Several weeks remain between now and finals, which means there are many students who are beginning to cram in every last bit of studying they can. This may inevitably conclude with a sleepless all-nighter right before the test to help catch up on those pesky loose ends. This ritual of downing exorbitant amounts of caffeine and hardly getting sleep is obviously not a good idea for doing well on finals.

Most college students are guilty of this unproductive nocturnal activity at some point in their career. However, the fact that students pull all-nighters does not mean they are actually productive.

Back in high school, several days before taking the OGT, teachers constantly reminded students to get lots of sleep and eat a healthy breakfast. The reason we were constantly bombarded with this message is simple: studies have shown that well rested, well-fed test takers score higher than those who don’t make an effort to get adequate sleep and a healthy meal in their stomachs.

In 2007, a St. Lawrence University study backed up this belief after comparing the GPAs of students who occasionally pull all-nighters with those who never do.

Even without the evidence of researchers, it is plainly logical to invest in sleep as opposed to studying through the night. The human mind simply does not function productively at 4 a.m. Furthermore, you’re more likely to become distracted by jumping on Facebook for a quick break.

Furthermore, the very last thing anyone wants to do when running on no sleep is to take a test, so why is this method so popular? The answer to this question is either laziness or poor time management.

As students, we are beginning our adult lives, where we will continuously have more and more things to do. Part of the college experience, perhaps one of the most important, is learning how to organize everything that needs to be done in a timely and efficient manner.

Our future careers and family lives will cause more difficulties for us if we do not learn these skills. We cannot just expect one all-night to take care of our responsibilities. It is sloppy, lazy and frankly, incompetent. What does it say about you when you can’t allocate enough time to study for class, let alone finish a project for a company?

All-nighters are clearly not productive, nor preferred by anyone in his right mind. This year, encourage yourself to study ahead of time as opposed to this sloppy method. You’ll be much happier and score higher if you do.

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