After a very relaxing and much needed spring break, students are now attempting to get back into their normal swing of things. The sun is finally shining, the campus grounds are blooming, our friends seem happier and things are going well. 
But before we know it, we will cross into that dreaded week – Dead Week. The workload more than quadruples, and there seems to be an ever-present impending cloud of worry hanging over everyone’s heads. So, most students who are procrastinators like me will wait till the very last second to actually start their studying. And many college students will have to pull off an act viewed as crazy, which is the bittersweet all-nighter scenario. 
If you have never been through an all-nighter before, this is just an article to mentally prep you for what is to come if you choose to venture into the land of no sleep. You have better chances of holding on to your sanity the next day if you know how the preceding night will go for you. Keeping that in mind, this is how the night will probably go for you, and to make it easier to cope with, it will be said in the most humorous 21 Jump Street lighting that I can muster. 
“Aaaand here we go!” Determined to get all of your schoolwork done, you get a surge of energy. Midnight quickly turns into two o’clock, and this is when you hit the first stage, dubbed ‘the giggles.’ Because, let’s face it, everything is funnier after two am. Your roommate, study buddy, or twitter friend will say something stupid, which will cause you to go in to a bout of uncontrollable laughter. Just embrace the laughter, because you will want that so much more the later on your night goes. 
 You finally calm down, and get a significant amount of homework done. 
Then, you need a mental break, and don’t be afraid to take one. You deserve it. Have that late night salty snack, or take a quick shower to refocus. Sleep delirium will start to hit once you sit back down and get in the zone. 
If you had a long day before making the choice to pull an all-nighter, you will hit the second stage, called “tripping hard core.” Everyone approaches this one differently. You can either not feel time passing the same way, or mix up the order of words and events from the day prior. You just have to keep in mind that it will all be over soon, and that you will (eventually) be okay. 
 Hey, the sun rose! Maybe you better get ready for the day. But, you take your time, thinking that you have all the time in the world for some strange reason. Then, the deadline for that paper you just wrote, or the exam you just crammed for, approaches. 
This is when you get to the third stage, called “over-confidence”. You get this epiphany and are super ecstatic to get everything done in time. Which you can. Your hands move like lightning to write the last of that paper, or your eyes read over the last of your notes for that exam. You can pretty much rule the world at this point, because you have been up longer than the rest of us. Adrenaline takes over, and then you magically make that deadline. 
Making that deadline takes you into the fourth stage, the “heck yeah mother trucker” phase. Seriously. Campus is a playground now for you. You own it. Be the king or queen, and enjoy the feelings of glory that accompany your wicked accomplishments. You did it! 
 Getting through the rest of the day on that high of “I’ve got this!” helps, but the moment you get back home, kick off your shoes, and your body starts unwinding, you get into the fifth and final stage, which is “asleepyness”. Just go with the flow, man. Your body needs to hardcore catch up on sleep. And you’ve earned it. So let your favorite blanket make you feel happy on the inside. 
 And that, dear friends, is how a typical all-nighter will go. As long as you are armed with the knowledge of its effects on your mind and your body, you can take on the world.