All-nighters and Other Academic War Stories

[Nurvingiel]

I'm sure a lot of university and high school students alike have found themselves in a similar situation...

I was in a difficult class with a lot of assignments. I did some of them, and I studied a bit for the exam, but then, the fight just went out of me. (I barely passed the exam incidentally, but pass it I did.) I just... stopped doing the work, even though I had six on-line quizzes, and two excercises remaining (one of which was huge, and in three parts).

I have a theory that your brain gets full of things that it doesn't want to be doing. In other words, you have an upper limit of assignments, studying etc. that you can worry about. Anything over this limit gets ignored. It's up to us as (hopefully good) students to raise this limit, until we get all our work done, and achieve brilliant grades!

What? Is that hysterical laughter I hear?

Anyway, at some point, everything becomes a reality. Even though I had been ignoring the sheer, massive amount of work I had, they were still due at noon on Thursday. Well, they became very, very real to me Wednesday night. I pulled an all-nighter to finish them, and I did finish, even though I did a piss poor job on some parts of the excercises. (The TA just emailed me and I still have to fix some things before the assignments count as a pass. *cries* It was still worth staying up all night though, because if I hadn't I never would have this chance to pass the course.)

After I stayed up all night, I went to class Thursday morning. I only fell asleep briefly, maybe 10 minutes. It was during a slideshow, which, though interesting, is a common time for students to snooze. Apparently, it's not normal for students to sleep in class here. I was surprised... you can expect someone to nod off in every other class at my Canadian university. Say... 1 in 300 students. More if it's exam time. However, I was woken up, and I stayed awake for the rest of the lecture.
Then I ate lunch, ran errands, and went to a traditional Swedish Christmas dinner (which was amazing). At the end of the night, I had stayed up for 41 hours straight, and I could barely function.

I pushed myself in every way. My body hurt from the strain of operating so long without rest. My mind... it was torture. For about 20 of those 41 hours, all I could think about was sleep. I wanted it so badly. When I finally collapsed into bed, I slept for 15 hours! I meant to get up and go to class, and I did try, but I shut off my alarm without really thinking and went into a deep sleep until early afternoon. That was Friday. Friday night, I couldn't sleep! I was so tired... and when I was staying up I wanted sleep more than anything. It was torture again to be denied what I wanted so badly. But I did it. I pulled it off. That is also the longest period of time I have gone without sleep.

But enough about me. Who else has pulled an all-nighter... written an essay in under and hour... dealing with a tough teacher... last minute homework... cramming... impossible classes...

There's also the flip side - the abuses we heap upon ourselves partying and having a good time.

The extremes students have gone to to succeed... told here!

[katya]

I agree! You should've seen me by the end of last year. I just stopped being able to make my self do homework. In math class, we did whole chapters in a week because they were easy. We were given the assignment on Monday, and were expected to turn it in on Thursday. Without exception, I did the assignments on Thursday Morning. And it was like that, all the time. What's more, we get a grade for just doing the assignment regardless of how well we do on it so there's really no excuse.
This year, though it's only December, I've already gone into that mode. I rarely do my math ever, and if I do it's either at lunch (I have math 5th hour) or in the morning before school. The other day I took a test on a chapter that I've done maybe 2 out of about 9 lessons. That's math. No motivation, at all. I just don't like doing it.
How about government? I had an essay on Thomas Jefferson a couple weeks ago. It was assigned about two weeks before it was due, and we were given a couple days in the library. This was supposed to be three pages long, with bibliography and citations. I did a minimal amount of research the night before the due date, and finished the report in two hours the morning of the due date. (I got 100% on it though and she said it was very good.^^) Also, we have to turn in political cartoons with a typed paragraph of explanation/interpretation, and it's every two weeks. Almost everytime, I have done it 5th hour of the day it's due. (I have government 6th hour.) I haven't been turning in my assignents either.
However, if you look at my physics or Japanese classes, I try really hard on all my homework, get everything done, and in Japanese I stay well ahead of the class. It all comes down to my motivation.
As for the real reason I don't do my homework, it's not because I'm lazy. It's because I have a sense of guilt for wasting time doing my homework. I feel like I should be doning something better....like 'mooting.... I'm serious. My time is very valuabe to me, and I don't want to waste it with something like math.

[inked]

We have seen this monster and we know it by its proper name.........
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P_R_O_C_R_A_S_T_I_N_A_T_I_O_N !


Arise. thou laggards, shake off thy sloth and get thee busy...NOW!!!!

[Elemmírë]

"Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow."
~Mark Twain

Nurvs, I've been spending so much time here, I've practically stopped doing homework. Though... not completely.

I study for Japanese tests on the way to class. I write out answers for the oral section of the final at 2am, while still on Entmoot. I write out essays for my English class three hours before they're due (the funny thing is the longer I put it off, the better the grade I get... ).

My history class is at 8:30 every Tuesday and Thursday. Since we're at the end of the semester and we're allowed one unexcused absense (to my credit, I've never missed a class yet in any subject ), every morning I fight with myself to see whether or not I'm going to go...

Well... so far I've always gone. Only... 15 minutes late. One class left, maybe I'll miss that one.

My politics teacher gives us a ton of reading to do for every class, and has just begun to realise that nobody does it! I have to admit, I was one of the last people to stop. I always used to make some sort of effort to get the readings done before class, until I walked in and was like, "Wow. I just finished those readings 20 minutes ago," and everyone else looked at me strangely and said they hadn't even started...

And then I've got my English class, I have no idea how that teacher grades. She doesn't believe in giving A's. In fact, she doesn't believe in giving grades that make any sense at all. I've gotten B/B- which is somewhere between a B and a B-, but closer to a B. B-/B is closer to a B-. B+/A- is obviously somewhat more than a B+ but not as good as an A-. A-/B+ the opposite.

Okay. So maybe that makes sense. But on my last paper she gave me a B++. I'm thinking, "Okay, I have no idea whatsoever what this means. Is it more than B+/A-, or less? What would this translate to in numbers, an 88.24? Why couldn't she just give me a bloody A-?"

Well. That's my life.

I've only got two class days left... then I've got to catch up on all the work I haven't been doing...

[BeardofPants]

I always leave stuff for the last minute. I write essays the day they're due, I study for exams on the day. Never had to pull an all-nighter ... yet. It works for me though, I keep up my high grades even though I am a colossal procrastinator...

[Count Comfect]

I never leave stuff for the last minute. Why?

Because I have to use that minute to walk to class after finishing the assignment the minute before.

Physics here is the real murderer. The average physics student works straight from about 8:30 pm to 2 or 3 am the night before the problem sets are due, and some stay all night in the dining hall (which is where everyone studies). Chemistry has been known to do the same: my roommate, who is taking it (thank God, I am not) started working at 11 pm and ended at 6:30pm the next day. The assignment was due at 5pm that day, but his TA hadn't picked them up yet.

And I don't think I've spent more than an hour of actual writing on an essay yet.

[Nurvingiel]

Originally Posted by inked

We have seen this monster and we know it by its proper name.........
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P_R_O_C_R_A_S_T_I_N_A_T_I_O_N !


Arise. thou laggards, shake off thy sloth and get thee busy...NOW!!!!

Oh I got busy alright, see original post. Just kidding, I know what you mean. But many, many students will slip up, and the war stories ensue.

Now Inked, don't you have any stories for us? I have a hard time believing that you got two science degrees (in Biology IIRC) and went to medical school without pulling even one all-nighter! Cmon, fess up, no one will think less of you.

[inked]

Rally, Nurv, other than avoiding the T. rex and the Velociraptors on the way to class/labs/library/dorm/cafeteria during the day, while keeping an eye out for pterydactyls, I really don't remember many all nighters . Then again, maybe I LIE .

Back then, I learned that procrastination is the enemy. What becomes acceptable is not THIS IS THE BEST I CAN DO but the rather pathetic THIS IS THE BEST I CAN DO IN THE REMAINING TIME I HAVE.

Nowadays, I don't get to blame all-nighters on party life, study, or newlywed status. I can blame it all on other people's partying, studying sexuality in horizontal labs without contraception, and their nelywed status nine months ago.

Besides, the dinosaurs were kinda cool .

[Bombadillo]

Actually I agree with the Gaffer. What works best for me personally is to think for a few months about how I can make this project perfect. Then at the last minute reluctantly pick the best idea and get started on it, honing it to unexpected greatness as I continue working through it, surrendering all sleep that might prohibit my progress. I get As and Bs with that method.
Although it never works for studying. I don't study until the very class period in which the test is about to take place. (You thought you knew cramming! HA! ) For midterms and finals or something big like that, I save all useful papers from throughout the year to truly study from when I deem it necassary.

And my school needs me to get a 93+ for an A, and technically they don't give A+ but that's basically set at a 97+. Below 70 is failure, and each grade ranges about four points. I posted the grading system on my wall... for motivation...

Originally Posted by Valandil

Went through college majoring in architecture...

need I say more?

Not to me. When we went to pick up my brother from college a couple weeks ago (he's an archie), we called right as we left the house and by the time we got there he'd passed out. It's a 30 minute drive and he couldn't help himself! Took him forever to get over to the car.

[Last Child of Ungoliant]

i always do my assignments at midnight before they have to be in, my 8000 word history coursework took me 2 hours, but i did it, there are 2 problems with such lack of sleep
1) certain inhaled substances make you sleepy
2) i have almost fallen asleep in lectures, in the library, on the hour bus trip home, and various other places

[Elenwen06]

Oh-oh-oh. I have a lot of so-called "academic war stories," because my personality is so, well, I guess I have to admit it... I'm a perfectionist. I was in a couple advanced placement classes last year, and my teachers were really great, but there were an awful lot of group projects, and I tend to get the worst groups. The first we had was a debate. I stayed up two nights straight (That's basically thirty-six hours, if you count the days) to work on everyone's speeches... and then the people either didn't speak up or didn't speak fast enough. The person who was supposed to be doing closing arguments chickened out, so she and I traded places. So all my preparation went down the drain, obviously. A very tired and very frustrated me had to stand up in front of the class and deliver the arguments which I came up with on the spot. I got a B on that one. And then there was the stupid twenties party. We had to stage a whole party, you know the speakeasy things? And I was in the food group. I researched most of the recipes, I bought the food, I stayed up half the night making the stuff... then half of it spilled in my car. And the day before that I had stayed at my school from 12:37 until 5:00. When I got home, we had run out of milk, so I had to walk down to the store to buy some (a long ways away), because I had to make fettucine. And then the next day, I got to school at six in the morning to start setting up. I was there until seven, then I had to go to French class... then during fourth period I got permission to go back to my history class and continue setting up. I was there through fourth period, both lunches (I have a very big school), the second fourth period, and then I was still setting up when class began. I was a server during the party (I never even ate the food I prepared) and then afterwards I helped clean up. On that one I got a ton of extra credit. I think my teachers knew I would come after them with a shotgun if I didn't. HeeHee. Anyways, on with the next one. My next project was a satire thing where we had to come up with our own "Modest Proposal." So I stayed up all night preparing that, and I convinced my partner to dress up the next day. Well, I gotta go. It's midnight. Time to work on that essay due tomorrow.

[Bombadillo]

*bump* It's that time of year again (dammit).

My summer reading project, due in 5 days, is to read and annotate A Brave New World by Aldous Huxley and 1984 by George Orwell. I read them both, but I've only annotated up to page 84 out of 220+ in 1984 and that's it. It takes so long. I timed myself...one hour for twenty pages. And i hate annotating because it's redundant but these stories are almost exactly the same; they'll drive me crazy. And the list we got that explained the assignment was unclear as to whether or not we should read a third book voluntarily, but screw that. I don't have time.