"Sleep is for the weak," they say.
"I'll sleep when I'm dead," they say...
I'd personally love to meet any supporter of these phrases, and I will condescendingly shame anyone who uses them. Within a week of constant studying for mid-terms, I've accumulated enough caffeine and sugar inside of myself to reach my equivalence point; I am now one part human and one part pumpkin spice latte.
Tuesday of Mid-term Week: Calculus test on Wednesday
I won't dwell on Monday of this week due to its uneventfulness- if you feel cheated out of that day just imagine an empty pack of Oreos and 3 drunken Starbucks cups with me in the middle.
That Tuesday, I never woke up because I never went to bed. I attended Chemistry Lab for three hours until noon, consumed 4 shots of watered down espresso and then made it to a three-hour calculus recitation. The constant studying lifted my spirits toward the exam, and I fully intended on going to sleep that night.
To celebrate, some friends and I went out to get sushi around eight o'clock before bed. Clearly not as tired as myself, we stayed out close to 11 p.m. (This was my first mistake of the evening.) While driving back to campus, we were rear ended at a stoplight and waited for a police response for over two hours. We did not get back to campus until almost three o'clock in the morning.
Wednesday: Calculus Exam Day
9:20 a.m. and I sat in class waiting for the kid next to me to pass down a printed copy of my worst nightmare. In the past two days, I had consumed an uncanny amount of coffee, two bagels, and a spicy tuna roll.
After conquering this first hurdle of my week, it was time to refocus my insanity onto Chemistry. I returned to my dorm and opened the midterm review guide to realize that I had not retained any knowledge of chemistry whatsoever.
Thursday: Chemistry Recitation
Did you know they make caffeinated chocolate bars? Neither did I. And they taste ten times better when you are stressed about not understanding your chemistry recitation guide.
Friday: Chemistry Exam Day
I now understand the physical effects of no sleep. The last thing I wanted to focus on was focus, so the hardest part of the test was making myself take it rather than the actual questions. My head throbbed and all I could think about was a warm bagel from Panera.
After this exam, I think I slept for fourteen hours straight.