Picture this. You’re huddled in your favorite study spot on campus, having been there for hours upon hours, and you can feel your muscles aching. The words of your paper or textbook are starting to float off the page, and that cappuccino or Vanilla Coke you downed around midnight seems but a distant memory. It’s the fourth night in a row you’ve been up this late, but your schoolwork has to get done.

It’s that time of the year once again. Christmas decorations are going up, snow is coming down, and thousands of college students are in the throws of finals week.

While the best option in the scenario above is to grant yourself some much-needed sleep, sometimes pulling an all-nighter in college is necessary. It’s important to make sure you’re drinking plenty of water and eating relatively healthy foods, but sometimes you need a little extra push during those late night study sessions. For me, this drive is often in the form of music.

Now, I am one of those people that cannot listen to music with lyrics while I study. My work and the lyrics will turn into a jumbled mess. Still, in a crowded and noisy library, music can keep you concentrated; as a result, I have often employed movie scores to maintain my focus and make studying slightly more enjoyable. However, at two in the morning, I need a specific kind of music to keep me awake and motivated. I would likely fall asleep if I listened to anything slow and soft, so the list below will not include many of my favorite scores purely because they would leave me snoring into my textbook.

1. "Star Wars" (or almost anything by John Williams)

There’s a reason this man is considered one of the greatest movie composers of all time. Who could ever forget the ominous theme from "Jaws?" Or Darth Vader’s Imperial March? Williams’ work is widely known even if listeners don’t recognize the source. Nothing will wake you up faster than turning on the Star Wars IV score at full blast and listening to the main title. Many of the movies on my list have action or battle sequences that result in dramatic, thunderous music, as is the case with Williams’ work in "Star Wars," "Indiana Jones," "Jurassic Park," "Superman," "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial," and "Harry Potter." However, "Saving Private Ryan" and "Minority Report" are two lesser recognized movies that will do the job equally as well. Any of these gorgeous and deafening scores will keep you up and typing away long into the night.

2. "The Lord of the Rings" and the "Hobbit Series"

Honestly, due to the length of these films, there is enough music from this series that you could listen all night without changing the album. One thing I love about the "Lord of the Rings"’ scores are that they’re a good blend of happy, jaunty themes (“Concerning Hobbits” from "The Fellowship of the Ring" is a good example of this) and dark, triumphant melodies that will break your eardrums if you’re not careful (“The Bridge of Khazad Dum” from "Fellowship" embodies this style). Any sort of variation to break up my tedious workload is happily welcomed, and "Lord of the Rings" certainly achieves this wish.

3. "The Avengers" and "The Avengers: Age of Ultron"

People (including me) often go to Marvel movies to see larger-than-life action sequences, so it’s no surprise that this score is filled with larger-than-life music. It’s easy to forget that you’re not fighting alongside Thor and Iron Man when you’re listening (who knows, the fate of New York City could very well rest on your ability to finish this paper). I highly recommend the title theme from the first movie’s score as a good place to start.

4. "Lawrence of Arabia"

A lesser known oldie, but most certainly a goodie. The drums of the overture set the tone and build climactically to the movie’s stunning Middle Eastern themes. However, what I love about this score especially is how composer Maurice Jarre manages to blend those themes with a completely contrasting British march. Somehow, these discordant styles flow together perfectly and create an incredible score of music.

5. "The Pirates of the Caribbean Series"

Nothing like a bit of piracy to end this list. My personal favorite score of the series is "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End" -- the final battle sequence is especially breathtaking -- but all of the movies feature brilliant music. Check out “At Wit’s End” from the third film or “Fog Bound” from the first movie for some vibrant violin melodies. The later movies also tend to break away from the patterns set in the earlier films by incorporating the styles of other cultures, which is a nice bonus. Otherwise, nearly every track coincides with a sword-fighting sequence and reflects the riveting action seen throughout the series.

Happy studying!