours, you will be taking the hardest test of your life, and you haven’t studied at all. Congratulations, you’re about to take on your first college all-nighter! But you’re in luck. With just a few basic tips, you’ll survive. So gather up your favorite snacks and brew some coffee. It’s going to be a long night.
You can’t survive 12 long hours of cramming or writing without some sustenance. That’s why every residence hall’s dining center has a Quik Cats convenience store with all the Vault, SoBe, cappuccino, and goodies you’ll need to make it through the night. Derby Dining Center's bakery can fulfill all your pastry needs. Getting to know the bakery's hours may be the most important memorization you do in college (but you’d still better get going on your calculus formulas).
You know the signs. Your mouse turns into the hourglass of doom or the spinning wheel of death, and it’s all over. It’s only a matter of seconds before the precious document you’re working on will be forever lost to the whims of your computer.
Don’t let this happen to you. Whether you’re working on an essay, hammering out your arguments for your final speech, or finishing up an ad campaign, you and the save button need to become best friends.
You and your roommate have survived breakups, pranks, and, well…each other. But don’t expect your roomie to rough this all-nighter with you. Just because you put off studying doesn’t mean your roomie has to suffer. So be considerate. Things like noise and light get more annoying the later it gets, so use your headphones and be prepared to relocate if necessary.
Insider’s tip: Your roommate may not mind your music, but be conservative with the volume. Even if everyone on your floor rocks out to Lady Gaga, no one wants to hear it at 2 in the morning.
You’ve done everything you can to appease your roommate. You plugged in headphones, traded in your crunchy Doritos for a “quiet snack,” and brought your whining level down to a faint grumble. But if that’s not enough, it’s time to pack up camp and relocate.
To where? To Hale Library. During the school year it's open all night (except for weekends). And the 24-hour study center is open—you guessed it—24/7/365. For something a little closer to home, check out a study room in your residence hall or use the floor lobby.
If you find yourself dozing off, you need to do two things: remove yourself from your room and bring your alarm clock. When you’re far removed from anyone trying to sleep, set your alarm for 10 minutes, wait for it to go off, hit the snooze, and repeat. This will be a constant reminder that you shouldn’t procrastinate.
It always happens. You decide to take a study break and accidentally stumble onto an “America's Next Top Model” marathon. You figure you deserve to watch one episode—after all, you’ve been studying for four hours. But the single in the next episode is really cute, and you know the rest of the story.
Yes, it was cruel of fate to taunt you with your favorite show on the night before a biology final, but you’ve got work to do. Try to avoid this situation by having your roommate hide the remote. Getting some fresh air is a more revitalizing study break anyway.
