THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY, MAY 7, 2012
PAGE 10
UP ALL NIGHT
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY TRAVIS YOUNG
Weak and weary students pull all-nighters to study
VICTORIA PITCHER
vpitcher@kansan.com
Average is how Jessica Washington, a senior from Basehor, described her performance on a Japanese final last spring. Washington arrived at Anschutz library around 7 p.m. the night before her final to meet with a group of classmates to study.
"People stayed; people left. It was a mess of caffeine and naps." Washington said.
Washington spent the whole night at Anschutz and took her final at 9 a.m.
Swallow didn't intend to stay up all night, and although she still passed her final, she doesn't recommend going all night without sleep.
Kristin Scott, the associate director of the Academic Achievement and Access Center, said some students resort to pulling all-nighters because they wait too long to start studying or they need more time to study than they had planned.
And for some students, all-nighters just happen. Emily Swallow, a senior from Naperville, Ill., said she had prepared for her cognitive psychology test weeks before the final, but the night before, Swallow's mind was racing because of her test anxiety; she stayed awake the entire night.
"The rest of the day was miserable, because I was just so exhausted." Swallow said. "It's never a good idea to pull an all-nighter."
Not everyone is successful at pulling an all-nighter. Scott said she has heard stories about students who took a break from studying for a short nap and ended up oversleeping and being late for their final. She has even had a student fall asleep while taking a final.
Scott said students should be alert and thinking clearly when going into a final. She advises students to start early on studying and plan how much time each subject will need. And, of course, she says students should avoid pulling all-nighters.
"When you go to a final, you want to be at your best," Scott said.
"I think if the student has the experience of taking a final when they have gotten sleep, when they are actually at their best, they will find that it's a much different experience," Scott said.
Scott said when students go into a final without getting enough rest, they may not think as clearly and may miss words or misunderstand questions, which causes them to perform worse.
Edited by Caroline Kraft
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