The Collegian

Issue date: 10/23/08 Section: Opinion

When was the last time you told someone you were busy or stressed out?

There's always too much to do - friends to see, meals to eat, lectures to attend, sports to play … plus classes, midterms, and essays.

So what's the key to doing it all? Just don't sleep.

"There are no distractions at night," freshman Nick Youngstrom said.

He's adjusting to classes with Associate Professor of English John Somerville and Professor of History Burt Folsom, so he studies until at least one in the morning, then catches up with friends on the phone.

Junior Wendy Brannagan agreed on the merits of late-night studying.

"If I stay up late, I can get it done," Brannagan said. A double major in English and classical studies, Brannagan averages about five hours of sleep per night and often pulls all-nighters.

She calls herself as "an obsessive-compulsive homework-doer."

Add three advanced English classes and an advanced Latin class to that tendency, and it's no surprise that she's awake until four in the morning.

Junior Monica Way manages a similarly crazy schedule: she's a double major in English and music and participates in the Hillsdale College Chamber Choir, the Hilltop Highland Dancers, Swing Club and Catholic Society.

"I need sleep, I just don't value it. I prefer being awake," Way said. She avoids all-nighters, however: a two-hour nap before morning classes at least makes her feel like it's a new day.

Some athletes who have team practices as early as 6 a.m. don't sleep much either.

"How do you make yourself go to bed at ten o'clock when everyone in your dorm is up and you have a ton of homework?" sophomore swimmer Alison Roberts asked.

Some days, she swims more hours than she sleeps.

And then there are the students who work for campus security.

Sophomore Joel Gehrke, who frequently takes overnight shifts, said he averaged two hours of sleep per night during a time last spring.

As you might expect, that habit led Gehrke to caffeine addiction, falling asleep in classes, and then compensating every few weeks by sleeping way more than usual. Those crashes made him fall further behind on homework, thus perpetuating the brutal cycle.

Even college students without a job, a sport or plenty of homework sometimes don't get much sleep. Hanging out, watching movies, surfing the Internet and other non-scholarly activities can keep you up all night, too.

Continued...

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