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The 16 Stages of Pulling an All-Nighter

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

We have all been here once: our last class of the day has ended and we have a massive test the next morning that we haven’t even begun to study for (thank you procrastination). And so, we mentally begin to prepare ourselves for the unavoidable all-nighter that is about to unfold. Of course, in our minds, we have the preconceived notion that we will stay focused all night and everything will go smoothly; no distractions will get in our way at all! 

Yeah right…

In honor of finals week fast approaching, here is what really happens during an all-nighter.

8:00pm: Confidence

You have accepted the unavoidable all-nighter that is about to take place and get set up to study. Your confidence is high and you’re feeling good.

8:30pm: Coffee

Caffeine is your best friend so you might as well have a cup (or gallon to start off).

9:30pm: Hunger

You’re going to be up all night so might as well have a little feast right?

10:30pm: Food Coma

The late-night feast has you feeling a little sleepy, another gallon of coffee is necessary.

11:00pm: Social Media Update

You need to post a status about the fact that you are pulling an all-nighter and might as well share a pic of your late night feast with everyone on Instagram and Twitter. This is very important information that everyone needs to know.

11:30pm: Friend Request

Oh wow! You have a new friend request and it’s that guy you sit next to for bio lecture. You have to spend the next 30 minutes casually stalking his profile.

Midnight: Panic

It is already midnight and you have barely started studying yet! Remain calm and start focusing.

1:00am: Great Job

Wow you’ve been studying for a solid hour! Amazing job! You deserve a nap break for all of your hard work. 

2:00am: Wake up!

The struggle to wake up from the nap is so real. You try a Red Bull this time instead of coffee. After all, it’s a new day so you might as well switch it up a bit.

3:00am: Blurred Vision

Your notes are starting to look a little fuzzy on the page. What the heck were you writing when taking notes in class?

3:30am: Acceptance

You have officially accepted the fact that you might bomb this exam. So long GPA.

4:00am: Dance Break

It’s time for a dance break to some killer music.

4:15: Shower

You are really sweaty from dancing so a shower seems like a good idea. Plus it might help to clear your mind and help you focus on work.

5:00am: Homestretch

You are in the last stretch of the night now so it’s time to really buckle down and finish studying. You have two more chapters to review and then you are done!

6:00am: Last Chapter

Your eyes are closing, the words are fading on the page. Stay strong and power through!

7:00am: Victory!

You have your test in an hour and you finally finished studying. Do you remember half of what you reviewed? No. But you still feel the satisfaction of knowing you gave studying your very best effort.

Photo Sources:

http://scienceillustrated.com.au/blog/

http://giphy.com/

I'm currently a Junior majoring in Architecture and minoring in Technical Writing here at CMU :) Outside of academics I have a passion for fitness amd makeup artistry. 
I am a junior Materials Science and Engineering mjaor at Carnegie Mellon University, and I am also minoring in Professional Writing and Business. I am a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma.  I love TV and trying out new beauty products.  I follow E! on Twitter so that I can stay up-to-date on celebrity news.  I'm royal-obsessed, and I love Kate Middleton's style.  I'm kind of a Sephora addict, and I could easily spend hours there.  I also spend way too much time on Pinterest.  Finally, I love hockey and all Pittsburgh sports.