Stay up 30+ hours to study for exam and write paper

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wisconsindoctor

wisconsindoctor

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Ok, folks. I have two finals and a paper to still get done. The two finals are on Wed and the paper is due on Wed. I started to study for one of the two exams today (I just can't stand to study right now......lethal case of senioritis), but I'm not even close to ready for the exam.

Is the following plan a good idea? Since I work from 8am until 5pm tomorrow, I plan on going home after work to write the paper. I hope to have the 5 page paper done in 2 hours (just copy, paste, and re-write) and then start studying for the two exams. Since both exams are comulative, I need to study for a long period to refresh the memory of all of the information (exams are for immuno and zoology-god I hate this class). Is it a good idea to stay up all night on Tuesday until 4pm on Wed. to pass the exams? Both exams are wroth 100 points. Do poorly on both exams and I could end up with B/C in each course, do bad on one exam and I could end up with a C/D, but if I do good in both exams I should get an A and B/C. My current immuno grade is a an A and my Zoology grade is a B/C.

For all of the non-senior responders to this post, you won't understand what I mean be a lethal case of senioritis until your last couple of days of college.
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I never had good returns doing all-nighters fresh/soph year. I soon figured out that I could hit a sleep cycle at ~4 hrs 15 min and feel completely refreshed. Instead of all-nighters, I'd study really late and then get my 4:15 worth of sleep. Woke up completely refreshed and the feeling lasted for about 5 hours or so (enough to get through the test).

I suggest trying to get some sleep rather than none at all. If you know your sleep cycles you can pull this off with much success.
 
I often find myself in this situation and forced to make study schedules and decisions such as this. Assuming you've been accepted to med school, my suggestion would be first and foremost damage control. I know that some schools and the school I eventually ended up attending will require continued academic performance. I think several of my acceptance letters said that I'd have to explain in writing any grades less than a B- that I got after my acceptance. So, with limited time for finals, I focused on the class where my grades were most precarious, to the exclusion of my other work. So, maybe try to write part of your paper over lunch tomorrow and focus more on Zoology to keep the grade under control. Like the poster above, I find that my optimal point between sleep loss and additional study time falls just after 4 hours of sleep with at least two hours in the morning to review. I think your strategy should depend on how well you know the material to begin with. If you are comfortable with it, it is not worth losing the sleep time - if you don't know it at all, you'd be best off spending most all of the sleep time learning it. Most importantly - turn off the internet, SDN, and other distractions. By cutting out breaks you can regain a lot of lost time for sleep. Good luck! Only two more days.
 
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i am, unfortunately, the queen of all nighters:sleep:

i pull 2-3 a week:eek:

but i dont really have a choice.

it can be done, and you dont have to feel gross the next day...in fact, there are many times when i do pull all nighters for a test, do well on the test, and then am up and fine the rest of the day.

then there are times when im EXHAUSTED and dead, and i basically just crash.

tactics for me...

2 hour nap (or so) before you plan on staying up all night
large dunkin donuts iced coffee
food
whenever i feel like im nodding off when im studying and i really dont have the time to take a small nap, ill either take a shower, splash cold water on my face, or just move locations so that it's a change of environment

good luck!
 
wisconsindoctor said:
Ok, folks. I have two finals and a paper to still get done. The two finals are on Wed and the paper is due on Wed. I started to study for one of the two exams today (I just can't stand to study right now......lethal case of senioritis), but I'm not even close to ready for the exam.

Is the following plan a good idea? Since I work from 8am until 5pm tomorrow, I plan on going home after work to write the paper. I hope to have the 5 page paper done in 2 hours (just copy, paste, and re-write) and then start studying for the two exams. Since both exams are comulative, I need to study for a long period to refresh the memory of all of the information (exams are for immuno and zoology-god I hate this class). Is it a good idea to stay up all night on Tuesday until 4pm on Wed. to pass the exams? Both exams are wroth 100 points. Do poorly on both exams and I could end up with B/C in each course, do bad on one exam and I could end up with a C/D, but if I do good in both exams I should get an A and B/C. My current immuno grade is a an A and my Zoology grade is a B/C.

For all of the non-senior responders to this post, you won't understand what I mean be a lethal case of senioritis until your last couple of days of college.
Click to expand...

Staying up late is usually not efficient. You end up taking longer to memorize material and a harder time recalling/analyzing the questions on exams. Your essay will also probably be pretty crappy if you aren't fully awake.

wisconsindoctor said:
For all of the non-senior responders to this post, you won't understand what I mean be a lethal case of senioritis until your last couple of days of college.
Click to expand...

You are amazing, every single time you make a post on SDN you manage to show your ignorance/stupidity. You are the most consistent thing on these boards (and that is saying something)!

I don't know about you, but I did 4 years of highschool. My last year was actually called a "senior year" and everyone who has gone through highschool knows the idea of senioritis.
 
I think most of the undergrads went through high school & remember what seniorititis felt like.

If you already had an acceptance in hand, I'd say to do what you want, 30 hrs or not, as long as you would pass the classes. You haven't applied, yet, so you still need to get the highest grades you are able to. Thirty hours of wakefulness will reduce your ability to think well when it really counts.

You do need some sleep in there. You will be able to study more effectively and perform better on the exams with sufficient sleep. Listen to LikeClockWork.

You would have been better off getting some of the studying done tonight instead of waiting checking in for answers to your question. No, a 30 hr stretch with exams at the end is not a good idea.
 
wisconsindoctor said:
Ok, folks. I have two finals and a paper to still get done. The two finals are on Wed and the paper is due on Wed. I started to study for one of the two exams today (I just can't stand to study right now......lethal case of senioritis), but I'm not even close to ready for the exam.

Is the following plan a good idea? Since I work from 8am until 5pm tomorrow, I plan on going home after work to write the paper. I hope to have the 5 page paper done in 2 hours (just copy, paste, and re-write) and then start studying for the two exams. Since both exams are comulative, I need to study for a long period to refresh the memory of all of the information (exams are for immuno and zoology-god I hate this class). Is it a good idea to stay up all night on Tuesday until 4pm on Wed. to pass the exams? Both exams are wroth 100 points. Do poorly on both exams and I could end up with B/C in each course, do bad on one exam and I could end up with a C/D, but if I do good in both exams I should get an A and B/C. My current immuno grade is a an A and my Zoology grade is a B/C.

For all of the non-senior responders to this post, you won't understand what I mean be a lethal case of senioritis until your last couple of days of college.
Click to expand...
I try never to take an exam on less than 6 hrs of sleep. If you're hellbent on pulling 30 hrs straight. Try to intersperse a few short (less than 1 hr naps in there to re-energize yourself, it'll help you concentrate). Also, be sure to drink lots of fluids, esp since I'm sure you'll be drinking a lot of caffeine or you'll feel even more tired if you get too dehydrated.
 
I stayed up for over 40 hours one time and ended up doing fine on all 3 exams...I just drank a bunch of energy drinks....

I dont recommend this for everybody, but if you're able go for it
 
Wylde said:
You are amazing, every single time you make a post on SDN you manage to show your ignorance/stupidity. You are the most consistent thing on these boards (and that is saying something)!
Click to expand...

THANK YOU! I was waiting for someone to say it....
 
I love studying at night. 2am is the best possible time for me to retain information. So I'm an all-nighter.

I'm just not an all-dayer.
 
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for a memorization test, theres no substitute for a good night's rest..

and yea id spend more time on zoology and then just hit the topics i had trouble with in immunology and quickly look over everything else

good luck with the paper.. those are time killers
 
For me...I remember the information MUCH better if I've slept for at least 4 hours. If I don't sleep...I end up feeling sick, getting a migraine, and being really crabby. But, I know everyone's different. Unfortunately, if you don't know what your body is like and how your mind will react to not sleeping...this will be more like a trial and error thing for you. You'll eventually figure it out. For now, my recommendation would be to take a few naps in the 30 hour period...maybe 2-3 hours each?? Good luck! :luck:
 
It's perhaps too late, but you should definitely get sleep. In any case, if your senioritis was that bad before, how are you going to motivate yourself to stay up that long? All-nighters for exams rarely work well, though if you were staying up for the paper that is a different story.

I generally budgeted an hour a page and went way over that. If I write stream of consciousness it takes me 20 minutes per page, so for me 5 pages in 120 minutes would barely have accurate grammar, let alone coherent thought.
 
most of the replies already covered everything i wanted to say.

1) you are 100x more efficient memorizing stuff when you're AWAKE. it takes sooo much longer to memorize when you're pulling an all-nighter. i'd rather work ahead of time and get done studying in half of the time it'd take if i was pulling an all nighter!

2) since you have no choice, though, you should try to get SOME sleep. my brain usually starts to fry by 3am. i sleep till 6am and then wake up a few hours for the test and finish it up. my mind's working full speed again and since i know my time is very limited now, i haul ***! the only danger to this is you better make sure you don't have TOO much more to study or you won't finish all the material.

honestly, it also depends on high your grades are. if you can afford to do lower on the final than on the past tests, then study just enough to make sure you can retain your A or whatever. if you need to do really well and have no time for sleep whatsoever, then do what it takes to stay awake. i highly suggest you at least get one hour of sleep before the test or else all the information will clutter up in your head when you're recalling it for the test. all my advice comes from studying for bio tests, tho, which is all memorization studying. if the final is like writing an in-class essay or something or if it's an open-note final, then i wouldn't worry as much about getting some sleep haha. especially with open-note, you won't get material mixed up b/c you'll have your notes to back you up. on an essay final, only write about the things you are sure of. leave no room for the teacher to question you. then what it comes to a memorization test and you are unsure on a question, be as vague as possible. the more specific you are, the easier it is for them to count it wrong haha. good luck!
 
good luck hehe, hopefully you're not passed out in some desolate corner of the library in your attempt to cram :( (that would really suck!)
 
There are many papers out there showing the benefits of sleep vs all nighters. Study, and get at least 6 hours of sleep before the test. The 6 houts of sleep are more important than another 6 hours of studying.
 
The important that I learned over the years is that never study on your bed!!! You will fall asleep regardless what. Eat something when you are falling sleep and try to take 1 hr nap before going to school...e.g. test at 8am, take a nap between 6-7am then wake up at 7am to get ready. :)
 
30 hrs is nothing, chief. one of the worst times of my life was 72 hrs straight for exams (anatomy, physio, orgo, and physics) strung out on monster energy drinks and eating coffee beans (didnt feel like waiting for coffee), followed by the stupid, stupid decision to drive home 5 hrs afterwards... cant wait for intern year!
 
Here's a tip: stop reading/posting on SDN and either sleep or study. Yeesh...
 
notdeadyet said:
Here's a tip: stop reading/posting on SDN and either sleep or study. Yeesh...
Click to expand...

that's just crazy talk. I'm voting for the pure Nodoze and starbucks double shot expresso diet.

Finally, a cure against sleep
 
Here is an update

For the immuno paper, I just used a paper that I wrote for my developmental biology course that had a lot of immuno discussion in it and added more. That paper has already been emailed off. It only took 30 minutes to add more (think god I'm good at immuno).

For my immuno exam, I'm just memorizing the answers to the end of chapter questions. The professor always has a very high percentage of his questions from the end of the chapter questions.

I'll stay up to midnight to study for zoology and study for the zoology exam for 4 hours tomorrow as well.

No need to stay up all night.

Peace out.
 
Wylde said:
good luck hehe, hopefully you're not passed out in some desolate corner of the library in your attempt to cram :( (that would really suck!)
Click to expand...

You seem to have a problem with me? Did I affend you in the wrong way before? If so, suck it!
 
For the immuno paper, I just used a paper that I wrote for my developmental biology course that had a lot of immuno discussion in it and added more. That paper has already been emailed off. It only took 30 minutes to add more (think god I'm good at immuno).
Click to expand...

At my school, that would get you an "F" for plagiarism. All papers must be original work, not edited resubmissions.
 
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