A
university all nighter is
staying up all night to complete an
assignment, or to
study the
night(s) prior to an
exam. You are not a
student if you haven't had
one of these - they are
unofficial prerequisites to
graduating. They are one of the
common bonds between all members of the student body, and many a
campus legend has been
forged from them. You might have had them at
school, or
work, but for a
lot of people (albeit
those of the geek kindred)
university is often where they are first
experienced and where the
most memorable take place.
99% of all cases are stress motivated - namely the stress comes from by being
lazy and
not studying in the weeks prior to the exam despite being given ample time. This results in a
panicked attempt to
cram and/or
work your ass off. Whether or not they are
successful is another question.
For some, the university all nighter is when the
optimum level of stress is attained, (
for many students, this is also the
stress threshold) and the student will
work harder and longer in one night than over the rest of the entire term. Many an
academic would
shake their
head,
baffled at the
mathematically impossible amount of work that could be produced
over a single night. The
rate at which
some people can produce work when
pushed the
right way is
quite amazing. Admittedly they usually have to spend the next few
days, nay
weeks in
rehabilitation...
For
the less fortunate, nothing much is achieved in a university all nighter except more
stress and
exhaustion. These people are more suited to
consistent work and
study. But then given the
physiological (and
psychological impact of a university all nighter,
everybody is.
The university all nighter is aided by
stimulant drinks - many of the
one timers enjoy
coke and
pepsi, but the
truly hardcore go for
jolt,
caffeine pills, and
coffee so thick it sticks to your spoon.
Except for the
hardcore,
99% of all cases result in student
zombies - aside from the fact that they are effectively walking
vegetables for the time being, they can be
identified by a variety of symptoms:
rumpled clothes
unshaven face - yes, females too!
hooded eyes
unsteady totter
lack of concentration
irritability
bad smell
They also tend to slur words, and fall asleep in the middle of a sentence. Sleep deprivation is unhealthy.
After anywhere between 20 and 35 hours of straight consciousness (depending on circumstances), the body begins to shut down it's basic sensory system, and one feels blissful nirvana, as if on drugs. This is a very bad sign You're probably losing brain cells by the thousands. After a few hours of this, the body reactivates and you feel like total shit.
The truly hardcore all nighters are those of practise their craft on a fairly constant basis, often doing more than one per week, or even several in a row, depending on necessity. They gain respect and scorn alike from their peers.
Compare with good party, except negate the fun value. Often your first university all nighter is a story shared with friends during freshman parties.